William Durbin: the Winter War October 18, 2008

When Russia invades Finland in 1939, Marco's younger brothers and sisters are evacuated. Although he has one crippled leg, he still wants to defend his country. His high-school teacher enlists him in the Junior Civil Guard, where he plays an essential role in the guerilla resistance -- running messages, shoveling snow, digging trenches and helping the medics. Packed with action, this is history seldom told, and World War II buffs will be drawn in by the role of the boy on the battlefront who witnesses the reality of war.