War and Millie McGonigle by Karen Cushman
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on April 6, 2021
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

The short opening chapter of War and Millie McGonigle nicely sets the scene as well as the mood of this intermediate historic fiction title.   Twelve-year-old Millie is the central character but the influence of her lost grandmother is evident throughout the book.  With a war in Europe, lingering financial difficulties from the depression and a sick sister Millie has good reason to be scared and unsure about the future.  A notebook given to the central character by her grandmother helps readers understand Millie’s state of mind and her fixation with death.  Beyond pre-teen angst is depression, desperation, and loneliness.   Some characters are well developed yet Mom and Dad seem detached and somewhat removed from the action.

Certainly, children ages 8-12 feel the tensions of the adults in their surroundings.  Intermediate readers have recently seen climate disasters, wars waged far away from home and now a major pandemic.  Some manage issues silently becoming depressed while others act out in anger and fear.   War and Millie McGonigle belongs on shelves of school councilors and should be included in media centers.  This title would make an excellent parent/child book discussion choice in a public library.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME