Operation Overlord by Francis Moss was a winner for me. As the librarian for the school, we are always looking for books for middle school boys. This has all the parts necessary to keep their suspense. Tommy Collins character is relatable. He's got just enough of adventuresome spirit that keeps you turning the page. I would also point out that this book would also appeal to the middle school girls. It shows true heroism in both of the main characters. It also shows us a piece of history during WWII that actually could have happened! A delightful gift to add to our library. Thank you for choosing us!

Lee Ann Hamilton
Librarian for Augustine School ( )

This book is labeled in the YA/teen reading level but is about a 12/13 year old, and he feels even younger than that closer to a 10/11 age boy so that feel was a bit awkward. The binding on this book is incredibly disappointing I was only halfway through and the pages just started falling out. I was previewing this book for my son but have decided to not let him read it. The writing is marginal, the plot a bit unbelievable. There are far better books out there about this time period to use your time reading. The boy did some very dangerous things and in return Eisenhour himself thanks him and shakes his hand, during the invasion of France to. The father talks to the boy about doing the right thing but also knowing how and when to go about it, but there is zero follow through on this important point. I found the women in this book rather degrading, the mom makes fun of traditional women, the girl is constantly and for no reason throwing "you didn't think a girl could" in the boys face, and his sister is rude. The sibling relationship is contentious and a sad example. The important part of fleeing Jews is also completely overlooked. I think this book could have been improved upon if it was a bit longer, some of the points the author was trying to get at seem to have gotton lost and left unexplained. For a book targeted to teens and preteens the lack of detail and short length feel like something meant more for grade schoolers, yet the inclusion of swear words and the other things I have mentioned renders it not appropriate for that level.

Tommy is a typical British boy in the WWII era. He follows news of the war closely, tries to talk his military father into sharing a few well-kept secrets, and keeps an eye out for spies and Nazis at all times. After getting into a scrape at school, he gets to travel with his father to Southampton in the days before the Battle of Normandy. There he gets to see first-hand the upheaval war causes by exploring bombed out ruins and meeting refugees. This leads him to an adventure where his bravery and patriotism is put to the test like never before. This story is a great family read, appropriate for tweens on up! ( )

Operation Overlord - a Tommy Collins adventure is the story of Tommy a middle school age student on the brink of D-day in Southampton England. Tommy had gotten in trouble at school earlier and was sent home early from term. His father, Commander Collins is an important official and is called in to special operations and Tommy accompanies him. However Tommy cannot join his father in the Special Operations Room and sets out to explore his new surroundings. He meets Annika a young Dutch jewish girl who was sent over to England four years earlier on the Kindertransport for safety. She is desperate to contact her family and is working to build a radio to contact them. Tommy and Annika become friends and from there the adventure escalates. They discover a Nazi spy ring and despite being just kids they are able to thwart the enemy and help the allies. This was a fun read and also informational. Recommended. ( )

Operation Overlord follows Tommy Collins, an English schoolboy, over a few days in June 1944. Tommy gets in to trouble at school and is sent home for the rest of the term. He ends up following his father as he works for the war effort in the days surrounding the D-Day invasion. Tommy makes friends with a refugee and an adventure ensues. This story is well written and would be interesting for late elementary school and middle school readers interested in WWII. The additional information section at the back is also really helpful for a reader looking for further information. I would highly recommend this book. ( )