Joe Giorello Books In Order

Publication Order of Great Battles for Boys Books

Joe Giorello
Joe Giorello teaches a very popular middle school class called “Great Battles for Boys” in the Seattle area.

Joe’s youngest son did not like reading, unless the book was about military weapons, battles, or warriors. But he quickly read every single book that was written only for kids.

Since Joe wanted his son to continue learning and reading, and since he himself is a long-time collector of military history, he began writing about various historic battles. He made sure each “chapter” was penned in language that any middle school age boy could comprehend and that the excitement of each battle would jump off the page.

His son devoured each one of these stories, and he soon became a walking history book himself. Pretty quickly, other parents with sons that didn’t like to read asked for his notes. These same parents asked him to then teach a class.

Through this class, the young readers understand history better, and quickly realize that history isn’t just a bunch of boring dates and names. Actually, history is incredible and exciting, and is written with the blood of patriots. Before these kids know it, they are reading more and more books.

“Ancients to Middle Ages” is a novel in the “Great Battles for Boys” series. Persians! Romans! Spartans!

Historic warriors that changed the world, however, does your son know why these soldiers were even fighting? This is the series that takes young readers right to the front lines of the world’s most significant skirmishes. History leaps off of the page with powerful yet short chapters and plenty of vivid historical imagery, capturing even the most reluctant of readers’ attention.

Starting in Ancient Greece and Persia, the battles continue into the Middle Ages, including the Crusades. It ends in the year 1588 when the Spanish Armada’s attempted invasion of England, and the dawn of modern naval warfare.

Readers also get to learn about the men that lead these battles. Guys like Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and William “Braveheart” Wallace, among numerous others.

“The Civil War” is a novel in the “Great Battles for Boys” series. More Americans died during this war than all of the other wars put together, over six hundred thousand soldiers. However, what really went down?

From the very first shots at Fort Sumter until the South’s later surrender at Appomattox, young readers move chronologically through twenty crucial battles. This covers all four years of the Civil War. They will learn about which tactics, strategies, and weapons were used, and which of the military leaders suffered defeat or were victorious.

There is Battle of the Ironclads, which is one of America’s most lethal naval clashes, right of the coast of Vicksburg, Virginia. Ulysses S. Grant terrorizes, bombs, and starves one southern city into surrender. Antietam: Robert E. Lee invades the North and pays a hefty price for it. Petersberg: The North blows a literal hole in the South and still manages to lose the fight.

“WW2 Europe” is a novel in the “Great Battles for Boys” series. How did Hitler rise to power and almost conquered the world? The story starts with Hitler’s rise to power during the 1930s in Germany and his devastating invasion of Poland that started World War II.

There’s the Battle of Britain, Germany’s lethal attempt to invade the United Kingdom. Then the Winter War, a small tribe of Finnish soldiers miraculously beats the massive Red Army of Stalin. The Battle of Kursk: The world’s biggest tank battle burns its way across the Eastern front. North Africa, General Rommel’s Afrika Korps comes close to crushing the Allies. Invasion of Sicily, British spies fool the Germans, and they sneak troops into Italy.

D-Day, the heroic invasion of Normandy that changes the momentum of the war. Battle of the Bulge where Hitler appears to be beaten but invades Belgium and shocks the novice American troops.

“Little Big Horn” is a novel in the “Great Battles for Boys” series. Lieutenant George Custer, the morning of June 25, 1876, chose to go ahead in the Little Bighorn Valley, instead of just waiting for reinforcements.

Custer’s choice would mark one of the most famous of the “last stands” in history. This came as his two hundred men were overwhelmed by the thousands of Sioux Indians quickly under the legendary native leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Within just an hour, Custer and every single one of his soldiers ended up dead.

“Gettysburg” is a novel in the “Great Battles for Boys” series. The Battle of Gettysburg has always been considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War.

After a large victory over the Union forces at Chancellorsville. General Robert E. Lee marched his army right into Pennsylvania. The sides fought at the town of Gettysburg on July 1, followed by some even heavier clashing the very next day. By July 3, Lee ordered the famous, and disastrous, attack known as “Pickett’s Charge”.

“The Alamo” is a novel in the “Great Battles for Boys” series. December of 1835. Texas fights for independence from Mexico when a group of volunteer soldiers occupied the Alamo, which was once a Franciscan mission. Mexican forces arrived, numbers in the thousands and led by General Antonio Santa Anna, and siege began.

Incredibly outnumbered, the Alamo’s defenders held out for about two horrifying weeks led by William Travis, Davy Crockett (the frontiersman), and James Bowie. Mexican invaders finally overpowered all of the defenders, however the Battle of the Alamo turned into a symbol of brave resistance and the battle for independence. Which Texas quickly won.

Each of the books in the “Great Battles for Boys” series have been praised for revealing the courage and valor of the men that go into battle and just how their bravery changed the world. Joe makes the history leap right off of the page with short yet powerful chapters and tons of historic imagery, sure to engage even the most reluctant of reader.

Some have said that these books should be in school libraries the world over. The book is a treasure trove of information that is written to make you feel that you are in a great classroom with a fantastic instructor that’s sharing his knowledge in a fun way.