Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
He really was a troublemaker. If there ever was a kid that was destined for juvenile hall, it was Louis Zamperini. If it wasn’t nailed down, he had no problem stealing it and even if it WAS nailed down, he’d bring a hammer and pry the nail out! His mother despaired of him ever amounting to anything. So how did he go from possible juvenile delinquent to an almost Olympic winner turned wartime captive? This is a gripping tale of what war time is really like. Not only does Louie’s plane crash in the Pacific Ocean where he undergoes extreme thirst and hunger, but he and a friend are captured by the Japanese and endure unimaginable horrors in their prisoner of war camps.
Recommended for 8th grade and up.