Audacity

I'm a sucker for anything about the women's suffrage movement, and I enjoy a good verse novel, so I wanted to read this one right away!

Clara Lemlich was born and raised in Russia, but violence and antisemitism force the family to immigrate to New York when Clara is a teenager.  Her orthodox father and brothers have dedicated their lives to studying scripture which may be edifying, but it doesn't pay the bills.  Despite her lack for formal education, Clara quickly realizes the family will be destitute if someone doesn't start working.  Her father is unwilling to change the focus of his life, and Clara and her mother can't take in enough sewing to pay the rent, so Clara decides to get a job.

One of the few jobs available to poor uneducated women was in the sewing factories.  Here women would be locked into hot stuffy rooms and work with dangerous equipment.  The floor managers were often unscrupulous men who took advantage of the girls who had no recourse.  Anyone who complained would be fired and blackballed.  Clara's situation is even worse because even though she is the only one working to support the family, her father shuns her. Her only bright spot is the free education she gets by going to classes at night after working long days in the factory.

As conditions in the factories worsen, Clara feels compelled to do something.  She hears about the labor unions organizing for the men, and she knows the women need this kind of support, too, but not only is she poor and an immigrant, she is a woman.

Melanie Crowder's novel is a powerful story about real life hero for women's rights.  Highly recommended!

Paper Hearts

Meg Wiviott's novel in verse is based on a true story of friendship and survival during the holocaust.

Fania and Zlotka find themselves at Auschwitz concentration camp.  There is no reason for the Nazis to hate them--except that they are Jews.  The girls never met before coming to the camp, but once there they form an instant bond of friendship.

Through the dehumanizing efforts of the Nazis, the young women find courage and strength from each other and their small group of friends.  In a place without hope, without love, without family, these young women dare to find all three.

Everything is illegal in Auschwitz but especially paper, pencils, and scissors, but Fania's 20th birthday is coming, and her friends want to do something special, something small, something dangerous.  They steal supplies to make a birthday card in the shape of a heart and bound with fabric taken from their own clothes.

This true story shows that it is possible to have hope and friendship even in the darkest of times.  Highly recommended.

The Hired Girl

I LOVED this book!  It gets all the stars!

Joan is pretty certain her life is over.  It's 1911, and she is the only daughter of a poor farmer who sees no need for education and reading.  He sees fourteen year old Joan as a woman to do alone the woman's work of the farm--cooking and cleaning for her brutish father and brothers.

But Joan loves reading and school.  It was her dead mother's fondest wish that her daughter should get an education, become a teacher, and be the master of her own fate.  A smart girl like Joan would not have to marry a family and work herself to death.

When Joan sees an advertisement in the paper for a hired girl in the city, an idea begins to form.  Working for a family of strangers couldn't be any worse than working for her cruel father plus she would earn wages.  This sets off a conflict with her father so terrible Joan knows she must leave or else see all the days of her life as a an unloved servant to her father.

But she has little idea what to do when she actually arrives in Baltimore.  Where will she sleep?  How will she get a job?  A chance encounter in a moment of despair will change her life forever.  Joan, now known as Janet to conceal her identity, finds herself employed in the home of a wealthy Jewish merchant.  This is the first step on her road to progress, but little does she know the growing pains she will have to endure on her way to becoming a lady of refinement.

All these adventures she faithfully records in her diary, a gift from her former school teacher, and reading this book is like a visit with a best friend.  You both keep saying it's time to leave, but the hours continue to slip by while you enjoy one another's company.  Laura Amy Schlitz's new book is my favorite book I read in 2015.  It is just brimming with personality, humor, and voice as well as being an exploration of feminism, religion, education, and love.  Highly recommended!

A Night Divided

Gerta wakes up one morning to find her city divided by a fence.  East Berlin is controlled by the Communists, and Gerta's father and brother are on the other side.  She, her mother, and her older brother are trapped.  The fence is patrolled by soldiers who will shoot to get their message across.  Eventually, the fence becomes a wall, and Gerta wonders if she will ever escape or see her father again.

Her older brother Fitz becomes increasingly frustrated with life in the East, and Gerta, too, longs for freedom.  One day after years of separation, she see her brother and her father on the wall.  It is dangerous to stop and stare, but it seems like Papa is trying to tell her something.  Does Papa want her to...dig?

With the threat of death hanging over them at every moment, Fritz and Gerta begin their plan to escape Communist rule to find freedom in the East.  Gerta will have to sacrifice food, safety, and friendship to attain her dream, but she is determined to have her freedom at any cost, even if that cost is her life.

Historical fiction is a departure for Jennifer A. Nielson, but this book is definitely a winner!  Highly recommended especially for kids who devour books about the Holocaust.  This is a good stepping stone for discussion about what happened after WWII.

The Madman of Piney Woods

Benji loves the forest surrounding his home in Buxton, Canada.  There's pretty much no other place he'd rather be.  He can read the scattered leaves and bent branches like a book to understand what has happened there.  He's always heard stories about the Madman of Piney Woods, but he's never been sure they're true until the day he senses someone watching him.  Could it be the Madman himself?

Red has spent his life in fear of his prejudiced and often abusive grandmother.  He doesn't understand why she hates everyone including him.  He tries to take his father's advice and appreciate her as the person who gave them beloved but now dead mother.  It's not easy.

One day these two boys have a chance meeting that begins an instant friendship, and they navigate their way through a society that doesn't think Irish boys and children of former slaves should be friends.

Their friendship is put to the ultimate test when the most vulnerable member of their community is in danger.  It will take all their courage, strength, and trust to make it through the most terrifying night of both their lives.

There are parts of Christopher Paul Curtis's newest book that I really love, but it's just not my favorite of his books.  The alternating points of view go on too long before the boys have any contact with each other.  I wanted more of an intersection earlier in the story to make it feel more cohesive.  It's still a good book and definitely worth reading.  Once the boys come together, it's classic Christopher Paul Curtis filled with adventure, hope, and heartbreak.

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina has lived her life in secret.  She and her pa live in the basement of the massive Biltmore Estate which he helped build.  Now he works there as an electrician.  Serafina knows she must keep their secret or they will lose their home, but she isn't sure why they must live in secret in the basement.  Even though she loves her silent nighttime prowls around Biltmore, she longs for friendship.

One night she sees a terrifying man with a black cloak chasing a young girl through the house.  As she watches, the man throws the cloak over the girl and it seems to swallow her whole.  Serafina runs to tell her pa what happened, but he thinks it's just another one of her stories.

Then several more children go missing, and Serafina realizes she's the only one who knows the truth.  In the chaos of the staff and guests searching for the missing children, Serafina accidentally exposes herself to Braeden, the nephew of Biltmore's owners.

Serafina isn't sure if he will by an ally or an enemy, but it seems that Braeden is as much in need of friendship as Serafina, and he believes her story about the man in the black cloak.  Now they are on the hunt together to uncover the villain's identity before he takes any more children.  The more Serafina uncovers, the more she questions her own identity.  Is she a "creature of the night," too?  Is that why Pa keeps her a secret in the basement?

Read Robert Beatty's dark fantasy tale to find out!

Chasing Secrets

Lizzie Kennedy's life is by no means perfect.  Her mother died when she was little, so now she is in the clutches of her Aunt Prudence who only seemed concerned with making Lizzie into a proper young lady for Chicago society in 1900.  Lizzie secretly loves science and struggles to get along with the other girls at Miss Barstow's finishing school.

When a plague quarantine in Chinatown puts everyone on edge, Lizzie finds a secret in her own home.  Her family's beloved cook, Jing, has gone missing and Lizzie fears he is caught in the quarantine.  Her doctor father is away on a call and won't be back for days.  No one listens to Lizzie's pleas for help.  After Jing's disappearance Lizzie discovers his son Noah hiding in Jing's attic bedroom.  The two quickly become friends, and Lizzie's resolve to rescue Jing is strengthened.

All the important people are saying there is no plague in San Francisco, but if this is true, then why is there a quarantine?  And what does a monkey have to do with anything?  Lizzie has plenty of questions, but no one wants to listen to a girl.  At best they tell her not to "worry her pretty head" about these things.  Will Lizzie uncover the truth in time to save someone she loves?

Gennifer Choldenko's new book is a medical mystery inspired by the real life plague outbreak in 1900 in San Francisco.  It is a fascinating story with a great author's note about which parts of the story were based on real people and events.

Stella by Starlight

When Stella and her little brother, Jojo, witness the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross at night, their community is moved to action.  Everyone is afraid, but no one knows what to do.  It's 1932 in Bumblebee, North Carolina, and it seems like the KKK has always been around to remind the African American community of their place.

But things might be changing.  Three black men want to register to vote, and Stella's father is one of them.  They know it is dangerous, but they also know people like the Klan will never just give them rights.  It they want dignity and self respect, they will have to step up and demand it.

Stella is proud of her father's courage, but her mother is worried about retaliation.  When tragedy strikes, the whole community will come together including some people Stella never expected to see on her side.  Will Stella be able to overcome her own fears and find her courage?

Sharon Draper's new book explores a troubling time of segregation and transition in our nation's past and the power of one young girl's courage.

The Mark of the Thief

Nic has been a slave for years, toiling away in the miles for his cruel master Sal.  Everything changes when the miners discover a forgotten tunnel rumored to contain the lost treasure of Julius Caesar himself.  The only problem is the first man sent to the cave never returned, and the second has been reduced to a babbling fool.  Nic wants nothing to do with this supposed treasure, but when General Radulf shows up demanding that Nic, because he is the smallest slave, descend to cave, he has no choice but to comply.

Once inside, Nic must battle a griffin to get a bulla once owned by Caesar.  He is supposed to deliver the bulla to Radulf, but now that he has it, he decides to keep it for himself.

Thus begins a tale of magic, treason, and political machinations. Now Nic is thrust into the midst of a vicious power struggle in the heart of Rome itself.

 Fans of Jennifer A. Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy will enjoy the action and adventure in this new book.  Recommended for adventure fans and those hungry for more mythology after the Percy Jackson series.  The gods don't make an appearance in this book, but they are a powerful force in the story.

A Mad, Wicked, Folly

Victoria Darling wants nothing more than to become an artist and make decisions about her own life.  Unfortunately, she lives in England in 1909 where women have almost no rights.

After being sent home in disgrace from her boarding school in France, Vicky's parents are strict about how she will be spending her time, and it doesn't include art.  Her mother is only concerned with rebuilding her tattered reputation and getting Vicky married before she does anything else.  She even has the man picked out.  Her father is only concerned with the disgrace she has brought to her family and to his business.

When Vicky finally meets her fiance, she thinks she sees a way out of her father's stranglehold on her life.  She will marry Edmund and be free to live her own life.  It doesn't really matter that she doesn't love him; she barely knows him.  He's handsome, and he seems to enjoy her personality quirks.

In secret, Vicky begins working on a portfolio to submit to the Royal College of Art.  If she can just get proper training, the art world will take her seriously.  It doesn't matter that the RCA accepts very few women.  Vicky believes she can get in if she can show her best work.  This brings us to her other problem.  Her father has taken all her art supplies, so she'll have to be creative there as well.

In her quest to create new art, she crosses paths with the suffragettes, a group of women who are protesting to demand the vote for women.  At first, she just sees the movement as fertile ground for drawing, but the more time she spends with these women, the more she begins to question her place in society and if she will ever have any freedom.

She also begins spending time with a handsome police officer named Will.  Vicky says it's all about art, but could there be more to it than that?

I really enjoyed Sharon Biggs Waller's book about the suffragette movement in Great Britain.  This is one of my favorite time periods and one I wish it got more attention  People just aren't aware of the struggles those early women's rights activists faced.  This book is a great introduction because the reader can learn along with Vicky as she has her own personal awakening.  Highly recommended.

Echo

This is a tale that begins with a wicked king, magic, and three rejected sisters who are talented musicians, but the story doesn't end here.

When Otto is lost in the woods, he is sheltered by three strange birds who give him a gift.  The harmonica is different from any he's ever heard.  Otto's life is saved, and the new harmonica begins its journey.

Friedrich loves music and longs to become a conductor one day.  He tried attending school with the other children, but they tortured him ruthlessly because of the red birthmark on his face.  Now he goes to work with Papa at the harmonica factory.  He works part of the day and studies with the men at the factory for the rest of the day.  He dreams of going to the music academy, but his birthmark and his father's anti-Nazi feelings may cause a problem.  As the Nazis gain power in Germany, Friedrich and his family are in ever increasing danger.  One of the few comforts he has is a strange harmonica he found in an abandoned factory.

Mike and his younger brother are orphans in Pennsylvania following the deaths of their mother and grandmother.  The orphanage is a terrible place.  The children are always hungry and dirty, and their lives are devoid of joy.  Mike is a talented musician, but he is largely denied this gift in the orphanage.  He fears he and his brother will be separated, so when a chance for the two of them to be adopted together arrives, they jump at the chance.  This new life couldn't be more different than the old one.  They now live in a beautiful mansion with plenty of food, and Mike is even getting lessons on the harmonica from the butler, but life isn't all perfect even when you're rich, and Mike will do anything to project his little brother.

Ivy is thrilled to be selected to play a solo on her harmonica when her class plays on the radio, but when her father gets a new job, they must leave overnight for their new home.  At first Ivy is angry, but the new job is good for everyone.  They have a house to live in, and her father is responsible for running an entire farm while the owner is away.  Mr. Yamamoto has promised a permanent home and job if he likes the way Ivy's father runs things while he imprisoned in an internment camp.  Now that the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor, it doesn't matter how American the Yamamotos are or that their son, like Ivy's brother, is off fighting in the war.  The government and many of their neighbors suspect anyone who is Japanese of being a spy.

The lives of the children are linked through one special harmonica in Pam Munoz Ryan's new novel about the power of music to strengthen and inspire.

A Hitch at the Fairmont

Jack's world collapses when his mother dies.  It was just the two of them, and now it feels like he is completely alone.  Then his horrible aunt shows up after the funeral to pack him up and take him away from all his friends to live with him at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

Aunt Edith is cruel and demanding, and Jack's existence is miserable.  Just a few weeks after moving in with her, she is kidnapped.  He doesn't miss his aunt, but he doesn't want to live in foster care either, so he goes looking for help to find her.

Who better to help solve a mystery than the famous movie director, Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense himself.  At first Hitchcock is reluctant to get involved, but it doesn't take long for the director to get wrapped up in the mystery and to appreciate Jack's artistic talent and quick intelligence.

There is something more going on here than a simple kidnapping, but Jack and Hitchcock will have to plunge headfirst into danger to figure it out.  With a hotel full of characters and potential suspects, it will not be an easy job.

I love Alfred Hitchcock movies, so I was excited to read Jim Averbeck's book.  What a fun read!  This book is filled with mysteries and clues.  Each chapter title is the name of one of Hitchcock's films, and each chapter begins storyboard drawings like Hitchcock used to block out his movies.  You don't have to be familiar with Hitchcock to enjoy this mystery, but that will make it more fun!  Maybe this book will get you interested in some of these classic suspense films.

Jackaby

Abigail Rook has just arrived in 1892 New England.  She ran away from a life of conformity and finds herself penniless, jobless, and homeless.  That is how she finds herself of the doorstep of R.F. Jackaby, detective.

He is unusual to say the least, but Abigail immediately feels comfortable as his assistant, despite the fact that she is skeptical of his claims that he can see the supernatural.

The scene of the first crime is a grisly murder that has the police stumped, but Jackaby sees a paranormal hand at work.  As they settle into the investigation, they grow closer to danger.

This is a fun if not wholly original story with a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective with the Doctor/Companion relationship dynamic and a paranormal twist.  I hope William Ritter continues this series!

The Great Touble

Eel was earning his living as a mudlark gathering scraps and debris from the filthy water of the Thames in 1854.  A change of fortune got him room, board, fresh water, and enough money to support himself.  This is a vast improvement over his previous life.

Everything changes one August day when a rival accuses him of stealing jeopardizing his job.  When he tries to get support from one of his other employers, he makes a horrifying discovery.  The blue death has arrived, and it quickly spreads.  Eel knows there is only one person Eel can think of to help.

Eel has been feeding animals and cleaning cages for Dr. Snow who uses the animals in his medical inquiries.  Dr. Snow is more interested than Eel thought, but not for the reasons Eel had hoped for.  Most people believe the blue death, or Cholera, is caused by the foul smelling air coming off the polluted Thames, but Dr. Snow believes there is a more direct cause, and he intends to prove it.

With Eel's help, Dr. Snow races to discover the true cause of the Cholera outbreak and stop the spread before more people die.

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.  It's a true medical mystery based on the real cholera outbreak of 1854.  Be sure to read the author's note at the end to find out more about cholera and its spread as well as the real people Deborah Hopkinson used as characters in the book.  Highly recommended!

Stay Where You Are & Then Leave

War breaks out on Alfie Summerfield's fifth birthday.  Before that day, his life was good.  He had two parents at home who loved him, a street full of friendly neighbors, and a best friend next door.  But the war changes everything.  Alfie's father volunteers for the army immediately hoping it will improve his chances.  Everyone is saying it will all be over by Christmas anyway.

Now it is four years later, and Alfie's father has stopped writing letters.  His mother says he is on a secret mission for the government, but Alfie only half believes her.  Most days Alfie doesn't go to school.  He works as a shoe shine boy at the train station to make extra money for the family.  It is while he is shining shoes one day that he accidentally discovers the truth about his father.

This discovery sets Alfie off on his own secret rescue mission.

You may recognize the author, John Boyne, from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.  This new book is set during WWI and focuses post traumatic stress disorder, which was called shell shock in those days.  People understood even less about PTSD then than we do now, and many people accused these men of being cowards.  This book scratches the surface of the horror of "shell shock" and hope for eventual recovery.

I really liked this book and its subtle exploration of painful issues related to WWI and it's aftermath.  It will take a careful reader to really grasp the story and its implications.

Twerp

Julian is not like his friends.  At least that's what everyone keeps telling him, but the way he sees it is different.  His best friend Lonnie is the leader, the one with all the ideas, and the rest of the gang just kind of follows along because his ideas are usually good and because Lonnie's just so persuasive.

No one meant for Danley to get hurt.  They were just kids playing around, but now the suspension is over, and Julian and his friends are back in class.  But Julian's English teacher isn't satisfied.  Mr. Selkirk wants something written, and it has to be long.

This is beginning of Julian's musings on his life, his friends, and their adventures.  Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes Julian writes the truth whether he can see it or not.

This is the story of the year when Julian finally starts to see things for how they really are, to see the truth about his friendships and about his choices.  To finally see what it means to stand up and be yourself.

I really enjoyed Mark Goldblatt's coming of age story.  Julian is not a character you always like, but I think most of us can identify with those moments when you just go with the flow because that's what's easiest.  Highly recommended!

Students reading this book should be aware that the historical context is important to the details of the story.  You will hear characters using words, phrases, or attitudes to describe people of other races that may surprise your modern mind. Keep the historical context in mind as you read.  How would the characters and story be different if it took place in 2014 instead of 1969?

Fallout

This is a compelling "what if" story.  During the 1960's the United States and Russia were stockpiling nuclear weapons in an effort to intimidate each other.  This all came to a head during the Bay of Pigs crisis when Russia placed missiles in Cuba aimed at the United States.  In reality, both sides backed down, and nuclear catastrophe was avoided.

Fallout is Todd Strasser's imagining of what might have happened if Russia had dropped the bomb.

Scott's dad decides to build a bomb shelter in the back yard just in case.  This causes a lot of laughter and derision from his neighbors who don't think World War III is going to happen, but Scott's dad just wants to be prepared.

When it does happen, those same people who laughed at his family are fighting their way into the shelter.  But Scott's father has only stocked enough food for four people.  Can ten people survive on food for four long enough for the radiation levels to drop?  To make matters worse, Scott's mother slipped when she was climbing into the shelter and smacked her head on the ground.  Now she seems to be in a coma, and there is a lot of blood.

Scott has never seen the adults in his neighborhood fight before, but being locked in the shelter is bringing out the worst in everyone.  Underneath the fighting and the hunger is the nagging thought of all the people who probably didn't survive.  The book alternates between the present in the shelter and the past in the months leading up to the bomb.  This puts the loss of all the friends and teachers who were part of Scott's life before in context.

This would be a great book for discussion and an interesting paring with The Diary of Anne Frank.

Brotherhood

It's 1867, and the Civil War is over, but life in Richmond is nothing close to back to normal.  Richmond residents have lost the war, their property, and their pride.  The city is overrun with Yankee soldiers who are eager for any opportunity to kick the beaten rebels while they are down.

Shad's father died in the war, and he and his mother work for Granddaddy's tailoring business to support the family.  Shad is becoming a skilled tailor even though he is only fourteen.  None of that matters because his older brother, Jeremiah, is the favorite.  Jeremiah will inherit the tailoring business even though he's never shown any interest, and Shad is pretty sure his hothead older brother is drinking and antagonizing Yankees when he should be looking for work.

Jeremiah is a bully who never did anything for his little brother, so Shad knows the only way to find out what Jeremiah is up to at night is to follow him.  That's how he accidentally gets initiated into the brotherhood, the KKK.  They don't seem too bad to Shad though--just good old boys getting together to sing songs on take care of war widows.

Something else is happening to change Shad's world.  He's always felt stupid because he can't read, but there's a new teacher in town who thinks he can help.  The only problem is Mr. Nelson is in Richmond to teach at a colored school, and he wants Shad to go there, too.

Shad knows it would be devastating for Jeremiah and the brotherhood to find out about the colored school and his participation in it, but the promise of learning to read is too good to pass up.  But when the brotherhood turns out to be more dangerous than he could have dreamed, Shad will be caught up in conflicting loyalties and choices that could have deadly consequences.

A.B. Westrick's story of postwar Richmond is fascinating and thought provoking.  This is a tale with few moral absolutes and plenty of danger and intrigue.  It's the story of Shad's transformation, and we see him in a way we rarely see characters in children' literature.  You won't like Shad all the time, but you will see him for what he is--a product of his upbringing and environment.  This makes the changes in his character all the more powerful.  I highly recommend it!

West of the Moon

Astri and her younger sister, Greta, live with their aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Their mother died when Greta was just a baby, and their father left for America.  He is saving money to bring his daughters over from Norway, but he's been gone for years.

When Svaalberd the goat man shows up looking to buy a girl work on his farm, Astri knows it won't be like the fairy tale.  In that story, when the bear shows up to take the girl, he leaves her family with riches, and takes her to a world with soft furnishings, full bellies, and kindness.  Svaalberd is a a goat man.  He smells like the goats he keeps, has a hump on his back, bad breath, and a foul temper.

As she suspected, Svaalberd is not a kind a master, and Astri takes the her chance when she sees it to try to escape.  Thus begins her quest to save her sister and get the two of them on a ship to America to find their father.

They will have to face many dangers and challenges along the way, but they will also find friends and uncover the secrets of the past.  Astri knows the traditional Norwegian folktales by heart, and she blends them into her own tale of survival.  But life is not a fairy tale, and as Astri realizes early in the story, no one is going to show up to save her by magical or mortal means.  If Astri wants to be saved, she will have to save herself.

This story was inspired by the diary of Margi Preus's great great grandmother.  Make sure to read the author's note at the end for more information about Preus's ancestor and Norwegian fairy tales.  It probably won't surprise you to learn that I loved this book.  The mix of fairy tales and reality is wonderful, and Astri's tale is dark and painful but also hopeful.  A great read!

The Watcher in the Shadows

Irene's family has fallen low since her father died leaving them with a mountain of debts.  As they morn for their father and fall into ever worse circumstances, an offer arrives that seems like a miracle.  Irene's mother has been offered a position as a housekeeper to the reclusive toy maker Lazarus Jann.  The job comes with a large salary and a house for the family to live in.  It seems to good to be true!

Upon their first visit to Cravenmoore, Jann's home, the children are spooked by the life size automatons which fill the house, and they are warned never to go into the east wing of the house where his invalid wife lives.  In addition, the forest surrounding Cravenmoore and the Sauville's new home is filled not with real birds but with strange automatons built by Lazarus Jann.  Despite their uneasiness, the job still seems like a good fit.

Soon after their arrival, Irene meets Ismael, a young sailor with whom she instantly falls in love, and the two begin spending all their time together.

Things quickly turn sour when an unsuspecting housemaid releases a powerful evil that begins to hunt down everyone connected with Lazarus Jann.  Who is the toy maker really, and why does this evil force cling to him?

Read Carlos Ruiz Zafon's thrilling tale of horror and suspense to find out!