Book Review: Callahan Crossroads

About the book:

Twelve-year-old George’s family won’t take him seriously. He’s ready to fight like a man on the front lines of the Great War, but instead he gets stuck on the home front, with nothing more exciting to do than look out for his younger sisters and elderly neighbor, Mrs. Schmitt.

But with no sign of victory in Europe, things are getting more and more tense at home, especially after George’s older brother makes a startling announcement.

Set in 1918 Kansas City, this old-fashioned family drama brings you to the heart of the World War I home front. Issue-drive and entertaining, it’s a coming-of-age story that will still resonate with readers today.

About the author:

Anola Pickett is a Kansas City native, and although she’s lived in Chicago, St. Louis and Massachusetts, she’s always come back home. The oldest of six children, she grew up in a family that emphasized the importance of reading and education. She began writing stories in the third grade and went on to become a teacher and school librarian. Now retired from the classroom, she devotes a big part of her day to writing and research for historical novels for young readers. She especially prizes the stories her parents and grandmother told about their growing-up years in Kansas City.

Pickett enjoys school and library visits to talk about her books and about the craft of writing. She and her husband Peter Doyle enjoy traveling, especially to Hong Kong, where they visit their son and daughter-in-law and a beautiful red-haired granddaughter!

From Reidhead Randomness (Guest post from my 12 year old):

In Callahan Crossroads George takes you on a first person adventure through the time when a world war was raging on but that wasn't the only war. 

There is some one picking on George's neighbor and he is the only one to figure it out with every one worrying about the war.  George is doing all that the priests and nuns are telling the women and children to eat less sugar to give to the solders, eat tons of corn, give old metal to stores to give to the solders but is it actually helping the war?

George would rather be on the the battle field than babysitting his two annoying sisters.

How will George survive?

This book kept me on edge the whole time!

I was curious to know what happened next. Really good to see how people coped with the war.

I received a copy of this book in order to write my review, however all opinions expressed are my own.