Donahue turns from the Civil War setting of An Island Far from Home
to an American military base near the WWI battlefields of Verdun in 1961 during the Berlin crisis for this middling tale of friendship across two cultures. When 12-year-old Terry O'Brien—aka "O.B."—relocates with his family to a military base near a tiny French village, his new friend, Cannonball, quickly fills him in: "At this base... there's only two kinds of kids—aces and deuces." Cannonball deems himself and his friends who play baseball on the American Base League "aces," but Claude "the Clod," a boy from the village who keeps score for the games, is a "deuce." O.B. initially fails to make the first cut for the team, but when he later gets his shot, he is torn between a blossoming friendship with Claude and his wish to be "in" with Cannonball and his crowd. Although the author works into the narrative some fascinating facts about the battle fought at Verdun, many of the relationships among characters suffer. O.B.'s friendships with Claude and Cannonball develop credibly, but other interactions (such as O.B.'s visit with Claude's grandfather and Claude's exposure to the "aces") get superficial treatment. This novel will appeal mostly to budding military buffs. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)
