Books with title Shades of Simon Gray

Tin is known throughout his Vietnam village as being brave, possessing the calm and courage needed to expertly train wild elephants. But when American troops—who Tin’s tribe, the Dega, have been helping—pull out of the Vietnam War and his village is occupied by Viet Cong forces seeking revenge, twelve-year-old Tin watches his life change in a million terrible ways. His bravery is put to a new test: He must choose between staying captive or saving his elephant’s life by fleeing into the dangerous depths of the jungle. At once heartbreaking and full of hope, A Million Shades of Gray brings listeners close to a world few know about—and no one will ever forget.

Y'Tin is brave. No one in his village denies that--his mother may wish that he'd spend more time on school work than on elephant training, but still she knows that it takes a great deal of courage and calm to deal with elephants the way that Y'Tin does. He is almost the best trainer in the village--and, at twelve-years old, he's certainly the youngest. Maybe he'll even open up his own school some day to teach other Montagnards how to train wild elephants? That was the plan anyway--back before American troops pulled out of the Vietnam War, back before his village became occupied by Viet Cong forces seeking revenge, back before Y'Tin watched his life change in a million terrible ways. Now, his bravery is truly put to the test: he can stay in his village, held captive by the Viet Cong or he can risk his life (and save his elephant's) by fleeing into the jungle. The Montagnards know their surroundings well. After all, this is why Y'Tin's village had become loyal US allies during the war, having been tapped by Special Forces for their tracking skills and familiarity with the jungle. But that also means that Y'Tin knows how unsafe it can be--and how much danger he is in if he chooses to head out with no destination in mind. At once heartbreaking and full of hope, Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata's exploration into the depth of the jungle and the not-so-distant past brings us close to a world few people know about--and none will ever forget. Y'Tin's story is one of lasting friendships, desperate choices and all that we lose when we are forced to change.

Tin is known throughout his Vietnam village as being brave, possessing the calm and courage needed to expertly train wild elephants. But when American troops—who Tin’s tribe, the Dega, have been helping—pull out of the Vietnam War and his village is occupied by Viet Cong forces seeking revenge, twelve-year-old Tin watches his life change in a million terrible ways. His bravery is put to a new test: He must choose between staying captive or saving his elephant’s life by fleeing into the dangerous depths of the jungle. At once heartbreaking and full of hope, A Million Shades of Gray brings listeners close to a world few know about—and no one will ever forget.

A group of fighting men from 20th century Earth suddenly find themselves in a magical realm and that is where all similarity between this book and all other fantasy/sci-fi books comes to an end.This book is intended to entertain, but it also dares people to think about some very disquieting things, subjects that have been dealt with in platitudes and rationalizations for far too long. For some reason, recent history has been dealt with in very broad strokes, while at the same time fantasy literature has become increasingly sophisticated and beautiful. I have combined these two in a way that may seem familiar, at first. However, this story is populated with characters that speak plainly and cut straight through all the layers of nonsense that civilization has built to hide its failures. Or, as acting Sergeant Major Fritsch would say, “I’ve never seen anything official stand up to a bullet.”The natives of this world have never heard of round worlds, moons, or of “suns” that rise before setting. Narva has no native life forms; this continent is not actually part of a planet, in the strictest sense of the world. This is a carefully cultivated environment, and the first men from earth will come as a shock to the natives. This is not some intellectual group of explorers, but a battle group from the 2nd SS Panzer Division, fresh from the Russian Front, circa 1944. How can people who actually believe in magic deal with hundreds of Nazi storm troopers? They can, because on Narva, belief can make it real.

Left an orphan by the Civil War, 12-year-old Will Page has to leave his ruined home in the Shenandoah Valley. He must go to live with his mother's relatives, whom he has never seen before, on their tiny farm in the Virginia Piedmont. To make matters worse, his uncle refused to fight the Yankees. In fact, Uncle Jed stayed safely at home throughout the whole conflict between the states, while his neighbors were risking their lives for the Confederacy. How can Will stay under the same roof as a coward? Teacher and author, Carolyn Reeder vividly portrays an angry Will gradually overcoming his own loss and developing tolerance for his uncle's opposing views. The far-reaching consequences of the Civil War become dramatically clear to young people with John McDonough's sensitive narration.

Y'Tin is brave. No one in his village denies that. And while his mother may wish that he'd spend more time on schoolwork than on training his elephant, she knows that it takes a great deal of courage and calm to handle elephants the way that Y'Tin does. He is the best handler in the village - and at 13 years old, the youngest. Maybe he'll even open up his own school someday to teach other Dega how to train wild elephants! That was the plan, anyway - back before the American troops pulled out of the Vietnam War, back before Y'Tin's village was attacked by North Vietnamese forces, back before they had to start digging a massive, menacing pit, back before Y'Tin watched his life change in a million terrible ways. Now, his bravery is truly put to the test: He can stay in his village, held captive by the North Vietnamese, or he can risk his life (and save his elephant's) by fleeing into the jungle.Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata brings us close to a world few people know about -- but will never forget. Heartbreaking yet full of hope, Y'Tin's story is one of lasting friendships, desperate choices, and all that we lose when we are forced to change.