Shadows on the Sea (Aladdin Historical Fiction) [Library Binding]

Joan Hiatt Harlow (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Aladdin Historical Fiction

It's 1942. The United States is at war with Germany. Fourteen-year-old Jill Winter's mother is traveling to Newfoundland to be with Jill's sick uncle and must pass through the treacherous North Atlantic where German U-boats stalk like wolves. Jill's father, a famous pop singer, is on tour, so Jill is sent to Winter Haven, Maine, to stay with Nana. Jill soon discovers that Winter Haven is full of secrets and rumors, and it's hard to tell who's a friend and who's an enemy.

Available only in Literacy Bridge 5.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8-Jill Winters, 14, has been sent to stay with her grandmother in Maine while her father, a famous singer, is on a U.S. tour and her mother is visiting her dying brother in Newfoundland. It is the summer of 1942, and German U-boats patrol the shores of the North Atlantic. Jill is terrified that her mother's ship will be torpedoed and nervous about the possibility of U-boats in the area. Adding to her worries are the mysterious goings-on in Winter Haven. Even her grandmother is secretive about the Sunday night meetings she has with her friends. When Jill intercepts a carrier pigeon with a message in German, she begins to suspect that someone in the community is guilty of treason, and she has no idea whom to trust. After the town's July 4th clambake, her life is threatened when it becomes clear to the spies that she has figured out their identity. The ending is not neatly tied up and leaves some unanswered questions. Though the novel is largely plot driven, it moves along at an engaging pace, and the author weaves in snippets about World War II and details of teen life during the 1940s.
Cheri Estes Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Like Janet Taylor Lisle's The Art of Keeping Cool (2000) and other stories about young people caught up in World War II at home, this novel brings the enemy right into the neighborhood. This time the setting is on the coast of Maine in 1942. Fourteen-year-old Jill is sent to stay with her grandmother. She finds a wounded pigeon carrying a German message, and she and a local boy become caught up in trying to find spies among the townspeople. Who are the secret Nazi sympathizers? Is Nana's German friend a suspect? Who is in touch with the German U-boats that are lurking in the ocean near the coast? The plot is predictable, but Harlow does a good job of combining the war drama with family secrets and vicious prejudice among the local kids. In an afterword she talks about how much of the story of the submarine incursions is true, and readers will find the history as exciting as the fiction. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 244 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417740019
• ISBN-13: 978-1417740017
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,059,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jill and the Horrid War, May 30, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Shadows on the Sea (Aladdin Historical Fiction) (Paperback)

Shadows on the Sea takes place in Maine during World War II, and it is the year of 1942.
This is an intriguing book about a girl named Jill Winters. Her dad, Drew Winters, is a famous singer. When her Uncle Cliff gets sick, her mother needs to go see him and Jill's father arranges for Jill to go by herself, by train, to Maine, to see her Nana. Ever since Jill's mother went to see her Uncle Cliff, Jill has been listening to the radio to hear if a German U-boat torpedoed the ship her mother went on.
On the train, Jill meets a rich girl named Wendy and she and Jill become friends. From there the story begins. The two remain friends for a time then Jill meets a boy called Quarry and he introduces the girls to a group called the Crystals. You have to be voted in to the Crystals and Jill was voted in because her father was famous. Wendy wasn't and, so, Jill and Wendy's friendship broke up. Jill and Quarry remained friends though. Then Jill found Sarge, her Nana's cat eating a pigeon, she found a flask attached to the pigeons leg, and in it was a piece of paper with "sonnabend IV" written on it. Jill told Quarry about it. This is the mystery part; from there you will start staying up at night to read. This book is good for people that are interested in World War II and are ages 9 and up. I really enjoyed this book; it is historical fiction. If you are not a fan of reading, this book will get you reading. If you are looking for books to read, Joan Hiatt Harlow is the author of this book and many more great books.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a page turner!!!!!!!!!!!, May 10, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Shadows on the Sea (Hardcover)

this book is really good!!! i couldn't put it down! it is about a teen girl *Jill*, who's dad is a famous singer *drew winters*, & her mother has 2 cross the gulf of mexico 2 visit her sick brother. this book takes place during WWII. while her parents are away, she lives w/ her grandmother in Winter Haven, Maine. where she meets 2 people who become her close friends, Quarry and Wendy. in Winter Haven, they start 2 uncover some secrets. what do they find out? what secrets are some people in this town trying 2 hide? read this book 2 find out! this book is a real mystery!!!!!!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid and suspenseful, September 30, 2003

By 

childwrite "childwrite" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadows on the Sea (Hardcover)

Shadows on the Sea is a page turner. The author skillfully combines intriguing characters and a vivid, suspenseful plot with a fascinating and little-known episode during the second World War. Kids will love the believable dialogue. This book is a treat and offers interesting historical information as well.