Phantoms In The Snow By Kathleen Benner Duble

The year is 1944, and Noah Garrett is a fifteen-year-old pacifist who has just lost both his parents to smallpox. Noah is sent to live with his uncle, Shelley, whom he has never met, in Camp Hale, Colorado. Camp Hale is the U.S. military base for the then little-known skiing division (10th Mountain Division) of winter warfare soldiers called, Phantoms. Can Noah who has never seen snow and doesn't believe in war survive among these mountain soldiers?
This novel is based on historical events and is meticulously researched by author, Kathleen Benner Duble. Phantoms in the Snow is a truly excellent book recommended for both teens and adults interested in World War II and Special Forces. Leslie G.

English Phantoms In The Snow by Kathleen Duble, is a very informational historical fiction novel that was centered around a fifteen-year-old Noah Garrett from Texas. Noah loses his parents in the beginning of the novel to small pox and is forced to move to a military base in Colorado where his uncle would look after him. Knowing that the country was in the midst of WWII, Noah thought he would be thrown right into the middle of battle and he was worried. Noah did not even believe in war! This was because his parents were Pacifists who taught him that violence was never the answer. Noah tries to overcome the physical and emotional struggles of his unique problems during the U.S.’s battle with the Axis Powers. Personally, I felt that this book portrayed the time period very well with its information about World War II. It also had great characters with realistic emotions. Despite those thoughts, Phantoms In The Snow didn’t really hook me as a reader. I was not pulled to keep on reading as the plot was not as exciting as I had expected. In my opinion, the plot really never caught fire as I was desperately waiting for something exciting to happen. I believe this novel deserved two stars because it served its purpose as a book that would allow me to complete the assignments, but wasn’t as good of a read as I expected. Hardcover I liked this one well enough. It wasn't spectacular, but good. My main complaint is that it was too short to live up to its potential. It moved very quickly, to the point of feeling rushed at times. This may have been to keep it action-packed to interest the reluctant guy reader, but I felt it did the story a disservice. I liked the development of the relationship between Noah and Daniel. The Noah-Uncle relationship could have been developed a bit more. I liked the uncle's gruff-exterior-soft-interior-but-he'll-kick-your-butt-if-you-ever-hint-that-he's-soft character. He was fun.

I would have liked to see more treatment of the pacifist in war issue. I've never seen a war novel from a pacifist's perspective and I wish Duble had done more with it. All I got was Noah's parents didn't believe in war so he doesn't and then a friend gets shot. I didn't see any big moral dilemmas or questioning whether or not a particular war was justified, just war theory. I wanted more. Maybe doing more would have bogged it down, but I think it would have given a lot of interesting food for thought. I want depth. I did appreciate the ending scene with what Noah decides to do with the German soldier.

I did like the camaraderie and family-ness relationships that developed among Noah and his fellow Phantoms. This was a coming-of-age story more than a war novel, so battle actually plays a very small part, which I liked. I get bored during battle scenes and I liked Noah's development as he proceeded through different aspects of the training. However, the intended audience probably prefers battle scenes.

This was an interesting chunk of WWII that I had never seen before. I liked that Duble included a brief bibliography at the back for those who are interested in learning more.

Once caveat for the cover. Poorly done. The subjects face looks like it was cut out and pasted onto a stock photo of a skier. The sizing isn't correct and it bugs me every time I look at the front. This doesn't affect my opinion of the book, but still. English Being relatively well-educated, I have carried around the belief that I knew (basically) all about World War II. We start learning about it in 6th grade and we continue to study it well into our senior year. Why is it, then, that I had never heard of the Phantoms (Tenth Mountain Division)? I feel cheated.

Ms. Duble’s Phantoms in the Snow tells the courageous and heart-wrenching story of a very young Texas farmer, contentedly plodding along until his world is shattered. The untimely death of his parents land 15-year old Noah with an uncle he had never heard of. As if the circumstances wouldn’t be challenging enough, Uncle Shelley happens to be a high-ranking soldier at Camp Hale, Colorado. He is training an elite team of soldiers to send to the snowy mountains in Europe. These men are the only hope of capturing Riva Ridge and Mount Belvedere in Italy. In doing so, the Germans secured there will be flushed out, giving the Americans and Freedom Fighters a chance to turn the tide of the war.

This is much more than a war story. It is about loyalty, compassion, understanding and support. It is about working hard to save the lives of people you will never know. This book demonstrates the strength in a team. The story shows that no matter how crummy one life seems, there is always another worse off. It is about believing in something bigger than yourself and doing what is right---even if it seems small and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Phantoms gives the reader a glimpse of a unique group of soldiers. Not only were these men instrumental in gaining ground during World War II, they came home to give something surprising back to their own country. Phantoms, with their crazy passion, helped to make skiing a remarkably popular recreational activity. They are responsible the for well-known ski resorts in Vail and Aspen. A backcountry trail system between the two was created to honor the Tenth Mountain Division.

These men are unsung heroes. This makes me sad. Everyone should know about the men that trained in frigid, inhospitable conditions to quietly slip under the radar and do what no others soldiers have done. Ms. Duble’s book is the perfect place to start. While her characters are not necessarily based on specific Phantoms, the events are factual, the tale gripping.

Please, let’s finally give these men the recognition they deserve. Give this book to students studying World War II, they will thank you, I promise. Find your ski-fanatic buds and give them a copy of this book. Who knows what these ski-bums would be into if not for the Phantoms?

To the men of the Tenth Mountain Division: thank you, I am forever grateful to you.

This review was written for the Buried Under Books Blog. 9780545197700 REally emotional and cool. Young Adult, Childrens

In this gripping journey, a fifteen-year-old pacifist must decide what he believes as he faces the reality of World War II.

The year is 1944, and fifteen-year-old Noah Garrett's parents have died from smallpox. Without any other family nearby, Noah is sent to live with his uncle, whom he has never met, in Camp Hale, Colorado. There is one small problem with this decision: Noah has been raised a pacifist, and Camp Hale is a U.S. military base for a little-known division of winter warfare soldiers called Phantoms. Can a boy who's never seen snow and doesn't believe in war survive among these soldiers?
Noah's struggle to resolve his upbringing with the horrors of World War II into a way of life he can believe in takes him on an incredible and riveting journey from the training camp to the frontlines of battle. Based on historical events, the story of Noah and the Phantoms of the Tenth Mountain Division is one of courage and conviction, brotherhood, and the joy in living. Phantoms In The Snow

Noah's life comes crashing to a halt when his parents die of smallpox. Noah must travel to where his Uncle is training in the mountains as a Phantom skier in the US Military. Noah must decide where his life will take him: back home to a quiet life in Texas, or fighting for his country with the only family he has left. WWII teen fiction. 9780545197700 The book, Phantoms in the Snow by Kathleen Benner Duble was a very insightful book into the life of the phantoms of WWII. It was enjoyable and the theme was to stick up for what you believe is right. It is a reoccurring theme with many events involved. The setting is in Camp McHale, Colorado, 1944. This book is a historical fiction because of the made up characters, but the storyline of the characters are true. Noah, a 15-almost 16 year old texan boy moves to Colorado because his parents passed away. At his destination at Camp McHale, he meets his only remaining relative, James Shelley. Noah continues to meet many more of the men at the camp including Skeeter and his first friend, Wiley. But, Noah reaches a crossroads, do you stay with the men and train for war, or do you leave and start a new life? This was an interesting book and kept me engaged. This is most likely due to my obsession with History. Information about a specific division, is fascinating for me. It is the details and ground level storytelling I appreciate. This book was different from the other WWII books because of the focus more on the lifestyle and preparation rather than the combat. For example, James Shelley’s life as one of the best phantoms at the Camp, is described in the form of the details of putting wax on their skis and participating in skiing and hiking competitions. The book reflects the mood of the war, the public opinion toward war and other historical references. In all, this was a book that was worth to read. I loved this book and would recommend this to other readers like me with an interest in this topic. There is historical references, new information on the context of the constant skirmishes on the battlefield. This book includes historic content and very important life lessons and morals. The author really uses some descriptive word choice and adds her own voice to the story. An author can tell a story any way he/she wants. It adds a real element to your adventure of following Noah through the horrid, World War II. Kathleen Benner Duble The reason why i rated this review is because, I love these types of books and genre. But my favorite part is where Noah kept falling down the mountain skeing and finally the next day he does it once. 9780545197700 This book was very interesting to me because I like to ski and read military books. It is a fiction book based on real events during WWII and has lots of history. If you like these things I would recommend Phantoms in the Snow because it is a book that really stands out and I have not read a book like this one. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Hardcover Excellent book, enjoyed the detail and may read a second time.
I would say that the book can be appreciated by YA and adult readers as well.
Will research Phantoms of the Tenth Mountain Division as I need to know more. Kathleen Benner Duble