The Captain’s Log – front lines (Michael Grant)

Ahoy there me mateys!

front lines (Michael Grant)

This is a fantastic young adult alternative history book and represents another port plundered.  Basically this is a book about World War II that has “soldier girls” fighting on the front lines.  I tend to read non-fiction novels about the Second World War with a few notable exceptions like the book thief and catch 22.  But this book caught my eye and sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a shot.

I have never read anything by Mr. Grant before and I certainly enjoyed this book.  The voices of the young women soldiers are unique, thoughtful, and from different perspectives.  From common riflemen to medics to intelligence officers and from Jewish, African-American, white viewpoints, there is a little bit of everything in this novel.  I was very much wrapped up in the characters and was glad to know this is the first book of a series.

In addition, this book is filled with facts about the war and American history that I have little knowledge of despite history and Holocaust classes.  These tidbits like the Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia or the Tulsa Race Riot in Greenwood not only showed gaping holes in my knowledge but lead me down the interwebs in search of even more information than the book provided.  I always love fiction novels that do that.

I will certainly be reading the next book in this series.

Amazon has this to say about the novel:

World War II, 1942. A court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service. The unproven American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

Three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering: Rio fights to honor her sister; Frangie needs money for her family; Rainy wants to kill Germans. For the first time they leave behind their homes and families—to go to war.

These three daring young women will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they will discover the roles that define them on the front lines. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.

To visit the author’s website and blog go to:

Michael Grant – Author

To buy the novel visit:

front lines – Book