''I Had Seen Castles'' is a 1993

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

for young adults written by the American writer and

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

ist

Cynthia Rylant Cynthia Rylant (née Smith; June 6, 1954) is an American author and librarian. She has written more than 100 children's books, including works of fiction (picture books, short stories and novels), nonfiction, and poetry. Several of her books ha ...

Plot summary

It is a story about a young American named John Dante who enthusiastically enlists in 1942 but soon comes to understand the horrors of war. It can be deemed as an anti-war novel due to Rylants way of describing the War and its consequences.

Reviews

"The volume is deceptively slim; this finely drawn novel projects emotional truths to rival those of Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.""I Had Seen Castles ", ''Publishers Weekly''
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References

1993 American novels American young adult novels Novels set during World War II Novels set in Pittsburgh American novellas {{1990s-WWII-novel-stub