Grenade tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa by the Americans towards the end of World War Two. The book is mainly about Hideki, a native of Okinawa, burdened by the knowledge of his ancestor, who chose to surrender rather than fight against the Japanese invaders. As a member of the Blood and Iron Student Corps, he is given only two grenades and is expected to kill as many Americans as possible, then blow himself up. But the students' attempt at attacking the Americans does not go well, and Hideki is forced to flee. Then there's Ray, a fresh recruit just out of high school, who has landed in Okinawa. As he clears out Japanese encampments with his platoon, he is faced with the harsh realities of war. Chapters switch between Ray and Hideki: first with Hideki running through Okinawa, trying to find his sister, last seen at a field hospital on the other side of the island; then Ray, who is growing accustomed to army life. I loved the thought-provoking ness, especially how it brought in traditional Okinawan beliefs. Additionally, it lacked a boring moment and kept me hooked till the end. I admired how it depicted the war correctly, with cruelty on both the Japanese and American sides. One of the best books I've read, I would recommend it for people who like fast-paced books about war

Grenade tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa by the Americans towards the end of World War Two. The book is mainly about Hideki, a native of Okinawa, burdened by the knowledge of his ancestor, who chose to surrender rather than fight against the Japanese invaders. As a member of the Blood and Iron Student Corps, he is given only two grenades and is expected to kill as many Americans as possible, then blow himself up. But the students' attempt at attacking the Americans does not go well, and Hideki is forced to flee. Then there's Ray, a fresh recruit just out of high school, who has landed in Okinawa. As he clears out Japanese encampments with his platoon, he is faced with the harsh realities of war. Chapters switch between Ray and Hideki: first with Hideki running through Okinawa, trying to find his sister, last seen at a field hospital on the other side of the island; then Ray, who is growing accustomed to army life. I loved the thought-provoking ness, especially how it brought in traditional Okinawan beliefs. Additionally, it lacked a boring moment and kept me hooked till the end. I admired how it depicted the war correctly, with cruelty on both the Japanese and American sides. One of the best books I've read, I would recommend it for people who like fast-paced books about war

Oh that's an amazing read!

Welcome back! I’m already following you, but good luck on getting to 100! Middle school can get tough sometimes, so I perfectly understand ;). My birthday is also in August, by the way 😜

Thank you so much everyone!

The characters in this book set during the 60's were amazingly memorable. We first hear about the main one, Julian Twerski, a Jewish-American kid living in New York. An interesting fact about him: he is a good sprinter. Another fact: he writes well. This is evidenced by the book you are reading about, which, we are told, was originally put in 9 composition books. As he informs us early on, he's been forced to write something long, on account of the mysterious deed he did over winter break(hint: it involves eggs); so every week or so, he adds 20 pages or so to his diary/book thing, and soon we are left with more than 2-and-a-half hundred pages. So, what exactly does he do during half a year? Mostly, he hangs out with his friends, whose names, as he tells us, are Lonnie, Quentin, Shlomo Shlomo, Eric The Red, and Howie Wartnose. He encounters a major dilemma, however, when his closest friend, Lonnie, tells him to not only WRITE a love letter for him but also to DELIVER the love letter. This amorous message goes to a girl named Jillian Rifkin, who has moved in from "somewhere like Ohio." The problems start when Jillian gets the idea that it was Julian's love note(I mean, he wrote and delivered it, after all.) Then she starts getting interested in him, and stuff happens between him and Lonnie. Sure, other things happen as well, but that's the main one. What stood out to me, at first, was "Twerp"'s casual tone, which was simple and informal, with all the 60's slang in it. The next thing that stood out to me was how the 1960s atmosphere was subtly brought in, through the use of slang words such as "razz" and "yakking it up." Even some of the characters' attitudes towards girls and African Americans. Not only did it have a straightforward style and such, "Twerp" also drew me in because of the relatability of Julian. He's always trying to impress his friends, keep his promises, and is (understandably) concerned about not being the fastest kid at school. However, the book has its minor flaws. For instance, at the end everything goes wrong, then gets right again, and also Julian gets really sentimental: it's sort of cliche. Also, as the whole reason for writing this was the Egg Incident, it was disappointing how it only really got mentioned in detail at the end. It's supposed to be the dark cloud of guilt overshadowing everything, but aside from very brief mentions near the beginning, it just seems like an excuse for Julian to begin talking about other stuff that happens to him. Still, it's an interesting premise, it just could have been done better. It's still a memorable book, and that's why I would recommend it to those connoisseurs of historical fiction set in modern times, especially for those who've read "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt (it's very similar).

The characters in this book set during the 60's were amazingly memorable. We first hear about the main one, Julian Twerski, a Jewish-American kid living in New York. An interesting fact about him: he is a good sprinter. Another fact: he writes well. This is evidenced by the book you are reading about, which, we are told, was originally put in 9 composition books. As he informs us early on, he's been forced to write something long, on account of the mysterious deed he did over winter break(hint: it involves eggs); so every week or so, he adds 20 pages or so to his diary/book thing, and soon we are left with more than 2-and-a-half hundred pages. So, what exactly does he do during half a year? Mostly, he hangs out with his friends, whose names, as he tells us, are Lonnie, Quentin, Shlomo Shlomo, Eric The Red, and Howie Wartnose. He encounters a major dilemma, however, when his closest friend, Lonnie, tells him to not only WRITE a love letter for him but also to DELIVER the love letter. This amorous message goes to a girl named Jillian Rifkin, who has moved in from "somewhere like Ohio." The problems start when Jillian gets the idea that it was Julian's love note(I mean, he wrote and delivered it, after all.) Then she starts getting interested in him, and stuff happens between him and Lonnie. Sure, other things happen as well, but that's the main one. What stood out to me, at first, was "Twerp"'s casual tone, which was simple and informal, with all the 60's slang in it. The next thing that stood out to me was how the 1960s atmosphere was subtly brought in, through the use of slang words such as "razz" and "yakking it up." Even some of the characters' attitudes towards girls and African Americans. Not only did it have a straightforward style and such, "Twerp" also drew me in because of the relatability of Julian. He's always trying to impress his friends, keep his promises, and is (understandably) concerned about not being the fastest kid at school. However, the book has its minor flaws. For instance, at the end everything goes wrong, then gets right again, and also Julian gets really sentimental: it's sort of cliche. Also, as the whole reason for writing this was the Egg Incident, it was disappointing how it only really got mentioned in detail at the end. It's supposed to be the dark cloud of guilt overshadowing everything, but aside from very brief mentions near the beginning, it just seems like an excuse for Julian to begin talking about other stuff that happens to him. Still, it's an interesting premise, it just could have been done better. It's still a memorable book, and that's why I would recommend it to those connoisseurs of historical fiction set in modern times, especially for those who've read "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt (it's very similar).