Brette Sember is the author of WWII Battle Trivia for Kids: Fascinating Facts About the Biggest Battles, Invasions, and Victories of World War II. Her many other books include The Everything Kids' Money Book. She is also an editor and book coach.
Q: What inspired you to write WWII Battle Trivia for Kids?
A: My grandfather served in World War II but died when I was a teenager, so I didn't get a chance to ask him a lot of questions. In trying to get his service record, I did some research and became fascinated by some of the truly amazing things that happened during the war.
Q: How did you choose the information to focus on in the book?
A: Because the book was supposed to be "trivia" it did not feel appropriate to me to include anything about the Holocaust itself (other than telling readers about it in the introduction and urging them to read about it).
I focused only on things that happened on or around the battlefields or bases or to soldiers while they served. I looked for facts that interested or amazed me and knew that readers would find them fascinating as well.
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I read a lot of books about the war and I did a lot of online research, particularly at the National World War II Museum site. So many of the things I learned surprised me.
Some of my favorite stories are a ship that decked itself out as an island to avoid the enemy and decks of cards that had maps hidden inside the cards which were sent to prisoners of war to help them escape. So many of the stories in this book sound like something from a movie - but they are all true!
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I hope that readers develop an appreciation for how hard Allied soldiers fought, how difficult the war was to win, and how important ingenuity and bravery were in achieving victory.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I wrote a book for adults called Wintertide: Survive and Thrive in the Year's Coldest, Darkest Season which is coming out in the fall.
I am teaching a class called "Use AI for Your Book Proposal Without It Using You."
I'm writing a Substack called The Book Foundry where I offer weekly tips and advice to authors. And I am spending a lot of time working as an editor and book coach, helping other authors achieve their publication dreams.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: My website is www.BretteSember.com and details about upcoming projects and classes are available there. You can follow me on Substack @brettesember or LinkedIn.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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