#tbt: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Image: Simon & Schuster

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. 272 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 

#tbt features Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book was originally published in 2000 with this cover:

Sometime between its 2003 and 2008, when I left my K-8 position for a middle school, I created a unit which paired fiction and non-fiction. I paired Fever 1793 with An American Plague by Jim Murphy, which pubbed in 2003. I honestly cannot remember what other fiction/ nonfiction pairings I created, but it was a good unit. The reason why this one sticks is because Fever 1793 created two of the most unlikely readers.

JJ fell in love with this book and recommended it to his bff. Both boy's mothers were so astounded by their enthusiasm that they also read the book!

This is what great historical fiction does. 

PS: I prefer the original cover. 

Happy reading.

2025 National Book Award Finalists and Audiobook Review: The Teacher of Nomad Land: a World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri

Image: Levine Querido

The Teacher of Nomad Land a World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri. Unabridged downloadable audiobook, ~3 hours. Read by the author. Listening Library, September, 2025. Review of audiobook borrowed from public library.

I have been a bad blogger. I read this back in the fall with the intention of reading all the National Book Award Finalists for Young People's Literature. I absolutely loved it and was thrilled when it was given the National Book Award. Did I blog about it then? No. It also garnered a Newbery Honor on 1/26. Did I blog about it? Nope, nope, nope. Bad blogger.

Daniel Nayeri is a masterful storyteller. I wrote on Goodreads, "I can't think of too many children's authors who can spin an enthralling tale with such economy of words." It is a treat to hear him narrate as well. 

I was totally unaware of the fact that Iran was occupied by both the British and Russians during WWII. The tale Nayeri spins of the trials of the two orphans, from despicable relatives who take them in only to exploit them, to the endearing British soldier who befriends them, to the Jewish refugee they feed is suspenseful. I was rapt. I laughed and cried. Truthfully, it is that rare middle school reader who will appreciate this; but it's wonderful to have it to share with that lucky reader. 

ARC Review: War Games by Alan Gratz

Image: Scholastic Inc.

War Games by Alan Gratz. 368 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., October 7, 2025. 978225000257. 

Any book by Alan Gratz was an automatic purchase for me until I retired as a middle school librarian recently. I continue to read books for middle and young adult audiences and will continue to read whatever Mr. Gratz publishes. My students adore his novels and I ordered multiple copies of most of his titles. 

Twelve-year-old Evie Harris hopes to help her "Okie" family out of poverty by winning gold in the 1936 Olympics in Germany as part of the U.S. Olympics gymnastics team. She thinks this is her ticket to Hollywood stardom, like her idol, equestrian and movie star, Mary Brooks. Unfortunately for her, her teammates ostracize her and she fails the qualifying rounds. Since her Olympic dreams are dashed, she considers joining the shady Solomon Monday with his plans to rob the Reichsbank of its gold. As Monday says, this is one way for Evie to bring home the gold. Only, she has to ditch the ever-present Hitler Youth guide, Heinz.

This layered, plot-driven heist novel illustrates the behind the scenes story of the 1936 Olympics. The main characters are fictitious, as is the heist, but the political precariousness of those Olympics are factual. A detailed Author's Note separates fact from fiction for the reader. 

Fans of the author and fans of heist novels will gobble this up. Due out on October 7. 

Middle Grade Monday: Rebellion, 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson

                                                        

Image: Simon & Schuster

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson. 416 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Caitlyn Dlhouy Books/ Simon & Schuster, April 1, 2025. 9781416968269. Review of a finished copy borrowed from the public library. 

Middle Grade Monday features Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Thirteen-year-old Elsbeth works for a crotchety, old, loyalist judge in Boston, and feels lucky to have that job. She and her father recently moved to Boston from Philadelphia after her mother and siblings died from smallpox. Her father is a sailmaker and she is tall for her age, so she works for the judge and puts up with his abuse. But then, the Redcoats are routed from Boston and loyalists are evacuating. What will happen to Elsbeth? Her father wants her to evacuate, but she wants to stay. 

This first-person narrative drew me in from the start. Elsbeth is plucky, smart and feisty. Through Elsbeth, Anderson conveys the danger and uncertainty of the seige of Boston. As if the battle between the colonists and British was not enough, smallpox is rearing its ugly head in Boston. The resistance to vaccination is eerily similar to modern day antivaxers. 

Anderson is a masterful researcher, but also skilled in making her characters relatable. I loved this. 

Middle Grade Monday: The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton

Image: Penguin Random House

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton. 368 p. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House Children's Books, January, 2025. 9880593121771. Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media. 

Middle Grade Monday features The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Fusco Newton. This historical fiction is set in 1930 and is narrated by Hurricane, a quiet tween who is familiar with loss. She lives with her nineteen-year-old sister, since her mother died of tuberculosis. Her father died in the Great War. She hates school and is convinced her teacher hates her as well, but she confides all this in her journal. She takes comfort in running with her dog along the beach and the fact that her sister, Bronte, will speak for her. Only Bronte has TB and needs to go to a sanatorium to recover and Hurricane must leave her beloved dog and beach to live in the city with great Aunt Claire. She is fussy and her house is unforgiving, but her chauffeur is kind and gets her. 

Hurricane's voice is achingly relatable as she navigates the uncertainties in her life. I highly recommend this gentle, first-person novel for tween readers. Absolutely lovely.

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: When We Flew Away: a Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

Image: Scholastic

When We Flew Away: a Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman. 304 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., September 17, 2024. 9781338856941. Review of arc courtesy of publisher.

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features When We Flew Away: a Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman. This work of historical fiction won't be out until September 17, but I was sent an arc (advance reader copy) from the publisher. Ms. Hoffman, who mostly writes novels for an adult audience, imagines Anne Frank's life from 1940 to the family's move to the annex.

The Frank family had moved from Germany to the relative safety of Amsterdam, while trying to get papers to leave Europe altogether. Anne dreamt of moving to California to be near the movie stars. She loved her Montessori school and her sister, Margot, though she felt she, as a loud child who tended toward bossiness, paled in comparison to perfect, passive Margo.

As country after country falls to the Nazi, Anne holds out hope that the Netherlands will be spared. Young adult readers already know the outcome. 

Ms. Hoffman worked with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam to weave a fascinating story. She writes in her Afterword about the impact reading Anne Frank's diary had on her when she was a teen. This imagining starts out a bit slow, but Ms. Hoffman paints a vivid, believable picture. 

My one nit has to do with the statement at the beginning of chapter twelve, where Ann "woke at six, but she made herself stay in bed until daylight flickered through the window." I am an early riser and love when it is light at five in the weeks leading up to the summer solstice and beyond. I looked it up, sunrise was at 5:18 AM on 6/12/1942, Anne's thirteenth birthday. I don't believe many, if any teen readers will notice. 

Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh.

Image: Macmillan

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~9 hours. Narrated by Anna Fikhman, Christopher Gebauer, Jesse Vilinsky and Katherine Marsh. Macmillan Audio/ Macmillan, January, 2023. Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library. 

Happy Monday! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful Monday! The heat wave broke here in NJ. It is dry, slightly breezy and just delightful. Middle Grade Monday features The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh. It's the early days of the Covid pandemic and eighth grader Matthew isn't happy about the lockdown. His journalist father is stuck in France as a result of travel restrictions. He doesn't exactly love doing schoolwork through Zoom, and his mom is all over his case about it. His feelings of loneliness and isolation are made worse by the fact that he can't hang out with friends, even outside and socially distanced, because his 100-year-old great-grandmother has moved in and catching Covid would be fatal for her.

Matthew is given the task of helping GG sort through her boxes of belongings and when he comes across a photograph of GG as a young girl in the 1930s, she becomes visibly upset and tells Matthew to leave. He's intrigued by both the photo and his great-grandmother's strong reaction and begins researching what went on in Ukraine during the 1930s after the country was annexed by the USSR.

This intense story about the Holodomor, the Soviet government-induced famine, shifts back and forth in time, from multiple points of view and unfolds masterfully. I had the honor of reviewing Ms. Marsh's 2018 book, Nowhere Boy for SLJ. Ms. Marsh connects current events with historical events seamlessly, trusting young readers to draw their own conclusions. 

The Lost Year was a National Book Award Finalist and was named an SLJ as well as Kirkus Best Book of the Year. It also won a Golden Kite Award. Readers who love historical fiction, especially about little known events in history, will love The Lost Year.

#tbt: Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Penguin Random House

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. 228 pg. Tales from Alcatraz #1. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers, March 30, 2004. 9780399238611.

Coming in very late to post a #tbt, because one of my favorite authors posted that one of my favorite books of all time turns twenty this week! #tbt features Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. The year is 1935, right in the middle of The Great Depression. Moose Flanagan's out-of-work electrician father, takes a job on Alcatraz Island. The catch? He also needs to double as a prison guard and his family needs to move into an apartment on the island. Moose's older sister, Natalie, has what would now be diagnosed as autism, but was not well understood at the time. His mother hopes to get her accepted to a special school and Moose is tasked with keeping her out of trouble, which means he often cannot play baseball with other children who live on the island. He also has to contend with the warden's spoiled daughter, catch the ferry each day to school and worry about the the prison's most notorious inmate, Al Capone.

This face-paced, hilarious, historically accurate story captured my heart immediately. It won a Newbery Honor, though I was hoping it would win the medal. Ms. Choldenko wrote three sequels to Al Capone Does My Shirts, each one cemented Moose Flanagan's place in my heart as a favorite character. All of her historical fiction novels are well researched and contain extensive back matter. Fun fact: read the author's note in Al Capone Does My Homework for a surprise.

Waiting on Wednesday: Heroes by Alan Gratz

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Heroes by Alan Gratz. 272 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., February 6, 2024. 9781338736076

Waiting on Wednesday features Heroes by Alan Gratz. Mr. Gratz is a TMS favorite and students are always eager for anything new by him. Heroes will publish on February 6, 2026. Here's the publisher's synopsis:

December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads are Navy pilots stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the boys get a front-row view of the huge battleships and the sparkling water. Yes, World War II is raging in Europe and in Asia, but the US isn't involved in the war, and the boys are free to dream about becoming comic book creators. They've even invented a superhero of their own, in the style of Batman, Superman, Captain America, and other stars of the Golden Age of Comics. Maybe they'll even get their comic published someday.

December 7th, 1941: Everything explodes.

That morning, Frank and Stanley are aboard the battleship the USS Utah when Japanese planes zoom overhead and begin dropping bombs on the ships below. Chaos ensues as everyone scrambles to dive for safety. Frank and Stanley realize what's happening: Japan is attacking America! The war has come to them.

As the boys fight to make their way home amidst the carnage, it's clear that everything has changed. Stanley's mother is Japanese American and he is suddenly facing a terrible prejudice that he's never known before — he's now seen as the "enemy," and Frank, who's white, cannot begin to understand what Stanley will now face. Can their friendship — and their dreams — survive this watershed moment in history?

Told with the immediacy, high-stakes action, and meaningful twists that have made Alan Gratz one of today's biggest authors, this gripping novel tackles themes of bravery, prejudice, and what it means to stand up for what's right. Just as Gratz's Ground Zero became a defining look at 9/11 for middle-grade readers, this book delivers a necessary and unputdownable take on a date that still lives in infamy.

Plus: The book ends with an all-original, 10-page black & white comic that brings to life the comic book idea that Frank and Stanley brainstorm in the novel. The comic is written by Alan Gratz and illustrated by Judit Tondora.

Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday: White House Clubhouse by Sean O'Brien

Image: W.W. Norton

White House Clubhouse by Sean O'Brien. 240 p. Norton Young Readers/ W.W. Norton & Company. October 3, 2023. 9781324152920. (Review of arc courtesy of publicist.)

Happy Labor Day Monday! I hope you are enjoying the long holiday weekend. We teachers were back on Friday and will be in school tomorrow preparing to welcome students back on Wednesday. The summer sure did fly by!

Middle Grade Monday features Whilte House Clubhouse by Sean O'Brien. It's hard enough to move house and start a new school, but when your mom has been elected president and your new house is the White House, it's even harder. Fifth grader Marissa feels self-conscious about her Secret Service guard and third grader Clara takes every opportunity to give her's a run for the money, including running to climb a tree on the grounds of the White House, where she discovers an old carving. Meanwhile, Marissa kicks a soccer ball in frustration, finds a secret passageway and gets stuck. 

Clara, ever the adventurer, pushes Marissa down the passageway and joins her. They find a secret room filled with antique toys and clothing and a document inviting them to join the White House Clubhouse. Once they sign the document, the lights go out and they find themselves transported back to 1903, when Teddy Roosevelt was president and his five children and their many pets ran roughshod over the place. President Roosevelt is about to embark on a train journey across the United States and two of his children want to come along, so they stow away along with Clara and Marissa. What ensues is a mad-cap adventure filled with hijinks, hilarity and history. It seems some greedy industrialists are intent on chopping down the redwood forests in the name of progress and the children will do everything in their power to save the redwood.

Readers who love a good adventure with cheeky characters and a bit of history will love this book. The art, which was not final is a nice addition. Young readers may not be aware that Theodore Roosevelt instituted the National Parks system one hundred and twenty years ago this year. They should find relevant parallels to present-day conservation efforts and perhaps be inspired to "dare greatly." 

About the author:

Sean O’Brien served as director of speechwriting to Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, special assistant to President Barack Obama, and senior advisor to the Secretary of the Navy. He performed comedy with Chicago’s Second City and Annoyance theaters as well as DC’s Capital Fringe Festival while serving as a chief of staff in the US House of Representatives. He earned a BA with Honors in American Culture from Northwestern University and an MS in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College. Sean teaches at Georgetown University in Washington DC, where he lives with his family. 

White House Clubhouse is Mr. O'Brien's debut. Many thanks to MBeatie Communications for the opportunity to review this arc. I can't wait to share it with my students. 

Please visit him online at seanobrienbooks.com

Instagram: @seanobrienbooks

Facebook: @seanobrienbooks

Twitter: @SeanOBrienBooks

#tbt: Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Image: Simon & Schuster

Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. 272 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, March, 2002. 9780689848919.

Happy Thursday! #tbt features Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. It's August and it's hot in Philadelphia, the new capital of the fledgling United States. Fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook drags herself out of bed to help her widowed mother run a bustling coffee house. Yellow Fever is spreading through the city. Wealthier families are leaving to stay in country homes. 

Ms. Anderson brings to life the sights, smells and sounds of Philadelphia and a plucky, resilient narrator. Readers will root for  Mattie as she deals with the unthinkable. 

Since its publication in 2002, Fever, 1793 has been named to numerous state awards lists and Best Books lists. More importantly, this suspenseful tale has made readers of quite a number of students who do not identify as readers.

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Image: Hachette/ Little, Brown

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~4 hours. Read by Kobna Holbrook-Smith. Hachette Audio/ Hachette, September, 2022. 978

Happy Monday. I hope you had a terrific weekend. Mine was again not as productive as I would've hoped. Middle Grade Monday features The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has a pretty good life in Upper Kwanta. He is anticipating his manhood ceremony, is gently teased by his older brother, doted on by his mother and loves his grandfather's stories. He is a strong swimmer, loves nothing more than swimming in the river near his home and is determined to beat his overbearing, bullying cousin in a race. At school, he's learning the Queen's English and is punished when his school master overhears him speaking his tribal language. He also has a best mate and a crush on Ama. His idyllic life is turned upside down when his brother inadvertently kills an opponent from Lower Kwanta in an annual wrestling match. The victim was the king's nephew, and he demands retribution. When the courts decide that it was an accident, the king threatens revenge.

Revenge comes when Kofi and his brother are kidnapped and brought to the coast of western Africa. Mr. Alexander's historical verse novel, the first of a planned trilogy is utterly riveting from page one. The rich language evokes a myriad of emotion from warmth to humor to terror to despair as Kofi faces the door of no return. This important novel about the Middle Passage belongs in every school, public and classroom library. It is outstanding and I cannot wait for the next installment. I loved reading this one with my ears because the narrator was outstanding.

Middle Grade Monday: The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs

Image: Sourcebooks

The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs. 368 p. Sourcebooks, September 6, 2022. 9781728238449. (Review of arc courtesy of author.)

Happy Monday! Happy Labor Day and happy book birthday tomorrow to The Other Side of the River by Alda P. Dobbs. This sequel picks up immediately after the ending of The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna, which was the author's debut and won a Pura Bel Pré Honor. (Spoiler alert.) Petra, her abuela, little sister and baby brother may have made it across the river and out of Mexico, but their troubles are far from over. 

The refugee camp is getting more and more crowded and smallpox breaks out. The refugees are given a choice to either return to Mexico, where the revolutionaries are gaining ground or find a job and move on. Each decision the family needs to make is daunting. Petra's abuela leans toward returning, but Petra, armed with her talisman, her baby diamond, argues in favor of following her father's directions to start anew in the U.S. The family moves on to San Antonio, where they find a place hovel to rent while Petra looks for work. With each step away from Mexico, she worries about her father-whether he's still alive after having been forced to fight for the Federales, and if so, how the family will reunite. Most of all, she wishes to learn to read, something her abuela calls barefoot dreams.

Though this story, based on the author's family takes place in 1913, issues of immigration, the plight of refugees, and racial prejudice unfortunately persist.

Petra is resourceful and resilient; so much so that readers might forget that she's only twelve-years-old. While she feels responsible for her family, her sister and abuela do their fair share as well, something Petra occasionally forgets. She and her family continue to form community wherever they go as they try to forge a new life in America. There is so much to love here.The voice is engaging and short chapters move the story along, helped by colorful secondary characters and setting. An author's note follows. Finally, I just think that cover is gorgeous!

Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15th. I try to book talk diverse books all year long, but these thirty days are a good time to celebrate and highlight stories around Hispanic people and culture. Petra's story is sure to inspire. Both books belong on any library shelf. Highly recommended! Happy reading!

#tbt: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Image: Hachette Book Group

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. 450 p. Disney/ Hyperion (now Hachette Book Group), May, 2012.

Happy Thursday! How hot are you? Ugh, I'm a soupy mess. We were promised a real-feel of over 100 today. The real-feel 99 right now (4:40) Perfect day to stay in an air-conditioned spot and read. #tbt features Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I will tell you right off the bat that this is possibly my favorite book of my entire career as a school librarian. If it's not my fave, it's in the top three.

The story starts out as the confession of a British wireless operator who was captured and tortured by the Nazis after she bailed out of a crashing plane. She's ashamed, but the torture was horrific and she knows she faces certain death, so day after day, she writes. She's an unreliable narrator, but a compelling one. Readers quickly become invested in her story, but it's a difficult one to read. She is, after all, a prisoner of war. Then the POV switches about halfway through. 

I am staying deliberately vague with this description in order for potential readers to discover the suspense, secrets and plot twists that promise gasps and tears, many, many tears for themselves. Weighing in at more than 450 pages, meticiulously researched and gorgeously written, this is definitely a book for readers with some stamina. Those TMS students who have read it absolutely loved it.

Code Name Verity was named a Printz Honor and received starred reviews from all the journals. It appeared on many year-end Best Books lists as well as the Amelia Bloomer list. Happy reading!

Middle Grade Monday: Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas

Image: Macmillan

Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas. Unabridged audiobook, ~6 hours. Read by Anthony Rey Perez. Dreamscape Media, September, 2021. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! Happy August 1! Wow! Where did July go? Middle Grade Monday features Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas. Twelve-year-old Cumba narrates this relatable and emotionally resonant story. He lives with his extended family in the mountains of Cuba. He loves his family, the mountains and his country, but the year is 1961. Fidel Castro ousted the dictator Batista, but, as his grandfather said, the country traded one dictator for a new one. Priests have been expelled from the country, soldiers roam the streets encouraging neighbor to spy on neighbor and Cumba is almost of age to join the Young Rebels, where he will be forced to travel to Russia for training. His parents decide to obtain forged documents and send Cumba to Miami to stay with a relative. Cumba doesn't want to leave his family, is terrified of being discovered and knows very little English. Once settled in Miami, Cumba learns to navigate the streets of the city, makes friends, and starts school, all the while missing his family terribly.

Anthony Rey Perez's softly understated performance matched the tone of this quietly touching story perfectly. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy Cumba's story, which is based in part on the author's father's experience as a young boy.

Waiting on Wednesday: My Nest of Silence written and illustrated by Matt Faulkner.

Image: Simon & Schuster

My Nest of Silence written and illustrated by Matt Faulkner. 384 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster, October 18, 2022. 9781534477629.

Happy Wednesday! It's a lovely day out there! I should've turned the AC off and opened windows last night as the temps did dip into the lowish 60s. Opportunity lost. I hope you are able to get outside and enjoy the weather! 

Waiting on Wednesday features My Nest of Silence written and illustrated by Matt Faulkner. A true student of history studies the mistakes that were made and can be critical of injustices committed while still loving their country. That includes reading well-researched historical fiction. Japanese American citizens had their property confiscated and were imprisoned after Japan attacked the U.S. Mr. Faulkner's graphic novel hybrid will release this October. 

Here's the publisher synopsis: Told in a brilliant blend of prose and graphic novel, this unforgettable middle grade story about a Japanese American family during World War II is written and illustrated by Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature winner Matt Faulkner.

Manzanar is nothing like home. Yet the relocation center is where Mari and her family have to live, now that the government has decided that Japanese Americans aren’t American enough. Determined to prove them wrong, Mari’s brother Mak has joined the army and is heading off to war. In protest, Mari has stopped talking for the duration of the war. Or at least until Mak comes home safe.

Still, Mari has no trouble expressing herself through her drawings. Mak, too, expresses himself in his letters home, first from training camp and later from the front lines of World War II, where he is fighting with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. But while his letters are reassuring, reality is not: Mak is facing danger at every turn, from racism within the army to violence on the battlefield.

In turns humorous and heartbreaking, Mari and Mak’s story will stick with readers long after the last page.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~4 hours, 20 minutes. Read by Juliette Goglia. Versify/ HarperCollins Publishers, March, 2022. 9780358669258. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson. The year is 1932 in this historical verse novel. Eighteen-year-old Hilde has just aged out of the orphanage she has lived in since her mother died. She's now trudging the streets of Berlin in search of a job with few prospects. After living rough and sleeping in parks, Hilde stumbles upon the Café Lila, a cabaret where gay and lesbian patrons safely gather and find community. Hilde catches the eye of Rosa, one of the café's waitresses and singers, who makes Hilde feel welcomed. She pitches in to help since they are short staffed and, has a job by the end of the evening, but not a place to stay, until Rosa invites her to stay in the apartment she shares with her aunt.

Friendship and, ultimately, romance bloom, but there are dark times on the horizon in Germany. Hitler is rising to power and unleashing raging anti-semitism and homophobia. Readers of this spare, evocative verse novel become fully immersed in 1932 Berlin and its thriving lgbtq community while knowing the devastation that is looming. Back matter includes an author's note and resources for further reading.

The narrator's performance was well-paced and German words and phrases seemingly fluent. Ms. Wilson's debut, White Rose, is a stunning work of historical fiction that was extensively researched. The same can be said for her sophomore novel. Mature teen fans of White Rose will be spellbound by The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin.

#tbt: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Image: Penguin Random House

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. 352 p. Philomel/ Penguin Young Readers Group, March, 2011. 9780399254123. (Own.)

It's a dreary, rainy Thursday here in northern NJ and my dogs are not happy. And, hot weather is on its way. Ugh.  #tbt features Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. The night that fifteen-year-old Lina's father failed to return home, Soviet forces invaded her home and forced the family to a truck. They were then loaded onto crowded cattle cars and transported thousands of miles from Lithuainia to Siberia, where they were imprisoned in harsh labor camps.

Most people are aware of the genocide that happened in Nazi Germany, but might not be aware of the genocide that occurred when Stalin annexed the Baltic countries of Lithuainia, Estonia, and Latvia. Millions were deported or otherwise disappeared during World War II and remained in these camps until the mid-1950s.

This is not an easy book to read. Lina's story is based on extensive interviews and research the author conducted while visiting family in Lithuainia. Most were still afraid to speak of the time more than fifty years after being freed. Between Shades of Gray was Ms. Sepetys' debut novel. It was published in March of 2011 and was named a New York Times Notable book, was a Carnegie Medal Finalist as well as a Morris Award Finalist and won the Golden Kite Award. It has been translated into more than thirty languages and was adapted for film and renamed Ashes in the Snow. Last fall, a graphic novel adaptation was published.

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Pony by R.J. Palacio

Image: Penguin Random House

Pony by R.J. Palacio. Unabridged e-audio book, ~7 hours. Read by Ian M. Hawkins, with Author Note read by the author. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, September, 2021. 9780593505410. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features Pony by R.J. Palacio. Ms. Palacio steps outside the world of Wonder in this genre-blender of historical fiction, mystery and ghost story. It is 1860 and Silas lives in the woods in Ohio with his inventor father. Silas narrates and admits that he's not your twelve-year-old. He's at once naive and wise beyond his years. His mother died when he was born. He was struck by lightning and survived and his best friend is a ghost named Mittenwool. When his father is kidnapped by three men on horseback, he tells Silas to stay put and that he would return within the week. 

The following day, one of the rider's white-faced pony returns to Silas and though he has never ridden a horse, he decides to ride the pony in search of his dad. The journey involves trekking through mysterious woods where many ghosts, some not as friendly as Mittenwool reside, but he soon meets up with a cranky, old U.S. Marshall who is tracking some counterfeiters and reluctantly brings Silas on since there might be a connection between them and Silas' dad's kidnappers. 

Some degree of suspension of belief is required here, but Pony is a satisfying read all-in-all with some surprisingly emotional moments. The narration was leisurely paced and introspective. It did take me a little while to become fully invested in the story. I am eager to hear what young readers think. The extensive author's note, read by Ms. Palacio was quite interesting. Since I read with my ears, I missed the old-timey photos that headed each chapter in the print edition.

#tbt: Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Image: LBYR

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrations by Sean Qualls. 288 p. Little, Brown and Company/ Hachette Book Group, February, 2012. 9780316074032. (Own.)

Happy Thursday! One more day and then I'm on February break! I'm already behind on my scaled back GR goal, so hopefully, I will catch up on my reading then. But then, the end of the trimester is looming and I'm behind (as usual) in my grading. Sigh.

#tbt features Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Sean Qualls. This work of historical fiction is set in 1936, in the thick of the Great Depression and is told from the POV of three children who meet in the Mercy Home for Negro Children. Hibernia is a reverend's daughter who loves to sing, but her mother abandoned the family to pursue a singing career. Otis has lost his parents in a car accident and Willie has run away from an abusive father, but not before being severely injured. The three eventually bond over the journey of boxing great Joe Louis.