by Steve Watkins (Author)

WOW!  This kid’s action and history book by Steve Watkins is fascinating, exciting, AND well-researched. I lived through the Vietnam War years, but even I learned things in this middle-grade book I’d only heard hinted at before.

The three friends, Anderson, Greg, and Julie, have a musical band and practice in Anderson’s uncle’s basement. It’s not very good (they come in last in contests), and there are arguments about who is the best (halfway decent) singer.  This day, during a break, Anderson notices an old Army trunk in the corner and opens it. He (yes, I know, it’s pretty dumb) picks up a hand grenade!! But the worst part is that he hears a gruff voice, “Hey, that’s my lucky grenade!”  Oh, no! Another ghost!

This is the second time that opening that trunk has produced a ghostly soldier.  The kids have learned that the ghosts are in trouble and need their help to “get to the other side.”  Something was amiss when they died, and the kids have to discover what and fix it in a very short time.

So, they set out to help “Z” (that’s all they know about him at first). He appears in Anderson’s bedroom but doesn’t stay long. They only capture a fraction of what they need from him, because he just can’t remember. But something Z does say sends them to the Vietnam War Memorial in D.C., and the ghost locates his own name on the wall.  This helps their task as they research his history.

Through other people’s experiences, they learn about the war, the bad things that happened, and the many moments of valor and good that are accomplished, including what Z did.  At last, he can rest well.

GHOSTS OF WAR, LOST AT KHE SANH, is educational and fun to read. (Even for an old adult like me!) The author wrote about the war history and the companion atrocities that went with it at a level kids can understand and react to. There are sad scenes, humor, kid angst, and sweet compassion.  I enjoyed the book, and I think upper middle-grade kids will too.  (I think I’ll look for the other three books in the series.)