The War to End All Wars by Russell Freedman

The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman. Clarion, 2010. 176 pages including notes and index.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
Maturity Level: 4 (ages 11-12)

[T]his war changed forever the way wars are fought and the way people think about the use of military power. And unfortunately, it did not end all war. Russell Freeman, long renowned as a biographer and historian for younger readers, turns his talents to covering a four-year conflict that engulfed every continent and brought an end to the confidence of modern man. Before, wars were considered dreadful but sometimes necessary. After, they were all but unthinkable. This books will help kids understand why. It was a multifaceted conflict that didn’t just occur in the trenches of France, but also in the air, on the sea, on the Turkish peninsula and the American newspapers. Freedman covers much territory with a minimum of text and a whole lot of photos and maps—more than a fifth-grader can take in, perhaps, but as full an account as this age is likely to get.
Also by this author: The Boston Tea Party, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Cautions: none

Overall Value: 4

• Worldview/moral value: n/a
• Artistic value: 4

Categories: History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade