The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (My Name is America: A Dear America Book) (Hardcover)

by Walter Dean Myers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-When Private Scott Collins's journal begins, he is preparing, along with thousands of other young men, for D-Day, less than five weeks away. When it ends, Scott, now 18, is again waiting to cross the English Channel; he has been wounded in France and has been promoted to sergeant-not simply because he is a good soldier, but also because he has proven to be a "survivor," when so many others have been killed. Readers observe Scott lose both his belief that the Allied invasion will end the war quickly and his innocence-he has seen hundreds die, some by his own hand. While no more graphic than the subject demands, this brief novel presents an accurate depiction of the horror of battle. The narrative voice is engaging and believable, with only a few lapses that sound like explanations provided for today's readers. Scott emerges as a likable and realistic character, one who grows from youth to manhood in a matter of weeks. Young teens who appreciated Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line ought to be moved and drawn to the Journal as well. A short epilogue gives thumbnail sketches of the major players' lives after wartime, and a photographic gallery helps set and expand the historical situation.
Coop Renner, Coldwell Elementary-Intermediate School, El Paso, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Writing in May_ 1944, 17-year-old Collins has no inkling of the massive military offensive he is about to take part in. Myers captures nicely the shift from the fraternity and the boredom of life on the base to the terror and confusion of D-Day. The action and imagery are explicit but not exploitative as Collins survives the landing and pushes on through subsequent battles and skirmishes to secure the town of St. Lo, which is now little more than a pile of rubble topped by the ruins of Notre Dame. Myers' believable portrayal of Collins as a political naif may surprise readers who know far more about World War II than the soldier caught in its midst. The least successful elements here are the handful of letters to relatives and a girlfriend back home. They barely suggest a home life for Collins and don't reveal much of an inner life either. Though it doesn't dig beneath the surface of D-Day events, this My Name Is America series book is still an emotional read that should easily find an audience. Randy Meyer

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1st edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439050138
• ISBN-13: 978-0439050135
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135,436 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( M ) > Myers, Walter Dean
  #7 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Historical > My Name is America
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• This item is part of The My Name Is America Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible and Amazing in Deatail, May 25, 2000

By A Customer

This book is about a 17 year old boy in the middle of WWII. Hefinds himself in one of the worst battles in the war. He must fightin the now famouse D-day battle. He lands one the baech and must fight through the watter. All the while watching people infront beside and behind him be killed or wounded. This book is a reminder of how bad war rally is. The horror this boy must face to make it through. This book has great deatail, but not too much of it. I am a 12 year old boy and am reading this book for the third time, still finding things i had missed or forgotten before. I really loved this book. I recommend it for readers of all ages. A trully Amazing book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I dont know what to title this, December 17, 2006

A Kid's Review

i read The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins,a world war two soldier.i really liked this book,i give it a 5 star rating, its an interesting historical fiction book,if you are gonna do a historical fiction book report i recommend this book. I only recommend this book to those who like reading about wars or reading about journals.when i picked this book i thought it was going to be another boring old book but it wasn't I just wanted to keep on reading this book, just to see what would happen to scott and all of the people in the war. In this book Scott tells of all his troubles while he is serving in the war. This book has some sad parts that make you want to cry and some happy parts that make you feal happy that he is alive.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Journal Of Scott Pendleton Collins, March 4, 2004

By	Kenny L. Fitzpatrick (Troy, NY United States) - See all my reviews

The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins is a historical novel, a day by day journal about a young man, fresh out of high school, who joins the army during World War II. His nickname is Smoothie because he still does not have to shave yet. At his going away party, his uncle gave him a journal. The first entry in the journal is May 25, l944, from England.

This book is so well written that when he described the landing on Omaha Beach I can almost hear the sights and sounds of Private Ryan's landing on the beach like in the movie, Saving Private Ryan. I can almost feel all his feelings. He is saddened by the wounded and dead that he sees, but he is glad that he is still alive. He wants to be brave but he is scared and is ashamed of being scared. He is sick to the point where he vomits. He doesn't want to cry but he cries. He feels sure he is going to be killed.

He knows that he should not be keeping this journal as he is told to destroy all letters from home after they are read. He feels that it is the only thing he has to leave behind if something should happen to him. He has a message in the journal that if anyone should find it to please send it to his family and he gives the address. He often writes about being afraid of dying. This always seems to be on his mind.

This book was so well written that I almost feel as if I lived his war experience with him. The book also includes a lot of historical notes and also some pictures of the war. This author knows a lot about World War II. With this book he has given me a day to day feeling (2 months worth) of the horrors of war.

My great-grandfather McCormick (there was a McCormack in this book) served in the Army during World War II and my grandfather was in the army as a Military Policeman. In this book, Scotty's great-grandfather fought in the Civil War and his father in World War I and Scotty always wanted his picture on the wall with their pictures. Maybe some day my picture will be on my family's wall with my great-grandfather and my grandfather. I am certainly not the best of readers and don't feel qualified to review a writer's work but I can say that I really liked this book. It was a fast read, I almost didn't want to put it down, and it really held my interest.

This book really inspired me. The quality of the writing is great, the subject matter is great and I would definitely put it in the "great books" category.