Jack's father is a soldier. Jack has just been given a new dog Finn that he has been training and has developed a deep connection with. He is just about to go off to an excursion to Normandy in France and has been learning about the D-Day invasion. Initially he thinks war is very exciting but then he reads about a man called Emille and his paratrooper dog Glen and what happened to them during WW2. He is appalled by the notion of "collateral damage" and how animals have no choice in the matter of fighting for a war. Jack also learns about his classmate Kassie, a refugee from Syria and finds war disgusting - and this is all further compounded when he learns his father has been deployed to the Middle East. Jack reluctantly leaves his dog behind to go on the camp and learns a few things about himself, war and his friends.
Nice, well-researched book about war and its consequences. Suitable for Grade 5-6 readers. ( )