“Defense in the ghetto has become a fact. Armed Jewish resistance and revenge are actually happening. I have witnessed the glorious and heroic combat of the Jewish fighters.” -Excerpt from the last letter of Mordecai Anielewicz, April 23, 1943
Category: Book Reviews
Okay for Now
“Doug Swieteck once made up a list of 410 ways to get a teacher to hate you. It began with ‘Spray deodorant in all her desk drawers’ and got worse as it went along. A whole lot worse. . . . They were the kinds of things that sent kids to juvenile detention homes in…
A Night Divided
Nielsen does an excellent job of helping us to understand why so few tried to escape East Germany – because of the danger, because of retribution to the loved ones who stayed behind, and because of uncertainty that the West was really any better. But the realities of life inside the wall are chilling.
Words on Fire
The story is based on true events that did depend on the work of the old and the young working in tandem to preserve Lithuanian culture through underground schools and book smuggling. The adults in this book are courageous and of excellent character, but they are also wise enough to see the bigger picture and to be fearful that the teens will martyr themselves unnecessarily.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Their friendship causes scandal and an awakening throughout the town. But, it ends in so much tragedy. This story is not hard, until it is. And once it is, it never gets much better. And it is all the worse because it is true. But, it is told well and is an excellent story to have in our hearts.
The Time Cat
This charming and imaginative story brings history to life. Gareth uses his first life to bring Jason to ancient Egypt and the city of Bubastes where cats are worshipped as gods. While there, they encounter some trouble, Jason learns a little something, and then they move along to the next life.
The Iron Ring
Alexander’s writing style is unique and really fun. He writes about so many different kinds of things with ease and grace. When describing this one to my family, I kept saying: “If Tonke Dragt and Rudyard Kipling wanted to write a hero’s tale inspired by The Lord of the Rings, I think that this is what we would get.”
The Labors of Hercules Beal
So, when I discovered that Gary D. Schmidt had written another modern book featuring the grown-up versions of Danny Hupfer and Mai Thi, I was curious and eager to give it a try. My kids have asked me which of his is my favorite. It might be this one. This one was a delight to read, and an invitation to sob all at the same time. I laughed, and I cried, and I enjoyed every bit of it. This book is hard, but not like Okay For Now. This book is creative. And, it is brilliant. There. I said it. I think that Gary D. Schmidt is brilliant. (And, I am not lying.)
A Little More Beautiful
This spring, I received the gorgeous new picture book, A Little More Beautiful by Sarah Mackenzie and illustrated by Breezy Brookshire. I was enchanted. I made a video celebrating it and intended to do a review for our site immediately. I opened my library at the same time, however, and this beauty was instantly checked…
Please Return to the Lands of Luxury
In Please Return to the Lands of Luxury, author Jon Tilton invites middle-grade readers into a modern fairy tale about a girl who embarks on a hero’s journey…
Pay Attention, Carter Jones
I’m sure I would never have picked up Gary D. Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars if Sara Masarik hadn’t asked me to read it. And normally, if I’m two thirds of the way through a book and still not into it, I’m not going to finish. But I said I would, so I did. And then…
Hold My Hand and Run
I confess: when I saw the cover of this book and read the jacket description, I did not think I would like this book. However, I took her word for it and ordered a copy from the UK since I couldn’t find any here. Once it arrived, however, it took me a while to actually want to read it. Whatever I was expecting, I was wrong. And . . . McAllister was right.
The Spear
“He saluted courteously and went on. He heard her weeping softly as she returned to her rooms. The death of the old life was amazingly easy. But birth was slow and painful beyond belief.” – The Spear, Louis de Wohl In The Spear by Louis de Wohl and published by Ignatius Press, Cassius Longinus was…
Show Notes: Out of the Silent Planet
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Who Walks the Attic?
During a recent conversation, my husband said he remembered the first chapter book he ever read by himself. He didn’t remember the title perfectly, but with the help of Amazon, I found it! Who Walks the Attic by Laura Bannon. I asked him if it was worth $7 to read it again. He said it…