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With his book Wolves at the Door, Steve Watkins writes a horrific reminder of the effects of war. Painting with historical accuracy, he captures the lives of eleven-year-old Asta, her nine-year-old sister Pieta, and their eventual ten-year-old friend Gerhard. The three are thrust in the midst of the last days of World War II, in the harsh winter of 1944-45 when more than two million people desperately fled the northeastern German province of East Prussia, just weeks ahead of the Soviet Red Army invasion. The trio of youth are traumatized by the Königsberg bombing and fearful of more planes and more bombs. Although Asta typicallyRead More →

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Largely inspired by her father’s own story, Wai Chim writes Freedom Swimmer to capture a tumultuous time in China’s history. Set in Guangdong Province in 1968, the novel reveals the journey of Ming Hong who is orphaned at age eleven. For him, the past dances in dark shadows and whispers of loss and loneliness. Ming, who is shy and resigned to his fate, loves the ocean—its murmuring, its offer of freedom, and its ability to drown his fears. Swimming not only gives him peace and confidence but brings him closer to his father and the strength of his dream of reaching Hong Kong. At theRead More →