(May, 2014)
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail, or phone. You may also request these titles online through WolfPAC. Identification numbers for braille books begin with BR, large print books begin with LP and audiobooks begin with DB. All audiobooks listed are linked to the Braille and Audio Reading Download site (BARD) for downloading.
Happy Reading!
Preschool to Grade 2
Memorial Day Surprise by Theresa Martin Golding
DB 58420
Read by Erin Jones. Reading time: 6 minutes.
Marco's mother promises him a surprise at the Memorial Day parade. He thinks all the participants are the special treat until he spots his abuelo, or grandfather, in a wheelchair and uniform leading the rest of the veterans. 2004.
Kindergarten to Grade 3
Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle by Brian Dennis
BR 19028; web-braille not available.
BR 51585; web-braille not available.
MDB11086
Read by Dan Deidrich. Reading time: 18 minutes.
Describes the bond that developed between a marine major stationed in Iraq and an injured dog that was named Nubs because his ears had been cut off. Missouri: Show Me Award Nominees, 2011- 2012. PRINT/BRAILLE. 2009.
Stars Above Us by Geoffrey Norman
BR 51583; web-braille not available.
LP002131
MDB11046
Read by Dan Deidrich. Reading time: 10 minutes.
Amanda's father is a soldier, but before he leaves for war, he teaches her not to be afraid of the things that live in the dark--which includes fireflies and crickets--and about the stars. Show Me Award nominee, 2011-2012. 2009.
The Veteran's Day Visitor by Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri
DB 68222
Read by Richard Magesis. Reading time: 18 minutes.
Emily's grandfather comes to her second-grade classroom to talk about Veterans Day. Because he has narcolepsy, he falls asleep during the visit--but Emily figures out what to do. 2008.
The Wall by Eve Bunting
BR 08959; web-braille not available.
A young boy and his father come from far away to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and find the name of the boy's grandfather who was killed in the war. A group of girls in school uniforms comes by. "Is this wall for the dead soldiers...?" one of them asks. "The names are the names of the dead. But the wall is for all of us," the teacher answers. Print/Braille. 1990.
Grades 2 to 4
Changes for Molly: A Winter Story by Valerie Tripp
BR 10936; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 43836
Read by Pam Ward. Reading time: 1 hour, 7 minutes.
Molly's dance class plans a big finale for the World War II veterans, and Molly hopes to play Miss Victory. The McIntires have just heard that Dad should be home for the show, and Molly hopes he will find her more grown up. But then she gets sick. Sequel to Molly Saves the Day (DB 43835). 1988.
Hannah's Helping Hands by Jean Van Leeuwen
DB 55798
Read by Mimi Bederman. Reading time: 1 hour, 17 minutes.
1779. In this sequel to Hannah of Fairfield (DB 55797), the Revolutionary War is drawing closer to the Perley's home in Connecticut. Hannah and her family keep busy with farm chores and try not to worry about Ben, a soldier in the colonial army. 1999.
Hannah's Winter of Hope by Jean Van Leeuwen
DB 55799
Read by Mimi Bederman. Reading time: 1 hour, 13 minutes.
Fairfield, Connecticut. In the winter of 1780, Hannah hopes for the safe return of her brother Ben, a colonial soldier imprisoned by the British, as she helps her family rebuild their home. Sequel to Hannah's Helping Hands (DB 55798). 2000.
Grades 3 to 6
Combat-Wounded Dogs by Sunita Apte
DB 70711
Read by Carol Dines. Reading time: 26 minutes.
Discusses military work dogs (MWDs) and the injuries they receive while on duty. Covers their training, jobs in combat zones, and veterinary care including physical therapy and early retirement options. Highlights the special bond between MWDs and their soldier handlers. 2010.
Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Myers
BR 14041; web-braille not available.
A young American soldier in a foreign land thinks about the enemy and surviving his mission to secure a village. In the tall elephant grass, he comes face to face with a young Vietnamese soldier and makes an important realization about war. Print/Braille. 2002.
Talking Walls by Margy Burns Knight
BR 08987; web-braille not available.
The author explores the similarities and differences among diverse cultures through the presentation of walls the world over. Included are the Great Wall of China, the Lascaux cave (France), the Western Wall (Jerusalem), the Muslim world's Kaába walls, the walls of Great Zimbabwe, the Taos pueblo (New Mexico), the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandela's prison walls, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Print/Braille. 1992.
Grades 4 to 7
Abraham's Battle: A Novel of Gettysburg by Sara H. Banks
DB 49714
Read by Steven Carpenter. Reading time: 1 hour, 44 minutes.
June, 1863. The families of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, know there will soon be fighting in their town. When ex-slave Abraham Small and his charge, Ladysmith, meet a young Confederate soldier, Abraham decides to fight for his beliefs and becomes an ambulance driver for the Union. 1999.
Gabriel's Horses by Alison Hart
DB 69305
Read by Patrick Downer. Reading time: 4 hours, 49 minutes.
Kentucky, 1864. With the Civil War disrupting normal routines, twelve-year-old slave Gabriel's free father joins the Union Army to earn his family's freedom. Meanwhile Gabriel contends with the new, cruel, white horse trainer and with Confederate soldier raids and dreams of becoming a jockey. 2007.
Gabriel's Journey by Alison Hart
DB 69478
Read by Patrick Downer. Reading time: 5 hours.
Kentucky, 1864. Gabriel says farewell to friends and horses at Woodville Farm, then sets out to join his parents at Camp Nelson. He becomes a soldier with his father in the Fifth U.S. Colored Calvary and quickly plunges into the Civil War. Some violence. 2007.
The Ghost Cadet by Elaine Marie Alphin
DB 36517
Read by Gary Tipton. Reading time: 4 hours, 16 minutes.
Benjy and his older sister Fran are spending their spring break with the grandmother they've never met before, Miss Leota. Arriving in New Market, Virginia, Benjy develops an immediate interest in the local history revolving around the Civil War battle at New Market. He befriends the ghost of Hugh McDowell, a confederate soldier killed in the battle, who is determined to reclaim his honor by finding a lost heirloom. 1991.
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier by Walter Dean Myers
BR 15339; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 57729
Read by Michael Russotto. Reading time: 2 hours, 55 minutes.
Europe, 1944. American teenage soldier Scott Collins describes the Omaha Beach invasion, in which many men in his company are killed. Writing home, he details his experiences as he fights across France, receives a promotion, and suffers a wound. 1999.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by W. R. Philbrick
BR 18853; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
DB 70652
Read by John Polk. Reading time: 5 hours, 10 minutes.
After his evil uncle sells his brother Harold to be a soldier in the Civil War, twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, runs away from his home in Maine. Homer has extraordinary adventures en route to Gettysburg as he searches for Harold. Newbery Honor Book. 2009.
Off to War: Voices of Soldiers' Children by Deborah Ellis
DB 68158
Read by Michael Scherer. Reading time: 4 hours, 10 minutes.
Children between the ages of seven and seventeen describe their feelings and reactions to having military parents who are posted in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. The kids discuss their fears and the changes in their parents' behavior towards them. 2008.
Take Care of My Girl by Patricia Hermes
DB 37377
Read by Mimi Bederman. Reading time: 3 hours, 21 minutes.
Brady is embarrassed over her fifth-grade class project on families. Her mother is dead, her Vietnam-veteran father left six years ago to "save the whales," and Jake, the grandfather with whom she lives, is having a bad time with his emphysema. The project offers Jake a chance to talk about what will happen to Brady when he dies. Jake and Brady track down her father, and Brady comes to realize that Jake is really her family. 1992
Grades 5 to 8
All the Broken Pieces: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg
DB 73636
Read by Jason Griffith. Reading time: 1 hour, 54 minutes.
Matt Pin was nine when he was airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975 and adopted by an American couple. Two years later Matt is still haunted by a terrible secret from his war-torn past, one that his new parents and Vietnam veterans help him confront. 2009.
America at War edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins
DB 67515
Read by Kimberly Schraf. Reading time: 1 hour, 17 minutes.
Poetry about the emotional impact of eight American wars--from the 1776 Revolution through the 2001 Iraq War. Ann Wagner's "Vocabulary Lesson" lists evasive words used to avoid the harsher terms "war" and "death." 2008.
Bull Rider by Suzanne Williams
DB 73275
Read by Andy Pyle. Reading time: 7 hours, 18 minutes.
Nevada. When nineteen-year-old marine and bull-riding champion Ben O'Mara returns from Iraq partially paralyzed from a brain injury, his fourteen-year-old skateboarder brother Cam takes on a fifteen-thousand-dollar bull-riding challenge to convince Ben that anything is possible. 2009.
Count on us American Women in the Military by Amy Nathan
DB 58257
Read by Jill Ferris. Reading time: 3 hours, 49 minutes.
Survey of women's contributions as fighters, nurses, spies, and home front helpers to the U.S. armed forces from the Revolutionary War to the 2003 Iraq invasion. Includes personal profiles and historical background on each war. Also discusses sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and other problems. 2004.
Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock
DB 66472
Read by Erik Sandvold. Reading time: 6 hours, 35 minutes.
1969. Mark Cantrell's older brother Danny, a soldier in Vietnam, encourages Mark to sign up his pet Wolfie as an army scout dog. Reading letters from Wolfie's handler and learning about the military canine corps make Mark regret his decision. 2004.
Murder on the Ridge by Ted Stenhouse
DB 64420
Read by Brian Conn. Reading time: 5 hours, 5 minutes.
Canada, 1952. Best friends Arthur, a Blackfoot Indian, and Will, a white boy, from A Dirty Deed (DB 64410), investigate the death of a Blackfoot soldier in World War I after they read a letter that suggests he was murdered and not killed by enemy fire. 2006.
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
LP001723
Davy Bowman remembers the home-front years in Illinois during World War II, especially his two heroes--his nineteen-year-old brother, who is in the air force, and his father, who was injured in the previous war. Boyhood misadventures mix with scrap drives, shortages, and the dread of telegrams. Set in 16 pt Plantin. 2007.
Grades 6 to 9
10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War by Philip Caputo
DB 61583
Read by Ted Stoddard. Reading time: 4 hours, 19 minutes.
Overview of the Vietnam conflict by the Pulitzer Prize-winning former soldier. Presents background information on communism and United States' involvement in Vietnam. Discusses the war's chief participants and key battles and chronicles the changing political and social climate of 1960s and 1970s America. 2005.
Always to Remember: The Story of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Brent K. Ashabranner
DB 31108
Read by Butch Hoover. Reading time: 1 hour, 36 minutes.
Poignantly tells of the crusade of Jan C. Scruggs, the Vietnam veteran who spearheaded the drive for a memorial, of Maya Ying Lin, the architectural student whose memorial design was chosen, and of the effect of the memorial on those who visit it. 1988.
December Stillness by Mary Downing Hahn
LP050071
14-year-old Kelly tries to befriend Mr. Weems, a disturbed, homeless Vietnam War veteran who spends his days in her suburban library, though the man makes it clear he wants to be left alone. 1990.
Hear the Wind Blow by Mary Downing Hahn
DB 57694
Read by Bruce Nelson. Reading time: 6 hours, 23 minutes.
A compassionate act by thirteen-year-old Haswell Magruder toward a wounded Confederate soldier provokes the fury of the Yankees, who burn his family home, leaving Haswell and his seven-year-old sister, Rachel, to find refuge in wintry, war-torn Virginia. Some violence. 2003.
The Outside of a Horse by Ginny Rorby
DB 71780
Read by Jill Fox. Reading time: 7 hours, 29 minutes.
When her father returns from the Iraq War with an amputated leg and post-traumatic stress disorder, thirteen-year-old Hannah seeks solace in working with rescued horses--never thinking that the abused horses could also help her father recover. 2010.
Soldier's Secret: The Story of Deborah Sampson by Sheila Solomon Klass
BR 18619; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 69528
Read by Jill Fox. Reading time: 4 hours, 35 minutes.
After completing her indentured servitude, Deborah Sampson, a tall and strong young woman, wants to join America's Continental army and help the colonies gain independence. She disguises herself as a boy, enlists in a Massachusetts regiment, and serves admirably as a Revolutionary War soldier. 2009.
Stick and Whittle by Sid Hite
BR 13490; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 51872
Read by Gary Roan. Reading time: 4 hours, 28 minutes.
Texas, 1872. Melvin "Stick" Fitchett, a Civil War veteran, runs into sixteen-year-old Melvin "Whittle" Smyte on the lonesome prairie. The two become partners while Stick searches for his long-lost sweetheart, Evelyn. When they find out that she has been kidnapped, they ride to the rescue. 2000.
Junior and Senior High
The Brave Women of the Gulf Wars: Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom by Karen Zeinert
DB 61960
Read by Kerry Dukin. Reading time: 3 hours, 14 minutes.
Traces the roots of the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the subsequent United States military operations in Iraq. Discusses the roles of women in modern warfare--as soldiers, correspondents, medics, and prisoners of war--as well as their peace efforts on the home front. 2006.
Ghosts of War: The True Story of a Nineteen-Year-Old GI by Ryan Smithson
DB 69859
Read by Jeff Allin. Reading time: 7 hours, 41 minutes.
Memoir of a young U.S. Army engineer reservist from East Greenbush, New York. Describes his high school background, early days of basic training, and life during his deployment to Iraq. Includes personal reflections about his wife Heather. 2009.
Life of an American Soldier in Iraq by Michael V. Uschan
DB 66570
Read by L. J. Ganser. Reading time: 4 hours.
Discusses world events prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Highlights the differences in combat among the naval, air, and ground forces. Discusses camp life, insurgent attacks, the aftermath of combat, and postwar duties. Some violence. 2005.
A Quiet Place by Peter Burchard
BR 02311; web-braille not available.
A young woman is in conflict over her friendship with a good hearted, naive farm boy and her attraction to a cynical Army veteran. 1972.
Sentries by Gary Paulsen
BR 08842; web-braille not available.
The common theme of nuclear disaster and human vulnerability interweaves the lives of four young people with lives of three veterans of past wars. The young people are Sue Oldhorn, a seventeen-year-old Ojibway Indian; David Garcia, a fourteen-year-old illegal immigrant; Peter Shackleton, a rock star and band leader; and Laura Hayes, a sheep rancher's daughter. 1986.
Soldier Girl by Jacqueline McMahon Lakin
SKS00039
Read by Carol Fox. Reading time: 4 hours, 42 minutes.
A story of Kansas pioneers and an African American cavalry regiment during the Indian Wars, from the unique point of view of a young girl, daughter of one of the white officers of the regiment. 2006.
Senior High
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
DB 73686
Read by Katherine Kellgren. Reading time: 11 hours, 11 minutes.
Alex, a seventeen-year-old with a brain tumor; Tom, an Afghanistan War veteran; and Ellie, an eight-year-old orphan join forces after a devastating electromagnetic pulse leaves the world's few survivors either zombies or people with superhuman senses. Violence and some strong language. 2011.
Heroes by Robert Cormier
BR 11993; 1 volume of braille. Volume 1.
DB 64704
LP000719
Read by Ray Childs. Reading time: 3 hours, 22 minutes.
Francis Cassavant returns from World War II so terribly mangled that no one recognizes him. His only goal is to kill his personal enemy, Larry LaSalle, for a crime committed before the war. Everyone mistakenly considers the two men war heroes.1998.
Josephine and the Soldier by Beverly Jenkins
DB 56436
Read by Michele Schaeffer. Reading time: 6 hours, 40 minutes.
Michigan, 1864. Seventeen-year-old African American Jojo Best has achieved her dream of becoming a hairdresser. Although she has a beau, Brooks, she is attracted to army veteran Adam Morgan, who has come home to recuperate from the War between the States. 2003.
Rat Life by Tedd Arnold
BR 18190; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
Upstate New York, 1972. Fourteen-year-old Todd, an aspiring writer, befriends Rat, a young Vietnam War veteran, while they work at the local drive-in. After a body is found in the river, Todd suspects Rat has committed murder. Some violence and some strong language. Edgar Award. 2007.
Robert E. Lee: Virginian Soldier, American Citizen by James I. Robertson
BR 16841; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
DB 62915
Read by Frank Coffee. Reading time: 4 hours, 54 minutes.
In-depth biography of Confederate Civil War general. Chronicles Lee's family life, studies at West Point, military service in the Mexican War, and leadership of the Southern forces. Analyzes his decision to join Virginia's secession from the union and describes his life after the war. 2005.
Samantha and the Cowboy by Lorraine Heath
DB 55425
Read by Colleen Delany. Reading time: 5 hours, 29 minutes.
Texas, 1866. Sixteen-year-old Samantha Reynolds pretends to be a boy in order to join a cattle drive where she can earn money for her family. After fellow wrangler Matthew Hart, a Civil War veteran, discovers the truth, they fall in love. 2002.
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis
BR 19579; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
DB 75328
Read by Alec Volz. Reading time: 3 hours, 48 minutes.
When Ben delays college to enlist in the army reserve, his family, girlfriend, and best friend are shocked. After deployment to Iraq Ben returns home with a traumatic brain injury and finds nothing is the same. Some violence and some strong language. 2012.
Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
BR 17795; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
DB 67033
LP001864
Read by L.J. Ganser. Reading time: 7 hours, 11 minutes.
Iraq, 2003. Robin "Birdy" Perry joins the army after high school and becomes involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Birdy writes about his experiences to his uncle Richie, a Vietnam War veteran, from Fallen Angels (DB 29775, BR 17796). Violence and strong language. 2005.
Too Big a Storm by Marsha Qualey
DB 64401
Read by Erin Jones. Reading time: 7 hours, 29 minutes.
Minneapolis, 1969. Eighteen-year-old Brady Callahan feels conflicted about the Vietnam War because her brother went AWOL there, her new friend is active in the antiwar movement, and she herself fell in love with a veteran. When tragedy strikes, Brady must form her own beliefs. 2004.
A Troubled Peace by Laura Elliott
BR 18781; 2 volumes of braille. Volume 1. Volume 2.
DB 70473
Read by Joe Peck. Reading time: 7 hours, 3 minutes.
1945. World War II pilot Henry Forester from Under a War-Torn Sky (DB 68311, BR 14673), returns home to Virginia and struggles with nightmares. Henry ventures to France to find a boy who saved his life and is shocked at the lingering devastation. Some violence. 2009.
War Is. . . : Soldiers, Survivors, and Storytellers Talk About War by Marc Aronson
DB 68729
Read by Roy Avers. Reading time: 6 hours, 15 minutes.
Anthology of memoirs, poems, letters, and fiction that illustrate the life of a soldier at war. Servicemen and servicewomen, family members, journalists, and others depict experiences of adventure, terror, boredom, and mental and physical duress. Some violence and some strong language. 2008.