Summer of My German Soldier

Green, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. Speak, 1999 ISBN: 014130636X

In one of my previous posts, I did a somewhat unfavorable review of a book that is garnering critical praise for being relevant and important in tween and young adult fiction. I stated that I disagreed with most critics, and found it irrelevant, shallow, and inappropriate for MOST tweens. (The book in question was Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, and you can read the review here: http://lneeleylibr264digitalrecord.blogspot.com/2010/06/angus-thongs-and-full-frontal-snogging.html) 

In this review, I will change course a bit and do a somewhat favorable review of a book that has been challenged and even banned in some schools. 

A twelve-year-old Jewish girl meets and then agrees to hide a German Nazi POW who has escaped from a military prison just outside her small Southern hometown. Sounds like all the makings of a romantic thriller, right? And although I must agree that Summer of My German Soldier IS inappropriate for some audiences, it may be very profound and challenging to just the RIGHT audience. 


If I were to recommend this book to a tween, I would need to know that he or she is at a maturity level where there is an ability to process complex ideas, and I would warn against the offensive language which, in this book is more reminiscent of language one would find in To Kill a Mockingbird or Tom Sawyer (also banned books), where the words make sense in the setting and context of the story. 


And so does the racism. In fact, this book is ABOUT racism. However, what I like about the story is the challenging viewpoint it takes: the German Nazi is the good guy, the Jewish father is the bad guy, and the daughter is caught somewhere in between. 


Another fact about this book you may not find mentioned in other reviews is that the author has an obvious negative bias towards religion. This does not come through strongly at all, but in a very subtle way in specific, non-vital snippets of the story. 


Despite all of this, I appreciated and enjoyed the book. Contrary to the cover, it really is not a love story. Instead, it is a story about a very normal girl in very difficult situations. The author uses perfect visual words to create images of a small, isolated southern town in the midst of a stifling hot summer, where the slightest excitement is grasped onto until it spins out of control, landing our protagonist in a very unanticipated predicament. 


Some would say this book does not have a happy ending. I think it does. I feel that the realism of this story will inspire certain mature tweens and teens towards questioning their own life decisions, visualizing the fact that every action has an all-too-real consequence. By walking the journey with our heroine that lands her in court and eventually a reform school (rather than a romantic, unrealistic outcome to her choice to hide an enemy of the state unbeknownst to her parents), the reader will see that although life has its difficulties, the rocky parts of the journey are what mold us into who we will eventually become. 


Would definitely be a good title for discussions about coming-of-age, race, life-altering choices, and WWII. 

The Karate Kid, 2010

The Karate Kid. Columbia Pictures, 2010. (Feature Film) starring Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taraji P. Hensen. Directed by Harald Zwart.

Fans of the original Karate Kid film will not be disappointed. Those who were NOT fans of the original film may be pleasantly surprised. Not only does this movie boast high-profile main characters (Jaden Smith, son of superstar Will Smith, and co-staring international martial arts actor Jackie Chan),but it is well-made to boot. Everything from soundtrack, cinematography and quality of acting are solid and enjoyable through-out. My one warning: not for a realist. The odds of a young boy who has never done martial arts before rising up the ranks and winning a huge tournament are slim, as are the chances of most mothers allowing their twelve year old sons to run around the streets of Beijing alone (as the mother in this movie does). But that is not the point of the movie. This movie is meant to be a feel-good story with heart.

The material and subject matter will appeal especially to tweens: first love, displacement and culture shock, loss and grief, school bullies, right and wrong, honor, and achieving goals and dreams. And, like his father, Jaden Smith has an attractive, winsome way about him that young girls and boys alike will appreciate.The soundtrack is appealing to both tweens and adults, featuring the likes of Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and Justin Beiber.

As an adult, I appreciated the attention to detail as the characters experience a foreign country for the first time, and the ability to acknowledge both the positive experiences and the challenges of moving abroad. Jakie Chan's portrayal of the reluctant martial arts instructor was surprisingly genuine and dramatic. The references to the original movie were blatant, and brought a smile of nostalgia to my face as I once again rooted for the underdog.

One slight annoyance: the title of the movie is The Karate Kid and yet, because of Jackie Chan's influence, the protagonist actually learns Kung Fu. I understand why this is done, but in 20 years it will be quite confusing to some.