Queen of the Sea

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

     Margaret has spent her entire life living on an island.  She lives with the Elysian Sisters who have raised her since she was a baby.  She doesn't know who she is, who her family is, or why she is there.  But she does know that the Sisters love her, take care of her, and that she is safe and happy.  Every day was the same until a member of the upper class from the mainland arrived to live on the island with her young son who is about Margaret's age.  Margaret is about to make her first friend.  Through William, Margaret learns about the outside world and the wars that are happening.  William's family sided with the losing side during the war.  Now he and his mother have been banished to live the remainder of their lives on the island, and the rest of the family has been sent to jail.  Later, another upper class lady arrives to live on the island.  Eleanor is like no lady Margaret has ever met and Margaret learns that the island is not the loving place she grew up believing it was.  Now Margaret doesn't know who to believe or where she belongs.  I LOVE this book.  It has friendships, history, suspense, the potential of a sequel, AND it's a graphic novel.  As far as I'm concerned this book is about as close to perfect as possible.  This is the first book for younger readers by this author/illustrator; you can learn more about her and her other books by visiting https://www.dylanmeconis.com/.


This story is loosely based on the life of the first Queen Elizabeth.  To learn more about Queen Elizabeth:

• SORA (ebooks) has a book about Queen Elizabeth.
• Visit https://www.biography.com/royalty/queen-elizabeth-i.
• BrainPOP has a video about Queen Elizabeth I.

I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (The Graphic Novel)

I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (The Graphic Novel) by Lauren Tarshis with art by Haus Studio

     Most people know the story of the sinking of the Titanic, the "unsinkable" ship that hit an iceberg and sank on its first voyage.  And while that, of course, is terrible, the real tragedy was that there were not enough lifeboats to save every person on board.  Over one thousand people died as a result while only a few hundred survived.  This book is a retelling of the events of the night of the sinking.  George and his sister, Phoebe, are on a special trip with their aunt and end up on the Titanic on their way home to New York.  During the beginning of the voyage George and his sister meet many interesting people, but not everyone will survive.  The question is who will live and who will die?  Like all the I Survive books, most kids will have a hard time putting it down, especially since this version is in graphic novel form.  I'm hoping more of the I Survive books will soon be available in graphic novel format.  But, I'll admit, as an adult my favorite part of the book wasn't the graphic novel format...though I really did love it.  My favorite part of the book was all the facts at the end.  So, this is where I would normally share a good website to learn more about the Titanic.  For better of for worse there are a number of "official" Titanic museums with good websites.  I've decided to recommend two.  The Titanic Historical Society is located not too far from us in Springfield, MA (https://titanichistoricalsociety.org/) and it's supposed to have a large collection of survivor artifacts.  The other website I'd recommend is Titanic Belfast (https://www.titanicbelfast.com/)  because the Titanic was built in Ireland.  If you like this books I'd recommend other books in the I Survive series by Lauren Tarshis.  You can find her books at https://www.laurentarshis.com/.

Don't forget:

• SORA (ebooks) has a HUGE number of books, both fiction and non-fiction, related to the Titanic.
• BrainPOP has a video about the Titanic and the science issues related to the sinking.
• There's even a YouTube video, provided Scholastic, about the book.  Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1GhqSf_MOk to watch the video.

Diana’s White House Garden

Diana’s White House Garden by Elisa Carbone and illustrated by Jen Hill

Four paw prints

During World War II people (adults and children) were looking for ways to help our soldiers win the war against our enemies.  One of these children who wanted to help was Diana Hopkins.  Diana’s father worked as an advisor to President Roosevelt so Diana and her father lived at the White House along with the president and his wife Eleanor.  Diana did all kinds of things to try to help our country but she usually just got into trouble with the White House staff.  FINALLY, President Roosevelt had an idea that Diana knew she could do...with help from Fala the White House dog.  I really liked this book.  I grew up hearing about what families (including children) did on the homefront during World War II and it was interesting to learn how one of these programs started.  I really liked that the book showed that children are NOT perfect and sometimes a dog is needed to help make things work properly.  To learn more about President Roosevelt visit FRD Library at https://fdrlibrary.org/, the official White House entry on FDR at https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/franklindroosevelt, or the National Park Service at https://www.nps.gov/hofr/index.htm.  To learn more about Eleanor Roosevelt visit the Center at Val-Kill at http://ervk.org/ or the National Park Service at https://www.nps.gov/elro/index.htm.  To learn more about Diana Hopkins visit http://mallhistory.org/items/show/91.  Finally, for any families that would like to learn about gardening with their children visit https://www.kidsgardening.org/.  

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Five paw prints

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was a beautiful day. I wasn't too hot or too cold. There was a slight breeze.  There was hardly a cloud in the sky.  But in New York City everything was about to change. Sadly, Deja doesn't know about any of this.  9/11 was 15 years ago and Deja is only 10 years old. The only things she knows is that she and her family are homeless, she has to start a new school, and her father is never well.  Her old friends won't talk to her because she is homeless and she doesn't know anyone at her new school.  But there seems to be something that the kids in her new school know that she doesn't and when she learns the history of her home town of New York City she begins to understand why her father is always so sick.  The author of Falling Towers is known for her wonderful writing and this book is no exception.  I can tell you exactly where I was when the events on 9/11 took place and how many of my students lost family members that day.  I know too many people who think by not talking about these events we are protecting our children, but I disagree.  Children need to be taught our history no matter how painful and this is a wonderful book to start a conversation.  If you are interested in learning more about 9/11 then I suggest visiting the following sites with permission from an adult.  The sites are The New York State Museum at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/world-trade-center-rescue-recovery-response or the 9/11 Memorial at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/ongoing/world-trade-center-rescue-recovery-response. An excellent video to watch (again with permission from an adult) is about the boat lift to evacuate people from the lower tip of Manhattan.  This video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/embed/MDOrzF7B2Kg?rel=0.  To learn more about that author and her books visit http://jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/.

Tucky Jo and Little Heart

Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco

Five paw prints

During World War II many young men from our country were sent to war after our country was attacked at Pearl Harbor.  Some young men were so determined to defend our country that they lied about their age saying they were older than they really were.  One of these young men was Johnnie Wallen from Kentucky.  When Johnnie heard about what was happening in the world he begged his parents to lie about his age.  He knew he was a sharpshooter (he had always been good with a gun) and he felt he could help his country.  Reluctantly, his parents agreed to lie about his age and soon after Johnnie found himself in the thick of fighting in the Pacific Islands.  It didn’t take long for Johnnie to realize that “there ain’t no glory in war” and he missed his home and family.  After over 200 hundred days of non-stop fighting Johnnie was on reconnaissance when he met a little girl from a nearby village.  She didn’t say anything, but she did help Johnnie calm down about where he was, and he decided he was going to do everything he could for her and her village.  Life for Johnnie, now called Tucky Jo by his young friend, was going as well as could be expected until the day the enemy came back to the island where he was stationed and where Little Heart, his name for his friend, lives.  The United States Army decided to relocate the soldiers from the island and fire bomb EVERYTHING!  What would Johnnie/Tucky Jo do...follow orders or save his friend?  This story, based on real people and events, is extremely moving.  I refuse to describe this book as “good” or “great” because I don’t like to use these words when describing war.  But it is definitely a book worth reading.  To learn more about the real Tucky Jo visit http://6thinfantry.com/6thinfantry/johnnie-wallen-wwii-veteran-6th-division-20th-infantry-lost-his-final-battle-jan-2010/.  To learn more about World War II visit http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii or http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history.  Please remember that war is not “glorious” and these websites should be visited only with permission from a parent or guardian.  A website that you can visit without an adult would be https://www.nps.gov/wwii/index.htm.  Finally, if you are related to a World War II veteran you can visit the National WWII Memorial website at https://www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/Default.aspx to type in the name of a veteran and learn more about him or her.

Raymie Nightingale

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Four paw prints

Raymie is a girl on a mission.  Her father has left her and her mother to be with his new girlfriend.  Raymie is determined to encourage her father to come home.  She is convinced the only way to do this is to enter and win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition.  Raymie is also convinced that to win the competition she needs to learn how to twirl a baton.  While at baton twirling lessons Raymie meets two girl named Louisiana and Beverly.  Unfortunately they are also taking lessons in the hopes of winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition.  Though these girls are completely different from each other, through some unusual circumstances they become unlikely friends.  But can their friendship last through the competition and will Raymie be able to make her father come home?  Now I must say I did like this book; but I’ll admit it’s not my favorite book by Kate DiCamillio.  I liked the girl, I liked the “adventures” they did together, and I really felt for each of the girls and the problems they were experiencing in their lives.  I even read this book in one day because I did really enjoy it that much.  So, why isn’t it my favorite book by this author?  I really felt like the story ended too soon.  I want to know what happened to the girls after the competition.  But, I think the book was written this way to make you wonder.  And that’s OK too.  To learn more about Kate DiCamillo and her books (including my favorite The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane) visit http://www.katedicamillo.com/.

Danger in the Darkest Hosue

Danger in the Darkest Hour by Mary Pope Osborn

Four paw prints.  The tree house is back and Jack and Annie are ready for a new adventure.  But, when they start their newest adventure they didn’t realize how much danger their lives would be in.  They land in England on June 5, 1944 and they are asked to enter France at night by an illegal parachute drop.  It’s World War II and Teddie has asked them to find and rescue Cathleen from inside Nazi occupied France.  This is an extremely dangerous job, probably their most dangerous job ever, and if they fail Cathleen could die.  Now, I usually enjoy all the Magic Treehouse Books, but I have always felt a little frustrated when the story ends.  The stories always feel too short to me and I want more.  Luckily, this is Magic Tree House Super Edition #1.  It is longer and more in depth and I’m sooo excited.  This has been by far my favorite Magic Tree House book in the series.  It probably helped that I love historical fiction, especially from World War II, but I already wanted “more” from this series and this book definitely didn’t disappoint.  To find more Magic Tree House fun, visit http://www.magictreehouse.com/#home.

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.

FIVE STARS!!!  The website dictionary.com defines music as an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.  This is the perfect description of the book Echo.  This story is about seven children who live in different parts of the world during different time periods.  The bulk of the story revolves around the lives of Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy.  Each of the children has a special musical gift, but each has a crisis within their families that risks these gifts.  The one thing they have in common is a harmonica that may or may not be magical.  This is by far one of the best fiction books I have read in a very long time.  I’ll admit that I love music and that may be one of the reasons why I was so drawn to this book, but I really believe anyone (musical or not) would truly love this book.  Between the music references and the World War II history, I had a very hard time putting this book down.  At almost 600 pages I still read this book in less than three days.  I know the size will look intimidating to some, but just give it a try...you won’t be sorry.  To learn more about harmonicas visit http://www.pbs.org/americanrootsmusic/pbs_arm_ii_harmonica.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonica.  To learn more about Pam Munoz Ryan and her books visit http://www.pammunozryan.com/index.html.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

FIVE PAW PRINTS!!  It's the time of the Great Depression and Abilene Tucker and her father Gideon have always lived their lives by "riding the rails", looking for work and looking for food, but they have always been together.  But now it's 1936 and Abilene is 12 years old.  Gideon thinks it's time for his daughter to have a chance to "grow up" so he sends her to the town of Manifest, Kansas.  Gideon spent part of his childhood in Manifest and he thinks Pastor Howard (also known as Shady) would be a good person to leave in charge of Abilene while he works building railroad tracks in Iowa.  Though Abilene doesn't agree (she feels abandoned) with her father's opinion, she doesn't have a choice and she moves in with Shady.  While in Manifest, Abilene hopes to learn more about her father, who doesn't talk much about his youth, but instead she becomes friends with two local girls and ends up working for an old woman who doesn't have any family.  While spending time with Lettie and Ruthanne, they discover a mystery going back as far as World War I.  (Her time with Miss Sadie, the local fortune teller, is where she learns all about the people of the town from the past and the present.)  When you hear people say something is so good that "you'll laugh and you'll cry", you normally roll your eyes at the exaggeration of the statement.  This is one story where this description is NOT an exaggeration.  When I first started reading this story I thought I was going to have a terrible time keeping track of all the different characters from the different time periods.  Not only was the story so well told that I didn't have any troubles, but I didn't even need the list of characters in the beginning of the book.  I'm not sure words can fully capture how good a book this is.  You laugh when the underdog wins and you cry when the world comes crashing down on the same underdog.  But, to say anything else would completely give the story away.  RUN, don't walk to find a copy of this book and don't put it down until you finish reading.  To learn more about the author, visit http://www.clarevanderpool.com/home.html.
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Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Five paw prints.  By now you have probably heard of Helen Keller.  She was born a healthy child in Alabama, but when she was two years old she became very sick and lost her ability to see and hear.  It was only with the help of Annie Sullivan that Helen was able to escape from her shell and learn about the world around her.  This book is NOT Helen Keller's story.  It is the story of how Annie Sullivan came to be Helen's teacher.  Annie Sullivan was an orphan who had a very sad early life.  Her mother died when she was young leaving her with two younger siblings, and her father was a drunk who wasn't interested in raising children.  A relative adopted the youngest sibling while an aunt and uncle agreed to take care of Annie and her younger brother.  Unfortunately, this arrangement didn't last long because the aunt and uncle didn't want to take care of a blind niece or the little brother who refused to do anything without his older sister.  The uncle then sent the children to a poor house to live with other people without family or money.  No one at the poor house wanted to take care of two orphan children under the age of 10 and they were left to take care of themselves.  And since no one wanted them around they were forced to live in the morgue.  While this was not ideal it allowed the children to live together until Annie's younger brother became sick.  A few months after their arrival at the poor house Annie's younger brother died and Annie was now alone. As luck would have it, a famous doctor happened to visit this poor house and "bump" into Annie--actually Annie intentionally bumped into the doctor because Annie had heard the doctor had connections with a school for blind children and Annie wanted to attend school.  Though Annie never met the doctor again she was sent to the school where she not only learned braille, but she also learned sign language, and she learned that there was an operation to restore her eyesight.  After many years at the school she became a teacher, was sent to Alabama, and the rest is history.  I loved this book.  I grew up knowing about Helen Keller (just like many school children) but I never knew much about her teacher.  Annie Sullivan had such a hard life and in a way it was probably harder that Helen's life.  Even when Helen was young and no one understood what she was trying to communicate, she at least had family who loved her.  Annie had no one and she had to take care of herself, and even after all she did with Helen, people still know very little about her.  I know I will do my best to learn more about Annie Sullivan.  If you want to learn more about Annie Sullivan visit http://www.perkins.org/vision-loss/helen-keller/sullivan.html.

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Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend by Alison Leslie Gold

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Five paw prints!  Most people have heard the story about Anne Frank.  She was a Jewish girl living in hiding from the Nazis during World War II, but her life was cut short after her family was discovered and they were sent to concentration camps where only her father survived.  The world knows of her experiences while in hiding because Anne kept a diary that was published after the war ended.  This story is about one of Anne's best friends who managed to survive the war.  Hannah Goslar and Anne were best friends, and Hannah was one of the only friends mentioned in Anne's diary.  Hannah's story is just as facinating as Anne's, but with a slightly better ending.  Instead of hiding from the Nazis (like Anne's family), Hannah's family tried to leave the country.  Hannah's father had been a government official in Germany before the war so he was able to use some of his connections to get visas to Paraguay, and the family was included on a wait list to be moved to Palastine.  Unfortuantely, the family was deported to a concentration camp before they could take advantage of the visas or the wait list.  But, because of these documents, the family was treated slightly better than families who had been arrested after having been caught hiding.  This didn't help everyone in Hannah's family, but it did buy Hannah enough time to survive and tell her story.  This story was so moving.  It was interesting learning about Anne from a different point of view.  This story was so well written that even though I had an idea about how the story would end I was still in tears over what might happen to Hannah's family members.  There was only one thing I would change about Hannah's story...I want to know MORE.  To learn more about Hannah and Anne's experiences, find an adult and visit http://www.ushmm.org/.

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda
Five paw prints! Minli lives a hard, simple, but happy life. She works in the field during the day and at night she lives with her parents who love her and take care of her. Though they are very poor and can't afford gifts for her, Minli's father gives her gifts by telling her wonderful stories about animals, emperors, dragons, and mountains. Minli believes these stories about talking animals to be true and as a result she buys a goldfish. Minli's mother is very upset that Minli would spend what little money she had on a goldfish, but Minli loves her fish and in return the goldfish also tells Minli stories. Minli comes to believe that if she leaves her home and finds the Old Man of the Moon she will learn how to make her family wealthy and then her parents wouldn't have to worry so much about money. On her trip Minli meets many new people and has many more questions for the Old Man of the Moon, but in the end he will only give her one answer. It's not the answer to the question she left home to ask, but it's the only answer she needs. This book was wonderful. If words can be described as beautiful, then this was a beautiful book. I think all children should read this book, but, more importantly, I think all children should have the chance to read this book with an adult they love and trust. It's definitely a book that should be shared as a family. If you want to read other books by this author then visit http://www.gracelin.com/ to see what other wonderful stories she has created.
Fic Lin

The Sons of Liberty created and written by Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos, art by Steve Walker, color by Oren Kramek

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

One paw print--and that is being nice. Imagine, it is the late 1700s and the American colonies are on the verge of declaring their independence from England and the rule of the King. No one likes being told what to do or how to live, and no one knows how terrible this feels as much as a slave. There are two young slaves, Graham and Brody, who have decided they have had enough of slavery and escape from their master. Along the way they meet some people who want to help them and some people who want to hurt them. One of the people who wants to help them is the famous Benjamin Franklin. One of the people who wants to hurt them is Benjamin's son, William Franklin. William is just as interested in science experiments as his father, but he likes to test his theories on living creatures, including humans. During these experiments, Graham and Brody are hurt and they will never be the same again. Now the question is...Who will be hurt next? Run, don't walk, away from this book. This was one of the worst books I have ever read. British soldiers scared of slaves, William Franklin conducting science experiments on humans, ancient African martial arts... WHAT?!?! American history is fascinating and full of great stories with LOTS of real adventures without anyone having to make up such terrible lies. I believe in and encourage GOOD historical fiction but this isn't it. If you want to read a good historical book about the Revolutionary War then visit the library because there are plenty. Some of the titles are even in graphic novel format. Don't get me wrong, I will be putting this book on the library shelves, and I know it will be very popular. But being popular doesn't always mean being good. To learn more about this new series of books visit, http://www.thesonsoflibertybooks.com/. The website is a slightly better than the book.

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Countdown by Deborah Wiles

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Five paw prints! It's 1962, the beginning of a new school year, and Franny has a lot on her mind. Her teacher seems to be ignoring her no matter how hard she tries to be noticed, her older sister seems to have run away from home, her mother seems to be on edge all the time, her brother only wants to read a book about atoms, her uncle (a veteran who fought in World War I) in losing his mind, and her father is rarely around because he is an Air Force officer assigned to the president of the United States. All of this wouldn't be so bad if the United States wasn't so scared about the Soviet Union trying to bomb the United States, starting with Washington D.C., which is where Franny and her family lives. Franny is constantly having to practice duck and cover drills in school and planning how to live in a bomb shelter in her house. Life couldn't get any worse, or could it? Did I mention Franny's best friend isn't speaking to her, a cute boy just moved in across the street, and she has just been invited to her first boy/girl party? Franny just knows that if she lives until Halloween her life MIGHT get better. This book was very interesting. Not only was the story so good I had a hard time putting it down, but all the pictures between some of the chapters were great. Throughout the book there are pictures and quotes from the time of the Cold War which is the time when Franny is in school. The Cold War was a time when the United States and the former Soviet Union were just waiting for a war between the two countries to start, and people in both countries were living their lives in fear. There are pictures of duck and cover drills, government officials, musicians, athletes, and quotes from many famous and important people from this time period. It really helped to have an idea of what Franny was experiencing in school. If you like this book and you want to read other books by this author then visit http://www.deborahwiles.com/ or visit the official Countdown website at http://scholastic.com/COUNTDOWN.

Fic Wil

Murder at Midnight by Avi

Posted by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. Fabrizio has a problem. He is an orphan and this, of course, leads to other problems like where will he live, who will take care of him, what should he do when he is accused of helping a traitor to the king. Fabrizio is taken in by Mangus the Magician and his wife to help with small chores around the house. While he is there, Mangus is trying to teach Fabrizio how to read and to understand that there is no such thing as magic but it is possible for a person to create illusions to look like magic. Fabrizio and Mangus live in an Italian city where magic is against the law and everyone is surprized when Mangus is arrested for performing real magic and using magic to threaten the life of the king. Now Fabrizio has a real problem. Should he help the man who has given him a home or should he help the king and tell the king everything he knows. I really enjoyed this book. Even though I had an idea of how the magic was created I wasn't sure if I was right until the very end of the story. And, even though I figured out how the magic was made, I wasn't sure how Mangus would be able to escape the king since everyone, except Fabrizio, believed him to be guilty. If you like this book try reading the sequel Midnight Magic or visit http://www.avi-writer.com/ to find more great books by Avi. (This review was based on an uncorrected proof. The final edition was published on September 1, 2009.)

Fic Avi

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Yoko Tanaka

Posted by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. A long time ago in an old city there lived a sad boy, Peter, who wanted nothing more than to learn what happened to the baby sister he was told died at birth. One day a gypsy tells the boy that an elephant will help him find his sister. But Peter has just one problem with the gypsy's story. There are no elephants in his city. (In other parts of the city there is a magician who can do great magic even though he only wants flowers, a police officer and his wife who have no children, a wealthy woman who must use a wheelchair, a beggar with a blind dog, a sculptor with a broken back, a woman with a house big enough to house an elephant, and a small girl in an orphanage who wishes she had a family.) On one hand this is a very lovely and simple book to understand. You meet all the characters at the beginning of the book and you think you know exactly what is going to happen. But you would be wrong. Nothing happens the way you expect, but the results are so wonderful that you won't care. If you want to learn more about the book then you should visit http://www.themagicianselephant.com/. (This review is based on the uncorrected proof. The final book was scheduled to be published on September 8, 2009.)

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The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. Once there was a land that was very beautiful. It was an island with warm weather, mountains, and lush land for farming. There was just one problem. The people who ruled the island, the Spaniards, believed in slavery. This is the story of one of those slaves. Through poems, Rosa explains how she learned about medicinal plants as a child slave. As she grows older we learn of the many civil wars that take over her island that cause a number of slaves to run away from their masters, including Rosa. Rosa and her husband start healing clinics throughout the island helping anyone in need, whether the injured is a friend or foe. After many years and many civil wars Rosa and her Cuban friends win their freedom, but it isn’t necessarily what they expected at the Surrender Tree. This is the true story of Rosa la Bayamesa who grew up and experienced many of Cuba’s civil wars and eventually saw freedom for all the people who lived there. What’s nice about this book is the way the story is told. Instead of reading a factual book that would probably be very hard to understand, the information is told through short, easy-to-understand poems. This then becomes a good book for American children to introduce a culture many of them know very little about. To learn more about Margarita Engle visit http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6640331.html.
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All the Blue Moons at the Wallace Hotel by Phoebe Stone

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. Fiona remembers what life was like when she was younger. Her father was a successful art dealer, her mother was an artist, her little sister was curious about everything, they had two homes, her parents hosted fancy parties for important people in the art world, and her father always took her to her ballet classes. She loved when her father took her to ballet classes. But her father is gone now and everything has changed. Her mother sold their winter home, kept the summer home but sold everything in it, closed up most of the summer home except for the living room (where they sleep in separate parts of the room) and the kitchen. The worst part was losing her ballet lessons. She didn’t just lose an activity she loved; she lost something special she shared with her father. Her one regret is that her father never saw her in a ballet recital. The only thing that hasn’t changed is her sister’s curiosity. Unfortunately, it’s this curiosity that could ruin Fiona’s chance to have her one dream come true. Through humor and understanding, Fiona’s story teaches that even an ordinary life that seems sad can be wonderful when shared with the people you love the most. If you like this book please read other books by Phoebe Stone. A list of her other books can be found at http://www.phoebestone.com/. And if you want to learn more about Captain Kangaroo visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Kangaroo.

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Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Review by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Five paw prints!!! Penny has a pretty good, if not unusual, life. She lives with her Anglo/Protestant mother and her mother’s parents, all of whom are very quiet. She goes to the local public school and summer vacation is about to begin. This means she will have more time to spend with her father’s Italian/Catholic family that lives a few blocks away. Her father’s family is anything but quiet. There are always kids running around making noise. There are always adults having loud conversations (Italians don’t argue, they just have loud conversations), especially about food. And there is more than enough going on in her father’s family to keep Penny and her cousin Frankie busy all summer. But there is just one problem. Penny’s father is dead and no one will talk about him. All she knows is that he died during World War II. But this summer Penny wants to learn what happened to her father, and she might not like what she hears. Penny From Heaven is a wonderful story about a girl, her family, and what happened to her family because of the American government’s fear of the “enemy” during World War II. Most Americans know how poorly the American government treated Japanese Americans during the war, but very few people know that Italian Americans were treated poorly too, including Penny’s father. To learn more about World War II visit http://www.nps.gov/nwwm/ or visit http://www.nps.gov/features/nama/feat0001/index2.html to watch a short video.
Fic Hol

Angel Girl by Laurie Friedman and illustrated by Ofra Amit

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. So, what do you do with a book that was promoted as a true story but was later discovered to be a work of fiction? Well, you read the book and appreciate it for what it is…a good story. Angel Girl is the story of a boy named Herman who lived in Europe during World War II. Unfortunately, Herman is Jewish and during this time anyone who was Jewish and living in Europe was probably in jail. You may be wondering what Herman had done to be put in jail. I can tell you…NOTHING! Herman was a Jewish boy and that was enough to be put in jail. Most Jewish people who were put in jail died, but Herman was lucky. He met a little girl at the jail fence who gave him food when the guards weren’t looking. This little bit of food helped Herman survive until the war ended and he was released from jail. Over the years Herman wondered what happened to his “angel girl” from the fence, but he never knew. When Herman grew up he moved to America and fell in love with a beautiful and kind woman. Herman later discovered this beautiful woman was his “angel girl” from the fence. There was just one problem with Herman’s story. It’s NOT true. Herman was in jail during World War II because he was Jewish, but the rest of the story is from his imagination. Herman wanted to create a story of hope and love for all people. And though some people are very upset with Herman about the story he has told, I still like his story. His story does what he hoped; it introduces some of his experiences during World War II while telling a story of hope and love. If you would like to learn more about the problems with this book please visit http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6625433.html?desc=topstory or http://www.tnr.com/story_print.html?id=f458c2c8-0d4f-4dc7-8cba-15e465c2201a. If you want to learn more about World War II and the Holocaust you may visit http://www.ushmm.org/ with guidance from an adult.
Fic Ami