Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Esther is determined to join her father in Cuba and work to get the rest of her family out of Poland. She is the oldest child, after all, even if she is a girl. Papa agrees, and Esther travels alone across Europe and the Atlantic to join him in Cuba. Her new home enchants Esther,... Continue Reading →
Joana has been walking for days. She’s gathered around her others fleeing the Russian troops advancing through the eastern lands of the Third Reich. There’s Eva, a giantess of a woman, Poet, who is a shoemaker and waxes poetical about shoes, boots and feet, and Ingrid, a blind girl Joana found lost at a train... Continue Reading →
Lina regrets missing the signs. She was not prepared, so Stalin’s men grabbed her from her apartment in her nightgown. Lina was one of millions of Lithuanians falsely charged with crimes and resettled to Sibera. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys tells her story, that of her family and that of those with whom... Continue Reading →
Eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson is looking forward to exploring Spain, the lad of his mother’s birth. He and his parents are in Madrid - his mother to reconnect with her country; his father to sign an oil deal with General Francisco Franco. Daniel befriends other Americans - Ben, a newspaper reporter, and Nick, the son of... Continue Reading →
Mira has learned to do things she never thought she would do. But she will do nearly anything it takes to keep her mother and sister Hannah fed and safe - if there is such a thing - in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942. As she struggles to survive and provide, she’s comforted by her... Continue Reading →
Jack Baker has lost his mother and his home all at once. He also gained a father he's not seen since before World War II began. They don't know how to be together without Jack's mom. And now Jack is at a strange boarding school in Maine - a continent away from his home in... Continue Reading →
Sora Pak and her family live by a very strict set of rules. The family Bible is hidden under the floor. They must attend the local communist meetings. Their friends and neighbors keep disappearing. But they are afraid to leave their North Korean village. Until the war comes so close, they decide this is their... Continue Reading →
He has no memory of what happened. Or who he is. Because his past is blank, Brother Andrew decides to name him Alexander - Xan for short. So Xan joins the life of the Abbey, hoping that at some point he’ll remember what happened and find his real family. Shadow in the Dark by Antony... Continue Reading →
I was surprised to find that Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted) wrote a historical fiction novel, yet was willing to give it a try. Let’s just say my weekend to-do list is still waiting for me because I spent my time reading. Loma loves listening to her Bela’s bedtime stories, learning how to cook and... Continue Reading →
On the last day of summer, Julie and her little sister Martha find a baby. A real, live baby in a basket on the steps of the library. Their neighbor, Bruno, is on his way to catch the train on an important errand for his older brother when he spots them. Errand forgotten, he follows... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 