What is it like to be a young woman in a war?

At a time when Israel is in the news every day and politics in the Middle East are as complex as ever before, this story of one girl's experience in the Israeli national army is both topical and fascinating. Valerie begins her story as she finishes her exams, breaks up with her boyfriend, and leaves for service with the Israeli army. Nothing has prepared her for the strict routines, grueling marches, poor food, lack of sleep and privacy, or crushing of initiative that she now faces. But this harsh life has excitement, too, such as working in a spy center near Jerusalem and listening in on Jordanian pilots. Offering a glimpse into the life of a typical Israeli teen, even as it lays bare the relentless nature of war, Valerie's story is one young readers will have a hard time forgetting.
Recognition
A 2006 Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content (the Association of Jewish Libraries)
An Outstanding International Book for 2006. Selected by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) and the Children's Book Council
Bachelder Honor Medal
ALA Notable Children's Book
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Reviews
*"Readers will be swept into Valerie's military experience. . . The honest conflict about haunting issues in daily life is prime teen material and readers on all sides of the war continuum, here and there, will find much to talk about." -Booklist, starred review
"This is a fascinating glimpse of a different part of the world and a different kind of experience. Older readers, facing the end of high school themselves, will be drawn to this description of the interim between childhood and adulthood that is a universal Israeli experience." --School Library Journal, May
"Recommended for its different perspective on life in contemporary Israel." --Kirkus Reviews
"American readers whose familiarity with the Armed Forces is limited to voluntary enlistment should be intrigued by the very concept of univ