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The War to End All Wars

World War I

Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Nonfiction master Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I. The tangled relationships and alliances of many nations, the introduction of modern weaponry, and top-level military decisions that resulted in thousands upon thousands of casualties all contributed to the "great war," which people hoped and believed would be the only conflict of its kind. In this clear and authoritative account, the Newbery Medal-winning author shows the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first.
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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Russell Freedman's broad history of WWI is highly entertaining. Aimed at young readers, the book is engaging and action-packed from the start yet filled with enough detail for adults seeking an introductory text. The author excels at recounting the complicated military alliances at the root of the war as well as the repercussions of the conflict that led up to WWII. Narrator Zach McLarty delivers a straight narration that is consistently energetic and well paced throughout. However, a distracting aspect of the performance is his repetitive cadence. Fortunately, the production's short duration and Freedman's interesting text make up for any shortfall in narration. J.R.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 5, 2010
      This gritty, well-sourced account of WWI offers a compelling and often horrific look at the conflict. Freedman (Washington at Valley Forge) hooks readers with his fluid style and a detail-rich story of Archduke Ferdinand's assassination and the political powder keg that existed at the time in Europe. The book recounts gruesome mass killings brought about by trench warfare and going "over the top" into the "no man's land" in between, combined with the debuting technologies of machine guns and tanks, chemical and air warfare. Haunting b&w photos and poignant quotations from both Central and Allied combatants do not gloss over atrocities ("dozens of men with serious wounds must have crawled for safety into new shell holes, and now the water was rising about them, and... they were slowly drowning"). This remarkable pictorial overview of WWI, its causes, major battles, and legacies (namely WWII and the repartitioning of Europe and the Middle East) concludes with chapter notes, bibliography, and index. Readers' conclusions will likely mirror that of a French soldier writing in his diary just before he was killed: "Humanity is mad!... What scenes of horror and carnage!" Ages 12–up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:9.1
  • Lexile® Measure:1220
  • Interest Level:6-12(MG+)
  • Text Difficulty:9-12

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