Hidden by Dauvillier, Lizano and Salsedo

Hidden
by Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lizano and Greg Salsedo
80 pages, 2014
Elementary

When grandma was a little Jewish girl, she lived in Paris.  But life wasn't all sweetness and roses- she lived in the time of World War II- when Jews were discriminated against, families were torn apart, and children were hidden in closets.  But Grandma Dounia has never told her story.  Until she tells it to her granddaughter in the middle of the night.

What a gentle way to discuss the horrors of the Holocaust with a young child.  The reader can see how deeply it affected Dounia as a child (at one point she can't talk for a few days), you see the emotions that fill her and how the horrors around her change her life.  But you don't see the horrors.  The reader sees the changes that come- people treating them differently, police taking people away, how different her mother is once she is returned.  It addresses all the issues that the Jews faced during WWII, but at the same time shows it in a manner appropriate for children.

Great read- worth looking at.  Should be appropriate for most children, but might invoke more questions about the events of the Holocaust.  Great way to tell this story.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

In the Shadow of Blackbirds
by Cat Winters
400 pages
High School

In the fall of 1918, Mary Shelly Black's life is coming apart.  Her father has been arrested for sympathizing with the Germans, she must move from Portland to San Diego to live with her aunt, the flu is everywhere, and her childhood friend Stephen has gone off to war.  Even worse, she hasn't heard from him in weeks.  At least his family is in San Diego and she can get some answers about what's going on with his life.  Only issue with that: she has to talk Stephen's half-brother Julius, a 'spirit photographer', who she wants nothing to do with.

Once in San Diego, life isn't improving much.  Julius wants her to pose for him again since the first photo, taken years ago, turned out so well.  He has grown famous from photographing people's passed on loved ones, giving comfort to those grieving.  But Mary Shelly hardly wants to talk to him, let alone pose for him again.  She only wants to know what is happened to Stephen, where the package is that he left for her, and if he is alright.  When word comes of his death in the war, she is devastated, running outside into a lightning storm to be struck.

As she is struck, strange things start happening.  She ends up in a tree, looking down at her body, ends up returning to it, but the weird things are just beginning.  Her dead uncle's compass now points at her, she can taste emotions, and more.  Most of all, she can communicate with Stephen, but his madness is threatening to overcome her. What happened to him?  Why are the blackbirds attacking him?  And are there really spirits in all of Julius's photographs?

First of all, wow, what a book!  Along the same line as "The Diviners" by Libba Bray, but much faster moving than that book.  Excellent ghost story with history and romance thrown all together.  Had a lot of fun reading it, even if I couldn't read it late at night in the dark...

Some major themes in the book: importance of families, loyalty (to family, to country, to justice), and action verses inaction.  I'm sure there are others, but that's what hit me in this reading.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book.  I enjoyed it a lot, it had a fast pace, lots of mystery, and a good portion of the paranormal without it being cheesy.  High school age for the gruesomeness of some of the war imagery, plus scene between Mary Shelly and a ghost (alrighty then...).   Good book, will look forward to other books by this author!

Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
368 pages
Middle School/High School

Verity is in a horrible situation.  She's in Nazi-occupied France as a English spy and has been captured.  Now she faces the worst possible scenario: reveal all her secrets or die.  Slowly, day by day, she writes her story on whatever scraps of paper they give her.  As each day passes, she is more and more sure that each note will be her last.

Verity decides to start at the beginning, telling how she joined the war, revealing aircraft types, locations and codes for the wireless along the way. Each little note tells more secrets, more of her story, and gives more information to her captures.  But will it be enough?  Will they still send her away, never to be heard from again?  Or will her loyal friends be able to help her escape?

First of all, prepare for your heart to be broken.  Again and again and again.  When I read this, I was at first stunned, had to go back and make sure I read it right, and then proceeded to deny that it really happened.  It happens.  Get over it, keep going.

Despite the harshness (it is war, after all), I really did love this book.  I loved the friendships: watching them develop, sacrifices made, and everything else.  Such an amazing book on friendship and what it really means to people.  Great book just for that aspect.

Add to that the historical setting: France in WWII.  Great way to learn about a different aspect of the war, how it affected not just the typical people, but lots of other points-of-view.  This book gives a great foundation for the war- how people felt leading up to it, how common people got involved, and more.

Overall, this was simply amazing.  Action and adventure, but a lot of emotional connections, too.  The narration style from Verity is awesome- such sass coming through, it made me laugh a lot of the time.  The switch to Maddie threw me for a moment, but once I read a little and got into her style, it was fine. Because of what happens toward the end plus the grisliness of the situation (war captive being tortured for information), I would hand to more mature readers.  Awesome book, just be ready to be overwhelmed by the emotion of it toward the end!!!

Belle Epoque

Belle Epoque
by Elizabeth Ross
336 pages
High School+

When Maude Pichon leaves her small town to come to Paris, she expects a more glamorous life, one full of love, freedom, and new possibilities.  What she finds is reality: life is hard and rent is expensive.  Sick of doing laundry, Maude responds to an add in the paper.  Instead of the menial work that she was expecting, she instead becomes a repoussior, an ugly girl set next to a normal girl to make her look more beautiful.

Slightly repulsed by herself, the job and the other girls that work there, but out of other options, she throws herself into the work.  She becomes the companion of a nobleman daughter, going to everything to tea to fancy balls as a good friend's distant relative.  The unsuspecting girl is at first mean to her, but gradually thaws and they start actually talking.  After seeing her camera and study room, Maude is impressed by this girl, her dreams and capabilities.  Not wanting to deceive her new friend, Maude is being trapped in a lie of her own making...

So, this is one of the nominees for the YALSA Morris award.  For more info on that please go here:  http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2013/12/04/yalsa-announces-2014-morris-award-finalists/

First issue I have with this book: THE COVER!  This book is about ugly girls.  Not pretty girls: UGLY girls.  WHY did they choose this cover?  Get a new cover!

Next issue: why is this a romance?  While Maude is escaping her awful life in her small town, and comes to Paris because it is supposed to be full of possibilities.  I get that she is looking for a better life, she does run into boys, she does long for something more than what she has.  But to me, I think a lot more could have been done with the idea of the repoussior.  Intriguing idea, but this story just felt so flat and blah.  Even the elements that I (and most teens) would consider the "romantic" parts, were very minimal and under emphasized.  You don't need to hit me over the head with it, but a little more would have been nice.

One thing I did like was the use of the setting to make intriguing parallels.  This book takes place during the building of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, and Maude often sees it or makes reference to it.  That was one thing that was nicely woven into the story.

So, if you couldn't tell, I was not impressed with this book. While I read this book fairly quickly (took me less than 4 hours), I really wasn't that into it.  I kept feeling like more should happen, like there had to be more to the story, but that was it.  I will not really recommend this to anyone, unless they just want a bland, historical novel.  Maybe I've read too much adventure and fantasy books, but this did not leave a favorable impression at all.

Quick note: some french is helpful, but not necessary, while reading this.  Most of it is explained, or could be understood contextually, so not essential to understanding the book.

Wrapped

Wrapped
by Jennifer Bradbury
320 pages
Middle-High School

Agnes Wilkins, from London, is really not looking forward toward her Presentation. Instead of being interested in dresses and curls, she wants to discover Egyptian artifacts and travel the world.  While looking forward to being a little more independent, she's not sure if she is ready to marry, especially to the very promising bachelor.  After receiving not just an invitation to his mummy unwrapping, but place of honor as on of the first to slice at the bandages, she is feeling the pressure of his attention.

Then things start happening at the mummy party.  As Agnes is unwrapping the mummy, she finds something interesting: an artifact with a hidden note.  But when the host admits to a mistake and asks for all artifacts to be returned, she tucks it into her bodice, hiding it and taking it home.

This simple act envelops Agnes in intrigue, history and politics.  From secret messages sent from Napoleon's army to spies hiding in London to mythical artifacts with rumored powers, Agnes is drawn into the middle of it.  Can she decode the message in time to save the world from being conquered?

First of all, I like that the author put a note in the back about the "historical accuracy" of the book.  While most of the book had roots in history, Bradbury took liberties with certain things.  She mixed trends or events several time periods together, because it works for the story.  With a book like this, that historical accuracy doesn't matter, I'm fine with it.  In fact, as long as the book doesn't claim to be fact, I'm fine with authors changing or rearranging history to suit their needs.  Makes life fun!

Anyways, I enjoyed this book, and had fun with it.  I liked the Victorian London setting, the supernatural bend, plus the strong willed woman element.  Made for a fun story, interesting scenarios, and fun times.  This would be a great step before Jane Austen, or other romances or Victorian based novels. Another good stepping stone book would be A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee.

Although I enjoyed this book, there were a few things that could have been improved.  Agnes, while different than the "normal" girl of the age, was still a little flat and didn't really change very much.  A fun little story, but not necessarily tons of depth.

Overall, fun book if you just want something light and not completely historically accurate.  I enjoyed it a lot, and would be a good stepping stone between levels.  Another book with a tie to mythology, this time Egyptian.  Good book, I liked it a lot!

The Diviners

The Diviners
by Libba Bray
592 pages
High School+

Evie O'Neill is in trouble.  Again.  While at a party in town, she was not only drinking (NOT allowed during Prohibition), but she also decided to tell secrets.  Secrets she should have no way of knowing.  When this gets her in hot water, Evie gets shipped off to New York to live with her uncle for a little while.

While Evie didn't expect Uncle Will to completely hip, she gets the creeps at his place of employment: The Museum of  American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult—also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies." Filled with haunted and sinister looking things.  While thrilled to be in New York with all the glitz and glamor, she is not as thrilled with the Museum.   But together with her uncle's assistant Jericho, she is now helping show the few visitors they get around.

 One day, when a policeman asks Uncle Will to consult on a bizarre murder, Evie decides to come along for the ride.  At the murder scene, she is moved to pity for the victim, a young girl who is now missing her eyes.  Filled with sympathy, Evie bends down to straighten a bow on the shoe, and is suddenly seeing images from the girl's life.  This is what got Evie in trouble in the first place: when holding something connected to a person, she sees into their lives.

Pulled into the mysterious murders, Evie must help her uncle solve the cases.  Why are the bodies missing parts?  What is with the strange verses left at the scenes?  And will Evie's talent be more help or will it endanger her and her friends?

On this book I am a little torn on if I liked it or not.  I liked the characters alright, the story was interesting, great setting, good background, but the length and pacing of the story bugged me a little.  It took forever before things really started moving.  I can tell it is building up to more than just this book, but there was almost too much building, and not enough happening.  While interesting, it took me a while to get really involved in the characters.

Those issues aside, I liked many other aspects of the book.  The setting is great: New York during Prohibition!  Hidden clubs, jazz music, and flappers!  Glamor and bright lights!  A great setting for a ghost story and the world being in danger.  The setting was very vivid, and I liked the glimpses of so many different points of view.  Everything from the show girl, the activist, the poet, the scholar and the flapper.  The characters are all great studies of life at the time.

Overall, while the scenery was great, I felt like to much time was spent building up the story and not enough on the story itself.  This does build up to another book, and I will probably read it when it comes out, but probably won't try to reread this before.  Good story, great setting, alright characters, but I would have liked it a little more condensed.  I rated this for high school mostly because of the grisly details at murder scenes and scary stuff like that.  I'm not a big fan of scary movies or books, and even as an adult, I tried not to read it right before bedtime!  Good creepy book, if that is your thing!

Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage: Finishing School, Book the First
by Gail Carriger
307 pages
High School+

Sophronia is a youngest daughter, completely uncultured, and hopelessly interested in how the dumbwaiter works.  Her mother despairs of her ever becoming a sophisticated woman.  Imagine the surprise of both of them when she is invited to attend a prestigious finishing school, Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

On the way to the school, Sophronia eyes are opened.  Her carriage mates inform her that this is definitely not your typical school.  Not only is the headmistress NOT the actual headmistress, but flywaymen (similar to highwaymen, but using balloons) try to steal something from them.   The pretend headmistress faints, the coachman is knocked out, so Sophronia must take control of the situation.  Rescuing herself, plus the others, they manage to elude the flywaymen and make their way to the school, minus only their luggage.

Thus begins Sophronia's unique and highly interesting education.  Instead of merely learning etiquette, manners, and how to curtsy, she is also learning stealth, poisoning, information gathering and tumbling (most unusual!). Sophronia actually enjoys her time there and finds the classes very interesting.  But what exactly were the flywaymen after?  And what will they do if they don't get it soon?


Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard in lots of places on this book!  Carriger's humor comes through, and is wonderful.  I had a hard time putting it down!  One of my favorite lines, fairly early in the books is: "Pillover is terribly bad at being bad, if you take my meaning.  Our daddy is a founding member of the Death Weasel Confederacy, and Mummy is a kitchen chemist with questionable intent, but poor Pillover can't even bring himself to murder ants with his Depraved Lens of Crispy Magnification."  This sentence had me laughing so hard people were looking at me weird.

I really enjoyed this book (if you couldn't tell!).  The characters stay true to themselves, the plot was interesting, but not overwhelming, plus it was fun to find the connections to Carriger's other books.  This one is set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate series, but has its own characters and plot lines.

Overall, I will definitely recommend this book.  Unlike Carriger's other books, this is definitely appropriate for teens of almost any age. I put high school as my recommended level for two reasons: interest (I have a hard time seeing middle school or elementary school students interested in this) and also because it might lead the teens to Carriger's other books, which I said were more late high school or college age.  The book is funny,  interesting, and is definitely building a foundation for more adventures.  I can't wait for the next one!

Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again
by Thanhha Lai
262 pages
Elementary School+

Ha only knows her life in Saigon, trouble though it may be.  She loves her mother and brothers, misses her father, and anxiously waits for her mango tree to bear it's fruit.  While not perfect, the only thing Ha has to wish for on her birthday is for her father to come home from the army so Mother would be happy again.

But the faraway war slowly grows closer.  Her uncle urges her mother to leave while they can, but she keeps waiting until she hears from Ha's father.  When Saigon falls, they are forced to leave with thousands of other refugees.  Ha's family board a boat bound for America, the land of hope.

Follow Ha and her family as they cross an ocean, leaving behind everything they know for a strange place called Alabama.  They must learn to eat fried chicken, not fresh, and also learn how to fit in with people that don't understand her language.  After being mocked for everything from her name to her hair, Ha is ready to return to Saigon, but that might be one wish that can never come true.

Written in poetry, this story is moving, touching and speaks to the heart of many girls.  While not all girls have to cross an ocean and flee war, they can understand Ha's frustration in school.  Kids will identify with her struggles to fit in and find friends among strangers.

Another strong theme in this book is finding strength within your family.  Ha is constantly turning to her brothers and mother, both to help them and to find refuge from the strange world around her.  It is together that they make it, not as individuals.

This is a quick, easy read with lots of white space, due to the poetry format.  While it doesn't rhyme, it still flows very well.  Ha is a strong, growing character that many children, especially those in a new surrounding, will identify with.  Good book, will definitely recommend it a lot!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
 by Ransom Riggs
352 pages
Middle School+

Jacob grew up listening to the strange and sometimes scary stories his grandfather told him.  Based on strange, obviously doctored, photos, Jacob never takes these stories seriously.  Jacob thinks his grandpa is paranoid, a bit loopy, and just telling stories.

One day, his grandpa is having a bad day, and Jacob goes over to help him calm down.  When he gets there, the back door is open, and his grandpa is missing.  As he goes to look in the woods, he finds his grandpa, dying.  Just after his grandpa speaks his last words, Jacob looks up after hearing a rustling.  In the shadows is a strange monster, which snarls and runs away.

Disturbed by both his grandfather's death in his arms and the vision of the monster, Jacob has issues trying to live a normal life.  Nightmares trouble his sleep, and his grandpa's final words haunt him.  In order to try to calm these feelings, Jacob and his father travel back to Wales, the place of his grandpa's childhood. Hopefully there he can figure out what really happened in his grandpa's past.

First, can I just say wow!  Oh, I so enjoyed reading this! I had the hardest time trying to decide what category this fit in, so I decided to put it into all that might apply.  It's a little bit mystery, little creepy, slightly historic, fantasy elements, and lots of great stuff!

One of the things that I really liked about this book is the ending.  Lots of excitement and action!  But more than that, it is an ending!  It concludes this part of the story!  There are some things that will still come, and obviously at least one sequel, but it felt like a conclusion, rather than a cliff-hanger.  So many books right now are ending with cliff-hangers or end abruptly, not really wrapping things up.  This book made me feel like enough was finished up, but still left possibilities for the future! Nice way to end a book.  I want to read the next book, but still felt completion when I finished reading the book.

Just as a side note- this is the first book that I read on my Nook that I got for Christmas!  To me, there wasn't much difference between reading it on a Nook or the actual book.  The biggest difference is one that would really make a difference only to this book.   The pictures that are normally full size and have lots of detail are harder to see on the Nook.  Most teen and adult novels aren't going to have illustrations that are pivotal to the story, so it won't be a big deal.  For children's books, even novels, that have illustrations, a simple Nook might not be the best way to read it.  I need to try Diary of a Wimpy Kid on it, and see if the illustrations still come through well.

Overall, I loved this book!  The story line is great.  Lots of twists and turns.  The unfolding of the story was beautifully done.  I definitely recommend this for teens, and adults!  Not necessarily something I want to read after dark or while home alone, but that only added to the beauty of the book.  Love it!

Around the World; Three Remarkable Journeys

Around the World; Three Remarkable Journeys
by Matt Phelan
240 pages
Late Elementary

Inspired by Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, three individuals decide to take on their own journeys to explore the world. Meet a miner, a reporter and sea captain- each with different goals in life, but each one wanting to to repeat the amazing feat!

Thomas Stevens works in a mine, but wants something different in his life.  Instead of staying the darkness, he ventures out, buys a bicycle (the kind with the huge front wheel) and rides across the United States. Instead of stopping there, he gets sponsored to continue his ride around the world.  Taking a boat to England, he rides across Great Britain, Europe and even Asia.  Coming home, he had ridden a bicycle 13,500 miles.

While Phineas Fogg from Around the World in 80 Days completes the journey on time, Nellie Bly wants to beat this record.  After being rejected one year, the newspaper she writes for sends her on her journey.  Taking only one bag, she travels day and night, even meeting Jules Verne himself!  After delays in several places, can she make it back in time?

The last story tells of an old retired sailor who repairs a small sailboat, and decides to sail around the world.  Taking only the most basic of supplies, he sets off on his own.  Weathering storms and sickness, he travels the seas, sometimes facing days without any other human contact.  Can he survive the deadly seas?

So I found this book to be very interesting! While listed in the fiction area, it is based in facts, citing several resources where the the information had been found. I think because the story is retold and embellished, it counts as fiction, even though it is based on facts.

These people existed and did these amazing things!  Even in our day, many people have never traveled around the world, even though it is so much easier now.  These people were determined and accomplished feats many people never do.

This book is a great example of how literature and other arts can affect the world.  While I'm sure some people would want to travel, this book inspired people to do things they normally wouldn't do.  It is so interesting to me to see books change the world.

Overall, inspiring book!  The pictures were pretty good, but not brilliant.  The information what very interesting, and the stories well told.  Because there were three stories, each one went fast, and it was a quick read.  Great book to recommend for history or adventure lovers!

Wonder Show

Wonder Show
by Hannah Barnaby
288 pages
Middle School+

Another entry for the YALSA 2013 Best of the Best Challenge!

Portia loves stories.  As she sits in the evening, she listens to her relatives talking and retelling their stories.  But one by one, each of them leaves, until there is only her father and her aunt.  And then even her father leaves.  Left in her aunt's care, she eventually ends up at The Home, a place for wayward girls.

Unable to stand the stifling Home and the memories of her dead friend, she runs away, taking a red bicycle and riding off to join the circus.  There she meets the freaks, the strange people that make up the Wonder Show, the side tent to the regular circus.  Here, the worst thing in the world is to be normal.  Portia is waiting there, just to hide from the people that want to take her back to The Home.

As Portia starts travelling with circus, she gets to know the freaks a little more, and learn their stories.  She makes new friends, learns to stand on her own.  When the men finally find her to take her back to The Home, she has to start writing her own story.

So, if you can't tell by my other posts, I'm not huge on historical fiction, but I LOVED this book.  While very different than my normal materials, it was a great read, and I really enjoyed it.

One of the things I loved about this book is Portia.  She's a little sassy, but you can see behind the sassy she is just trying to survive.  She has been torn from everything she knows and set on her own.  The stories give her a way to cope with this, and help her understand what is going on around her.  She definitely grows in confidence and in compassion throughout this book.

I also really like that although they talk about "freaks" in this book, you get to see the other side of them- what makes them human.  The narration style occasional jumps to the perspective of one of the characters, which helps you get a view inside their heads.  You get one from each of the "freaks," including each of the conjoined twins, and this helps you see that they are fairly normal people, with their own concerns and worries.  This would be a good book to study perceived differences versus reality.

Overall, great book.  The story line, while not incredibly fast, has lots of detail and fun little twists.  Readers can sympathize with Portia and her feelings of abandonment.  The chapters are fairly short and move quickly.  I would recommend to middle school age and older, because of interest and one scene involved the twins.  Good book, I enjoyed it a lot!

Death Cloud

Death Cloud (Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins Series #1)

by Andrew Lane

336 pages

Middle School+

Fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes is expecting his father to pick him up for the summer holidays when his summer is turned topsy turvy.  His father is going off with the army, his sister is sick and need complete peace, and his older brother has no time for him.  So instead of spending the summer at his home, he is sent to an uncle in the country, a tedious and unwelcome solution.  Sherlock is expecting this summer to be completely boring and uneventful.  

Instead, Sherlock is immediately embroiled in plot and intrigue.  Mysterious clouds that don't move naturally show up just after someone is killed. Strange men are moving boxes filled with clothing in secretive manner. And Sherlock isn't quite sure who to trust.  Sherlock must assemble all the puzzle pieces before he gets himself, and others, killed.  

While this book had a slow beginning, it later picked up the pace and was quite fun to read.  At first, Sherlock's character seemed flat and not quite what I expected from the great Sherlock Holmes.  Sherlock showed little emotion beyond annoyance and let things happen to him, instead of being active.  Also, he seemed unable to make connections that readers expect Sherlock to be able to make.  Since the character is only fourteen years old, this might be understandable, especially since he is still learning all the skills that Sherlock needs in order to become the character of the Doyle novels.  But he seemed very weak and more like the typical teen, where the older Sherlock is NOT like the typical adult at all.  Eventually, he starts learning how to observe and make connections, and of course solves the mystery at great peril to his own life, but he took a lot of time to get there.  

Readers should not expect a novel exactly like the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novels.  In addition to the noted differences above, the novel is much more modern in writing style; it reads like many other contemporary teen novels, not like a classic.  This can be a good introduction for teens to the Victorian mystery genre, but it is definitely different than the older novels.

Overall, I believe I will recommend this, especially for boys needed a mystery book.  Once I got past my expectations for the novel, I enjoyed it.  It was fun to see how Sherlock finally placed all the pieces together. There was plenty of action at the end to keep the reader's attention, plus several twists that kept me eager to read, after the slow beginning.  This novel is the first in a series.  The sequel is already out: Rebel Fire. I look forward to finding that book to!  I hope that since the background has been established, the story will pick up right away!

Quick note: This is one of the first books to be endorsed by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle.  Many other series have been written to try to fill in the blanks of Holmes' life, but this is one of the first to be endorsed by Doyle's estate!

Hattie Big Sky

Hattie Big Sky
by  Kirby Larson

Teenage Hattie is tired of being shuffled between relatives.  When her uncle dies and leave a homestead to her, she jumps at the chance of having a place to call her own.  She gets to Montana and faces blizzards, and hardships while learning to survive on her own.  Her biscuits don't rise, her water is freezing and her house is filthy!

Gradually, with the help of some new friends, she adapts to her new life.  She finally feels like she is getting somewhere when she learns a hard truth: unless she can make her claim successful, she will have to give it up.  The amount of work she will have to do is simply staggering.  On top of that, her new friends the Muellers are feeling the pressure of prejudice.  Will a tragedy keep her from making it all work?

This was a great book.  Hattie goes through a lot of growth and change in this story.  Lots of teens will be able to identify with her wanting to do her own thing, and not have to be dependent on others for everything.  Hattie has to make choices about who her friends really are, and between the easy way and the hard way.  The writing was great, and the story very personal.  I even cried at times!  I would recommend this to middle school and high school aged students, mostly girls.

An Elephant in the Garden

An Elephant in the Garden
by Michael Morpurgo

When elderly Lizzie starts telling young Karl of the elephant she once had in her garden, Karl's mom has a hard time believing in it.  Why would someone have an elephant in their garden?  Lizzie goes on to tell a story from her childhood, of Dresden in the bombings of 1945.  Lizzie's mother worked at a zoo, and in order to keep the young elephant Marlene from being shot, she brings Marlene home with her.

This story of war, told from a teenage Lizzie's perspective was sweet, touching and gripping.  The story telling was excellent, and kept me interested.  While it jumps from present to past, the difference is not confusing, and gives a nice frame to Lizzie's story.  Told from a German refuge's point of view, this tale will steal your heart, just as Marlene stole the hearts of all she met on their journey!

I loved this book.  It was touching, engaging, and would help a teen or child understand a war from a new point of view.  The bombing was only seen from a distance, and there wasn't anything really objectionable in the story.  This book would be suitable for late elementary school to teens.  While girls might be more drawn to it, I can see boys enjoying it too.