WOW! The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel was SO GOOD! It is based on a true story--how one woman, Eva, was able to save countless numbers of Jewish children from being rounded up by the Germans during World War 2! You will have to read the book to see how she did that. I enjoyed this book because the story line and the characters are both good! I suggest you make time for this book. You will be glad you did! (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
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The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck is based on a true story. These type of books are always special to me. This one tells the story of brave women who were able to keep children away from the Germans who wanted to take them to work camps. The kids in the book were very brave also. I enjoyed this book very much! (Gerard's review, 5 stars)
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The Sky Over Rebecca by Matthew Fox is a light, enjoyable middle grade novel. Kara sees a snow angel by the lake but no footprints. She decides to investigate and there starts the adventure of her life. This book has a good storyline, good action and good characters with a good ending. (Gerard's review, 5 stars)
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Three Sisters by Heather Morris is based on a true story. Three sisters make a pact to always stay together and be there for each other, but when two of them are sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis, that pact is put to the test. Will they survive to see their sister again? This book is really good! The parts about the concentration camp are very powerful! I loved all the three sisters and liked the very good ending! (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
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Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris is based on the true story of Cilka Klein. What a story it is! She was only 16 when she was taken to a concentration camp. After that she was sent to a Siberian prison camp--the charge was sleeping with the enemy. She will have to be strong to endure this.
Good stuff! Cilka was so brave and determined to stay alive in the face of death every day. Be sure to read the additional information and the afterword as well. (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
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Alias Anna by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson is the true story about two young sisters with special talent for playing the piano. They live in Russia during World War II and flee when the Germans move in to take over. They manage to escape on the way to being killed. This is a quick read that is very hard to put down. I liked it and found it easy to read because it is written in verse and the chapters were very short! It is pretty fascinating and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical non-fiction stories. (Karen's review, 5 stars)
Gerard's review 12/22/22: Alias Anna by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson tells a true story about two young Jewish sisters who were able to outwit the Nazis and survive during Hitler's reign. This is a really good book told in verse so is a quick read. This is worth the read for sure. I found it hard to put down. (5++ stars)
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The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is based on a true story. Mila Pavlichenko lives a quiet life. She works at the library and looks after her son. The war changes that and she turns into a deadly sniper! This is good stuff!! I enjoyed the story line and Mila is a great character! This has good action and and exciting ending. (Gerard's review, 5 stars)
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Citizen 865 by Debbie Cenziper tells the true story of men whose job it was to find Hitler's hidden soldiers in America after World War II. This book is just 250 pages. For the most part, it kept my interest. I learned some new information, but at times it read like a text book. I give it a solid 4 stars.
(Gerard's review)
Teaser from page 9: Feliks closed his eyes and waited, three seconds, five, ten, his mind and body still. This, he decided, must be what death feels like.
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White Bird by R. J. Palacio is a story about a young Jewish girl named Sara. Her childhood is a good one until world War II starts and Hitler and his army start to take over Sara's homeland. This is a graphic novel so it goes really fast! The story line is a good one and it kept me engaged throughout. The pictures were very nice and middle-school readers will enjoy this and also learn some valuable life lessons from factual history. I think adults would enjoy this too, like I did.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)
Teaser from page 7: "...Those were dark times, yes...but what has stayed with me the most is not the darkness......but the light. That is what I have held on to all these years......and that is the story I want to share with you now."
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No Better Friend by Robert Weintraub is about one man, one dog, and their extraordinary story of courage and survival in WWII. WOW! This book is so good! My review will not do it justice, but I will try. Two British sailors were looking for a mascot for their gunboat. They fell in love with Judy, a fiercely loyal dog, Right away! This took place just as World War II was about to begin. Judy was right in the midst of the battle. She had a relationship with all the men but formed a strong bond with a sailor named Frank.
This book takes you through World War II. The writing made me feel as though I were right there with them. The adventures that Judy and Frank go through are really something! I enjoyed this book very much! Judy put her life on the line for the men so many times! What a dog! What a book!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Teaser from page 5: "Swim"! Frank yelled to Judy, while giving her one last push that sent her flying out the porthole. Below, the ocean was roiling and filling with oil and debris from the dying ship.
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The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton is a murder mystery, but not a who did it, but why did they? On her younger brother's birthday, teen Laurel is hiding in her tree house and is the only one who sees her mother actually kill the strange man who came that knew her name. She tells the cops what she saw, but not that her mother knew who he was. It was concluded that her mom acted in self-defense because he was going to harm the baby brother who she was holding. Years later, when Laurel was in her 50s and her mother was dying, Laurel decides to look into that event more closely to find out who that man was and why her mother killed him with the birthday knife they always used to cut the birthday cakes. Through a long journey through photos, World War II letters, and a visit to London Laurel finally discovers the truth.
This story was really good; however, it seemed to take forever to get at it and finally arrive at the end. I enjoyed story most when it was back during World War in London, showing the mother's background before marrying Laurel's father, Stephen. I just found it hard to believe that Laurel was never that curious about her mother's background until she was dying. I know, that's where the title comes in, but I thought it was far-fetched that Laurel would bother doing all that research instead of just asking her mother straight out. I did not care for how the author went into so much detail describing scenery and jumping between all different years back and forth. I loved the surprise ending. This book really picked up around page 400. I really enjoyed the last 80 pages or so--it saved the book for me. It includes some discussion questions in the back for book clubs to use.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)
Teaser from page 28: Both sisters turned towards her mighty indignation, and therefore neither noticed Dorothy's sharp intake of breath, the look of anguish that crossed her face at the mention of Vivien's name. By the time the three Nicolsen sisters had gathered at their mother's side, Dorothy appeared to be sleeping calmly, her features giving no hint that she'd left behind the hospital, her weary body, and her grown daughters, slipping through time to the dark night of 1941.
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The Hidden Village: A Story of Survival in WW2 Holland by Imogen Matthews is takes place during WWII in Holland. A whole village was built deep in some woods for the sole purpose of providing a safe place for Jews and German deserters to hide from the Nazis. Although this is an historical fiction novel, it gives the reader a look into what life was like for those helping the Jews. This book is about families and the underground. To learn more about
the author, please visit www.imogenmatthewsbooks.com
Until reading this book, I never realized the Nazis reached into Holland. I really liked the characters and it is filled with adventure. It follows a boy, Jan, throughout his life and into adulthood. His father was working in the underground and Jan was eager to help others as well. He aided two pilots that were shot down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in this time period.
(Karen’s review, 5 stars)
Teaser from Kindle Loc. 139-40: “In the meantime, we need to prepare for difficult times ahead. We may need to provide shelter to people unable to defend themselves.”
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The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff is a gripping historical fiction book about two women protected in Germany by joining a circus during the 1940s when Hitler took over and rounded up Jews for execution. Noa rescued a little Jewish baby that was among many dead on a railcar and Astrid was a Jew whose German officer husband kicked her out when ordered to do so. Astrid was from a circus family and the competing circus took her in. Noa had no circus background, but the circus owner took in her and the baby to protect them and told Astrid to train Noa for the trapeze act.
This book was very good! I really liked the circus aspect of this book and enjoyed seeing Astrid and Noa's relationship develop. In this book, it showed how some were able to find happiness amid the terribly things going on. There is a lot of sadness in this but also light parts too to keep it from being too depressing. It is one I don't think I'll forget! I had to wait to write my review to give me some time to recover from the sad ending. I highly recommend this one! My favorite character in this was Astrid, who was yours?
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
Gerard's review, 3-1-17, 5++ stars:
In The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff is set in the early 1940s in Germany when Hitler and the Third Reich ruled., 16-year-old Noa has been thrown out of her parents’ house. Her husband leaves her and her newborn baby is taken from her. Now she is on the run and is not alone. She carries a secret that if found out will mean death for her and her companion. Astrid knows the circus life very well. She is one of the stars of the show, but every day she lives in fear that her secret will come out.
I enjoyed both Noa and Astrid. I found this book very hard to put down as the tension builds throughout. Loved it! It is now my book of the month for February!
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The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is one of my favorite books to read. This is a good non-fiction book on a subject that I knew nothing about. In the last few days of World War II, some U.S. soldiers capture a German spy and he has pictures of beautiful horses with him. Colonel Hank Reed and his men decide to save the horses from certain death.
I found the first 100 pages slow, but the action picked up soon enough. It is interesting to follow the thinking of the men who played the big roles. I enjoyed it!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)
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In The One Man by Andrew Gross, a man has escaped after the Nazis have killed his family. He is safe and is working to help the war effort to defeat the Germans, but would love to do more. One day he is offered the chance to do just that, but this mission is next to impossible to pull off.
WOW! You talk about a page turner--this book is FANTASTIC! I flew through it! The story is that good and the writing is outstanding! This would make a very good movie. LOVED IT! A must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
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The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne is about a young boy named Pierrot who becomes an orphan around the time of World War II. When he is 7 years old, rides three trains by himself to go live with his aunt whom he never even met. While living with her, he is influenced by the people he meets and soon he sees things far different than he used to.
I thought the second part of this book was better than the first part and the ending was very well done. However, I do not think this was as good as this author's first book (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) but still is a very good read.
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)
(Karen's review 6/17/16, 5 stars)
I was eager to read The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne, the author who also wrote The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, an amazing story! The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is also set during World War II. It shows how a nice, innocent 7-yr.-old boy, Pierrot, with German and French background is faced with a whole new life when his aunt takes him in to live with her after his parents both die.
This story kept my interest all the way through and didn't have any boring part. I finished it in just two days and liked how the author made Pierrot's struggles so clear. This too is a sad book but thought provoking. As Pierrot gets a new identity, he fights to keep his memories of "the good old days" and is torn apart when he realizes what he did was really wrong. I thought the ending was great and recommend this one! I hesitate saying any more about it because I don't want to spoil it for you. Just read it and be shocked like I was! I don't think I'll easily forget this book, just like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is lodged in my memory.
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We Will Not Be Silent--The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman is a true story about a group of young teens who turned against Hitler. This is a very short story, but I am glad that it was told. These teens were very brave and paid for what they believed in with their lives.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)
Karen's review, 4 stars: We Will Not Be Silent by Russell Freedman is about the White Rose student resistance movement against Adolf Hitler during World War II. Specifically, this focuses on the Scholl family, whose eldest son, Hans began it. At first, he was excited to join the Hitler Youth movement against his father's advice; however, when his creativity was frowned upon and he realized they took away some freedom and wanted to keep everyone the same, he became doubtful. Slowly and carefully, Hans got others to help him distribute leaflets against Hitler and pointing out things that were happening that were not right in several different cities and also do some graffiti. This was a quick read but very informative about something I did not know much about. I thought it was interesting and am glad I happened to see at the library and picked it up. It shows that many people were not on board with Hitler's policies and some were brave enough to put their lives on the line to fight back. I think it is definitely worth the time to read.
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Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is told by three different points of view. During World War II, Kasia is a Polish teenager and will do what she can to help her people fight Hitler and his army. Herta is a German doctor and wants to prove that she is as good as a man. Caroline works in the French Consulate in New York and when Hitler sets his sight on France, her world changes.
Kasia's story is the one I enjoyed the most. She is a brave girl! Her story alone makes this a "must read" book. Herta's story came in second; I could not believe her thought process! Caroline's story was okay and got better at the end. I think The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is better; however, that being said, this book is very good too! When you are done reading this, be sure to read the Author's Note too! This is my best read for this month!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
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So Close to Home by Michael J. Tougias and Alison O'Leary tells a true story which makes it all the more remarkable! The main story deals with the Downs family, a husband, wife, 8-yr.-old boy and 11-yr.-old girl. They were on a freighter that a German U-Boat torpedoed! The story of how they survived it is really good! This book also deals with other aspects of the war on the sea that I found interesting as well.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)
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Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys takes place in 1941. Lina is preparing for art school and all that summer has to offer. Then the Soviet Secret Police break into her home and taker her, her mother and her younger brother away. Her father was taken captive too, but kept apart from them. Will they get back together? Will they ever survive? What do the Soviets want from them? I thought this book was outstanding! I was into it all the way. The writing was so good too that I could really picture it in my mind. A Must Read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)
Karen's review, 5 stars: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a very good historical fiction book about Lithuanians who were deported during WW II by the Russians. This book is about a 15-yr.-old girl, Lena, who is very brave and loves to draw. She is the cousin of Joana, one of the main characters in Salt to the Sea, that is taken by the NKVD during at night along with her mother and younger brother, Jonas. First, they are crammed into a train with a bunch of others who were "on the list" going to who knows where. Lena becomes friends with Andrius, a boy her age who is also on the train. The second part of the book is about her time at the farm where the Russians try to force them to sign a paper admitting they are criminals and willing to work on the farm for 25 years. Those who sign get treated slightly better than those who don't. Andrius signs but Lena does not so Andrius tries his best to help her and her family. Living in unsanitary conditions with barely anything to eat, she is forced to dig with a trowel all day or carry 50 lb. sacks of grain. Can things get any worse? Oh yes. The third part of the book takes Lena, her mother and brother to Siberia but not Andrius, way up into the Arctic Circle where they must use the bricks and wood that the Russians brought along to build barracks and a bakery for the soldiers. They have to make huts for themselves out of driftwood, moss and whatever else they can scrounge up from the trash the soldiers throw away during temperatures below zero! All through this book, you wonder along with them if they will survive and if they will ever be reunited with their father and Andrius.
The author does a fantastic job of introducing the reader to other characters as Lena meets them so it is pretty easy to keep them straight. I really liked this book better than Salt to the Sea because it had better continuity with just telling the story from Lena's viewpoint. I couldn't help but thinking how I would react if I was in that situation. I'm pretty sure I would have given up. These people went through awful things but the book did have some high points with the romance thread, the birthday and Christmas celebrations. This book stayed with me after I was done and needed time to process it before jumping into my next read. I must say, I liked this as much as I liked The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Also liked Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys but not as much as this one.
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