Grenade

In Grenade, Alan Gratz delivers a powerful and gripping sequel to his acclaimed novel Refugee, exploring the harrowing experiences of children caught in the chaos of war. Set in 1945 amid the intense backdrop of World War II, the story follows two young boys—Hideki and Ray—whose lives become intertwined on the battle-scarred island of Okinawa. Hideki is reluctantly drafted into the Blood and Iron Student Corps to fight for the Japanese army, armed with a grenade and the mandate to kill an American soldier. Meanwhile, Ray, a young American Marine, lands on Okinawa, bracing himself for the unknown dangers that lay ahead as he faces the enemy at every turn. Each boy navigates a treacherous landscape filled with ambushes and close calls, grappling with fear and survival. When their paths finally cross in the heat of battle, the choices they face in that fateful moment will alter their lives forever. Grenade is not only an action-packed tale of survival but also a poignant exploration of the themes of fear, humanity, and the resilience of hope amid destruction. Gratz masterfully illustrates how young individuals confront the horrors of war while remaining deeply connected to their dreams and ideals, making this a compelling read for anyone interested in stories of courage and compassion.

It’s supposed to be for middle school kids but I love his books. He keeps you on your toes. I share the books with my grandson 11 years old and he reads to me so we can share our comments. I have read 5 so far and plan to get all his books.

My 11 year old history/war loving grandson loves it. He like being able to see the battle over Okinawa thru a young Japanese boy.

Grenade, an amazing book that shows The Battle of Okinawa for young adults. It is about a kid on Okinawa who ends up on The Battle of Okinawa. The reason I say it is a pretty good read and not perfect is because through out the book it gets happy and sad. In order, my favorite Alan Gratz books are Projekt 1065, Grenade, and then Prisoner 3087. This is a pretty great read that is a fast pace read, so I give it 4 stars.

Our daughter is a fan of the author so of course she loved this book just like all the others.

My son loved this book! Perfect for preteens.

Im a 13 year old girl and I love books based on real events I believe that it makes the story more believable! Thats why I like this author. I've read Prisoner-3087 in the forth grade and I loved it! Iv'e always loved learning about WWll because life was soo different and interesting back then! (SPOILER ALERT COMING!) The story is told bye two points of veiws, a young american marine and a young Japenese boy who is part of the blood Iron student corps. They fight there ways from different sides of the island and they collide it the middle, of course they are frantic on what to do. So they both throw a grenade that was given to them at each other. (ANNOTHER CRAZY SPOILER COMING!!) Rey gets hit with shrapnel from the grenades and dies. Hideki lives. As you can see this is why the book is called Grenade, the grenade plays a big part in the story. Anyways, I would totally recommend this book for tweens and teens! : )

Son loves them.

沖縄戦について米国の作家が書いた少年少女向けの小説です。綿密な調査に基づいて書かれています。沖縄戦の悲惨さを余すところなく伝えています。日本軍がどんな仕打ちを沖縄住民にやったか、米軍の態度はどうだったのか非常に良く分かります。素晴らしい本でした。

It's a present for a grandson at the end of the month

just a good book

Bought for twelve year old son, a great read and he was gripped.

One of best books