By:
On:
In: General Book Reviews, Historical Fiction (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Steve Watkins takes on the tough topic of the Holocaust in his book Stolen by Night. Inventing characters like Nicolette and Jules but staying true to the history of occupied Paris during World War II, Watkins tells his horror tale from the perspective of the French Resistance. Nicolette and Jules are two fourteen year old youth who love bicycling and hope to race someday as their fathers did. To live out her dream, Nicolette cuts her hair and plans to enter the upcoming thirty kilometer race disguised as a boy wearing her papa’s racing jersey. Watkins includes various scenes of Rollfast and Favor bicycles andRead More →

By:
On:
In: General Book Reviews, Middle Grade Reviews, Multicultural, Realistic Fiction
With: 0 Comments

Gale Galligan’s graphic novel for tween readers, Fresh Start shares the story of siblings Ollie and Cat Herrison. Because the sisters are the mixed race children of a father who works internationally, they move frequently. Ollie has always seen this move in a positive light since she can start over in a new place without carrying the baggage of embarrassing moments. However, once she enrolls at Chestnut Falls Middle School in Virginia and begins to make new friends, she isn’t sure. Besides communicating key themes about social development, friendship, and the tumultuous years of early adolescence, Galligan coveys the importance of cultural connection. Being Thai,Read More →

By:
On:
In: General Book Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Dan SaSuWeh Jones has captured a haunting period in history with his book Stealing Little Moon. In this piece of nonfiction, Jones shares the legacy of the American Indian boarding schools. Partially American history and partially a story of Jones’ family history, Stealing Little Moon recounts the hunger, emotional cruelty, extreme loneliness, and physical and spiritual abuse endured by boarding school survivors. It also tells of the courage, determination, and resilience of those who thrived or those who deserve to be memorialized. Despite the abuse the children received, their language and sense of spirituality lingered. Most of all, though, this is a story of culturalRead More →

By:
On:
In: Action & Adventure (YA), General Book Reviews, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
With: 0 Comments

Set far into the future during a time called the Traction Era (T.E.), Thunder City by Philip Reeve will enchant readers who are fascinated by video games or by the prospect of technomancers reanimating dead warriors. Reeve’s novel features a plethora of characters who share a common thread: They all connect to Miss Lavinia Torpenhow, a rescuer and history instructor known as Miss T. When the town of Thorbury is taken hostage by Gabriel Strega and its mayor murdered by the Architect, a dreadfully brilliant young man with an inquiring mind, Miss T must find a way to bring Max Angmering back to Thorbury fromRead More →