Leavitt, Amie Jane. Stories From Those Who Fought in America’s Special Ops.

Leavitt, Amie Jane.  Stories From Those Who Fought in America’s Special Ops.  Capstone Publishers  2017  48p  $21.99  ISBN 978-1-5157-1851-2  ms  Series: US Special Ops.   Nonfiction  E-BN

Amie Jane Leavitt’s approach to America’s Special Ops is engaging, well-organized, and well-documented.  The length is perfect for a middle-school reader -- each story is brief but is told in such a way that the reader feels immediately immersed in the mission being explored.  The images are beautiful -- some are based on works of art, but most are actual photographs that significantly aid the comprehension and engagement of the reader.  In most of the stories, Leavitt allows the soldiers to tell of their missions and their experiences in their own words, using snippets of interviews that are all documented at the close of the book.  For many of these interviews, a link is provided to the original source that allows the reader to further explore the content.  This is one book in a four-book set that explores U.S. Special Ops. This book would be an excellent addition to a middle-school or upper-elementary library. 

Summary: In Stories from Those who Fought in America’s Special Ops, author Amie Jane Leavitt gives her readers a glance into specific operations at key points in history. She begins with the earliest special operations on American soil in the French and Indian War, and takes the reader through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWII, rescue missions of modern Special Forces, and closes with the well-known capture of Osama bin Laden.     

Special Ops                                                                                                                 --Michele Nass