Two young Americans must evade capture by Axis soldiers—and outlast the brutal Alaskan winter—in this thrilling historical novel which shines a light on a little-known facet of World War II.
Fourteen-year-old Matt never wanted to come to the remote Aleutian Islands—he was dragged here by his father for reasons he can't understand. Eleven-year-old Izzy, on the other hand, loves it—the wild weather, the strange birds, all the new people she's meeting. The two have little in common, except their hometown—they certainly aren't friends.
But when Japanese soldiers land on the island, Izzy and Matt are the only ones who escape being shipped off to a prison camp. The two kids must put their differences aside and work together if they're going to survive. With a long, harsh winter ahead of them, they'll need to dodge Axis soldiers and withstand Allied bombing raids—and keep the village dog from giving them away to the enemy, too.
Told in alternating point-of-view chapters, Island War is set amidst the Japanese occupation of the remote Aleutian Islands—the only foreign invasion of the United States that took place during World War II. Fans of Hatchet and Julie of the Wolves will be riveted by two-time Newbery Honoree Patricia Reilly Giff's thrilling story of survival, resilience, and the power of cooperation.
- #QuitLit for Dry January
- Muslim American Heritage Month
- Long Books for Winter Hibernation
- Honoring MLK Jr.
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27)
- NYT Best Sellers 2025
- Winter fantasy
- In Memoriam
- Snow is Falling, A Cozy Mystery's Calling
- Books on Ice: Hockey & Winter Sports
- Freedom to Read- Banned Books
- New eBook additions
- Level Up at Your Library!
- See all ebooks collections
- #QuitLit for Dry January
- Muslim American Heritage Month
- Honoring MLK Jr.
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27)
- Winter fantasy
- Snow is Falling, A Cozy Mystery's Calling
- NYT Best Sellers 2025
- Long Books for Winter Hibernation
- Books on Ice: Hockey & Winter Sports
- Freedom to Read- Banned Books
- Dive In, If You Dare
- Level Up at Your Library!
- All You Have to Do Is Call: Friendship Reads
- See all audiobooks collections
- #ownvoices / Diverse Books
- Antiracism Resources
- Sheet Music & Song Books
- Bücher auf Deutsch / Books in German
- Civil Service Test Prep
- The Great Courses
- QuickReads Collection
- See all featured collections collections
