Vietnam, war

A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY By: Cynthia Kadohata

Sometimes a powerful novel comes along that takes you by surprise. This a such a novel. The setting is Vietnam mostly after the Americans have left. Y'Tin wants to be an elephant trainer and he starts with an elephant named Lady. All things are going pretty well until the North Vietnamese attack their village. What happens to Y'Tin and his family is heart wrenching. You learn the price the village took when they befriended the Americans. You also see a history of a very loving tribe whose lives were changed in an instant. A must read. Ages 10 up, some very hard things for some children to imagine. Use your judgement of your own childs feelings. A good novel to teach at school. $16.99