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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Dogfight (Special Operations, #1) in Books

Dec 14, 2018

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Quite often novels concerning the Second World War are assumed to be about Great Britain, Germany or life in concentration camps. However, first in series Special Operations: Dogfight by Craig Simpson is set in Norway in 1940 where Nazi’s have invaded.

The story is about fifteen-year-old Finn Gunnersen and his best friend Loki whose families are deeply involved with the resistance. Although they are still young boys, Finn and Loki end up playing an enormous role. Finn survives imprisonment and goes on to help a British Agent who has parachuted into Norway. As well as being a brilliant piece of historical fiction, this novel turns out to be an exciting thriller for teenagers.

Although suitable for both male and female readers, boys of ages ten and up would particularly like this book especially if they have a fascination for aircraft. There is a lot of detail about different types of planes and the author has even included a few diagrams and details at the beginning of the book.

Finn is a great hero with admirable strength and bravery. Simpson does not undermine women however and includes a couple of amazing female characters with just as much courage as the men.

Special Operations: Dogfight is a work of fiction but it was inspired by real events. It’s Norwegian setting makes it educational in that it teaches the reader about the effect of the war on innocent people in countries less spoken about in history textbooks. Despite some of the areas being made up to suit the story, Simpson has done a magnificent job at keeping it historically accurate and must have spent a great deal of time on research.

Special Operations: Dogfight is a brilliant book for young readers. For some the historical setting may be off putting but the characters feel as modern as teenagers today. The story is exciting and has a fantastic ending, including a few plot twists you do not see coming!