Raid of No Return Book Review

 










Raid of No Return


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hale, N. (2017). Raid of No Return. Amulet Books. ISBN: 978-1-41972-556-2


2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Before the entry of the US into World War 2, the United States harshly penalized Japan for its cruel treatment of other countries. In retaliation, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor thus bringing the United States to declare war. Soldiers were recruited for a secret mission that would not be revealed until they reached their destination. The Doolittle Raid was an air mission to bomb Tokyo and cause instability within the country. They trained tirelessly to be the first Army bombers to take off from a Navy carrier. When the Japanese are alerted to the mission, the Americans must begin the mission early with less fuel and high hopes. Some planes crashed, others were abandoned, and the rest had their occupants ejected out. The story then shifts to survival and escape. In the end, the United States was victorious in bombing Tokyo and weakening the Japanese Empire. 


 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The characters are US and Japanese soldiers who would lay down their lives for their country. Those who love war stories will enjoy this book. The plot is believable from World War II based on the Doolittle Raid. The journey involved flying to Tokyo to weaken the power of the Japanese empire but included a rushed attempt with no gas to make it back to the base. The setting begins with Pearl Harbor being bombed by the Japanese. The setting switches back and forth between Japan and the United States leading up to the raid. This graphic novel does an excellent job of bringing this part of history to life through illustrations, maps, and backstories of some of the characters. The theme is survival of the fittest along with good vs. evil. The Japanese pilots were upset when they learned from their general that there was no integrity for loss of life when war was not yet declared when they bombed Pearl Harbor.  The experiences after crashing their planes in the Pacific Ocean were harrowing as some crashed and some made it to China only to be pursued by the Japanese Army. The style is a clear point of view from both sides of the war; Americans seeking revenge for Pearl Harbor and Japanese seeking revenge for sanctions placed on them. The voices of the characters are clear and show the humanity or the evilness of the opposing armies. Raid of No Return has received one award from the School Library Journal. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist (November 15, 2018 (Online))

Grades 4-7. As in other entries in the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series, the American patriot Nathan Hale has another story of historical derring-do for his captors. Following the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a group of pilots volunteers for a secret mission. With absolutely no knowledge of the purpose of the mission and after weeks of bizarre training, the 16 bombing teams are finally told what their mission would be: to bomb Tokyo and create uncertainty within the empire. As always, Hale's strength comes from the details. His maps and charts cogently capture the history and vast scale of these events—the before and after drawings of Pearl Harbor are especially harrowing—but he also pinpoints human impact in the tiny stories that accompany the overarching narrative, like the gunner who broke his glasses and couldn't see clearly yet continued with the mission. Since this is still a relatively unknown part of American history, readers of all ages will be on edge to see who survives and the results of the possibly doomed mission. Another victory for a perennially useful series.

5. CONNECTIONS

Similar books: Any Nathan Hale books



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