Alan Gratz 5 Book Set Allies, Two Degrees, Grenade, Refugee, Ground Zero

Alan Gratz’s five-book set brings together stories set against major moments of conflict and crisis, from the Second World War to September 11 and its aftermath. In Allies, the focus turns to D-Day on 6 June 1944, described as the most expansive military endeavour in history, and the global cooperation needed to defeat Hitler and the Axis powers.

The collection also includes Two Degrees, centred on three natural disasters, and Grenade, set on Okinawa in 1945 as war reaches the island. Refugee follows three children on dangerous journeys in search of safety, while Ground Zero moves between New York City in 2001 and Afghanistan in 2020, placing young people at the heart of events shaped by terror, war, and difficult choices.

Included titles

• Allies
• Two Degrees
• Grenade
• Refugee
• Ground Zero

Key details

• Five-book set by Alan Gratz
• Includes Allies, Two Degrees, Grenade, Refugee and Ground Zero
• Stories set across 1930s Nazi Germany, 1944–1945 wartime Europe and Okinawa, 1994 Cuba, 2001 New York City, 2015 Syria and 2020 Afghanistan

Synopses

Allies

D-Day, 6 June 1944, is presented as the most expansive military endeavour in history. The story highlights worldwide cooperation to bring down Hitler and the Axis powers, as people and children across the globe play their part, from young US soldiers in landing boats to spies in the French countryside.

Two Degrees

Fire, flood and ice form three natural disasters. Three children must fight to survive and work to change things for the better.

Grenade

In 1945, Hideki lives with his family on Okinawa near Japan as the Second World War reaches the island. Drafted into the Japanese army, he is given a grenade and told not to return until he has killed an American soldier.

Ray, a young American Marine, has just landed on Okinawa for his first battle. Unsure what to expect or whether he will survive, he knows only that the enemy is everywhere.

Refugee

Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany who boards a ship with his family as the threat of concentration camps looms. Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994 who leaves by raft amid riots and unrest, hoping to find safety in America.

Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015 whose family begins a long trek towards Europe as violence and destruction tear their homeland apart. All three children face harrowing journeys in search of refuge.

Ground Zero

On 11 September 2001 in New York City, Brandon is visiting his dad at work on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center when an aeroplane hits the tower. Caught in terror and confusion, he must try to survive and escape.

On 11 September 2020 in Afghanistan, Reshmina dreams of peace and progress despite growing up in the shadow of war. When fighting breaks out in her village, she finds a wounded American soldier named Taz and must decide whether to help him, risking danger for herself and her family.