My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck by Mary Pope Osborne

• Title: My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck
• Author: Mary Pope Osborne
• Publishing: Findaway World. August 1st, 2009.
• Synopsis: This book tells the story of a young girl named Madeline Beck who is living with her mother in a Long Island boarding house until her father; a Lieutenant- commander returns home from war. Madeline has a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings without her dad around and making friends until her classmate and crush Johnny Vecchio learns that Maddie's father is in the Navy. The two then decide to make a a student club to support the war effort by selling war bonds, gathering scrap metal and used books, and making first aid kits. One night Maddie decides to take a walk on the beach and sees and overhears two men discussing something in hushed tones with very heavy accents. This causes Maddie to become suspicious enough to contact the FBI and in turn leads to the arrest of four Nazi agents. Just when things are going well from young Maddie, her mother receives a telegram stating that her father has been injured. The mother daughter duo pack up and move to San Francisco where he will be hospitalized. The book ends on a happy note when Maddie is reunited with her father.
• This book is written in a unique way in that it is written from the perspective of a young girl during the times of World War II. In addition, the book is written in a series of diary entries that make reading it feel like you get real insight into the fictitious character that is Madeline Beck. This diary format approach to writing makes this book unique from others in the historical fiction genre. 
• This was my absolute favorite book growing up and I have read this book atlas ten times. I fell in love with the character and remember thinking how cool it was that even though we come from different times and circumstances, I still could relate to how she was feeling. This book does an excellent job of giving the reader an excellent feel of what is was like to grow up as a young girl during World War II and I believe that it makes this an excellent book. 
• I could definitely see myself using this book in my future classroom as a supplement to learning about World War II as well as a segway into creative writing. I could use this book to bring up lessons about ways that children were able to help in the war effort, as well as what occurred during World War II and why. I also thought it would be cool if while the students were reading Madeline Beck's journal, the students kept their own journal of their daily lives for a whole month. That way the students could connect with Madeline Beck and practice their writing skills. 
• In looking online for further resources, I discovered a unit plan with various lesson and activity ideas that would go along with the book. The website for this unit plan can be accessed here: http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/units/my_secret_war.shtml
• In using this book to create a World War II lesson, I found a website which had all the information you need to know about World War II written specifically for students, which would be helpful for lessons. You can find the website here: http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/war/
• To learn more about the author, you can go to her website by following this link: http://marypopeosborne.com