IMPOSSIBLE ESCAPE by

Impossible Escape: a true story of survival and heroism in   Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin

World War II, Holocaust, Narrative Nonfiction

243 pages; 2023

Description

"A true story of two Jewish teenagers racing against time during the Holocaust--one in hiding in Hungary, and the other in Auschwitz, plotting escape"--Provided by publisher.

School Library Journal starred (August 1, 2023)

Gr 8 Up-Sheinken has penned another must-read with this powerful and harrowing account of childhood friends Rudolf Vrba and Gerta Sidonová, Slovakian Jewish teens who not only survived the Holocaust but fought back against the Nazis. In 1942, when their government announced that Jews were to be deported to "work camps," Rudi was determined not to go and ran away to try to make it to England. He was captured at the Hungarian border and sent to Auschwitz. Due to his age and health, he was spared the gas chambers and sent to work. With cunning, determination, and good luck, he managed to survive, but never stopped thinking about escape. In April 1944, Vrba and friend Alfred Wetzler made an astonishing escape-even though they were near starvation, they walked to Slovakia with a goal to tell the world what was happening in the camps. Their account became known as the Vrba-Wetzler report, which compelled President Roosevelt to intervene with the Hungarian authorities, credited with saving over 200,000 lives. Paralleling Rudi's story, readers learn how Sidonová and her family hid with relatives in Hungary, and her later work with a Hungarian resistance. Sheinkin's unflinching account of the torturous conditions in Auschwitz is chilling and unimaginable, and the escape is heart pounding. This is all expertly interwoven with informative background information making for an absorbing page-turner. This book is well documented with extensive source notes, bibliography, and index; it also includes two diagrams of the camp and black-and-white photos. VERDICT Thoroughly researched with exceptional writing, this riveting narrative is an important addition to Holocaust literature. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Karen T. Bilton © Copyright 2023. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

My Comments

Mind boggling, frightening, inspirational, educational, and a page turner. It's a terrifying adventure. A must for any 8th grade World War II reading list.

IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES by Katherine Rundell

 

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Fantasy, Magical Creatures, Quests

Katherine Rundell | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

358 pages; 2023

Description

School Library Journal starred (August 1, 2024)

Gr 3-7-An immersive low fantasy in a similar vein to The Chronicles of Narnia, this novel begins with a boy named Christopher who saves a griffin named Gelifen from drowning. Upon seeing the griffin, his grandfather tells him that Christopher is the guardian of the Archipelago: a wondrous world hidden within this one teeming with impossible creatures such as dragons, unicorns, and manticores. However, the creatures are dying. In order to save them and the Archipelago, Christopher goes with Mal, Gelifen's owner, to see why that world is dying and if they can save it. From start to finish, readers embark on a dragon ride with many emotional highs and lows. Both main and supporting characters are fleshed out, making it easy to empathize with them, and character development is enhanced by intense action scenes. Even though the cover is sweet, do not be fooled: Rundell is the George R.R. Martin of middle grade fantasy. Do not give to children who are sensitive to the deaths of beloved characters. Violence occurs throughout the story, but it is never explicit or gratuitous. Though the book will evoke sadness, readers will also be left with some hope. VERDICT A quintessential fantasy that will delight readers of all ages who can handle intense storylines; this will circulate well in public and school libraries alike.-Wilsinia Ocasio © Copyright 2024. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

My Comments

Adventure, magic, friendship, wisdom. Absolutely wonderful. I have recommended this highly to my students, but they haven't taken the bite. I hope someone does soon. It's one of those books that spans a wide age range. Love!

VIOLETS ARE BLUE by Barbara Dee

 

Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee

Realistic Fiction, Divorce, Addiction (mother), Parent-Child Relationships, Friendship, Make-Up Artistry

286 pages

Description

Booklist (August 2021 (Vol. 117, No. 22))

Grades 4-7. In this story for young teens struggling to find themselves, readers enter the jumbled world of Wren—a girl whose father recently left and is now expecting twins with his new partner, whose nurse mother is behaving increasingly strangely, and who is, herself, trying as best as she can to give voice to her feelings and ideas. Wren is not great at cultivating friendships, but she’s developing a real talent for creating visual transformations using makeup. Behind the colorful layers she applies, she doesn’t feel inadequate or “unfriendable,” and when the opportunity arises, she throws herself into doing makeup for the school play. Meanwhile her mother’s behavior becomes more erratic, with the ultimate reveal that she’s addicted to painkillers. As her mother heals and her own self-understanding deepens, Wren relies on the help of family and new friends to move toward a fresh start. Dee (My Life in the Fish Tank, 2020) again successfully tackles tough topics, making them relatable for middle-grade readers.

My Comments
Barbara Dee is hands down one of my favorite authors. She manages to address difficult issues in a realistic and age appropriate way. Highly recommended!

WINK by Rob Harrell

 

Realistic Fiction, Cancer, Friendship, Families, Middle School, Courage...with humor

316 pages.

Description

After being diagnosed with a rare eye cancer, twelve-year-old Ross discovers how music, art, and true friends can help him survive both treatment and middle school.

Kirkus Reviews (December 1, 2019)

A rare form of cancer takes its toll in this novel based on the author’s experience. Seventh grader Ross Maloy wants nothing more than to be an average middle schooler, hanging out with his best friends, Abby and Isaac, avoiding the school bully, and crushing on the popular girl. There’s just one thing keeping Ross from being completely ordinary: the rare form of eye cancer that’s reduced him to the kid with cancer at school. Ross’ eye is closed in a permanent wink, and he constantly wears a cowboy hat to protect his eyes. The doctors are hopeful that Ross will be cancer free after treatment, but his vision will be impaired, and the treatments cause him to lose his hair and require the application of a particularly goopy ointment. This isn’t a cancer book built upon a foundation of prayer, hope, and life lessons. The driving force here is Ross’ justifiable anger. Ross is angry at the anonymous kids making hurtful memes about him and at Isaac for abandoning him when he needs a friend most. Ross funnels his feelings into learning how to play guitar, hoping to make a splash at the school’s talent show. The author balances this anger element well against the typical middle-grade tropes. Misunderstood bully? Check. Well-meaning parents? Check. While some of these elements will feel familiar, the novel’s emotional climax remains effectively earned. Characters are paper-white in Harrell’s accompanying cartoons. Not your typical kid-with-cancer book. (Fiction. 9-12)

My Comments

Deeply personal, painful, but balanced with humor. The middle school feelings of just 

wanting to fit in can resonate with any person going through traumatic illness. I wouldn't 

market this book as humor because the devastating experience of disfiguring and 

painful illness rings so true, but the humor gets you through as it also gets people 

through bad experiences in life.

Pair this with Wonder by Palacio, Out of My Mind by Draper, and other similar books.

Five stars. A favorite!

STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

 

Nonfiction, United States History, Racism

294 pages.

Book Description

Kirkus Reviews starred (December 1, 2019) "Award-winning author Reynolds (Look Both Ways, 2019, etc.) presents a young readers’ version of American University professor Kendi’s (How To Be an Antiracist, 2019, etc.) Stamped From the Beginning (2016). This volume, which is “not a history book,” chronicles racist ideology, specifically anti-blackness in the U.S., from its genesis to its pernicious manifestations in the present day. In an open, conversational tone, Reynolds makes it clear that anti-black racist ideology in the U.S. has consistently relied on the erronious belief that African people (and black people in general) are “dumb” and “savage,” ideas perpetuated through the written word, other media, and pseudo-science. Using separationist, assimilationist, and anti-racist historical figures, a direct line is drawn throughout U.S history from chattel slavery through the Civil War, Jim Crow, the civil rights era, the war on drugs, and #BlackLivesMatter, with plenty of little-known, compelling, and disturbing details inserted. Readers who want to truly understand how deeply embedded racism is in the very fabric of the U.S., its history, and its systems will come away educated and enlightened. It’s a monumental feat to chronicle in so few pages the history of not only anti-black racism in the U.S., but also assimilationist and anti-racist thought as well. In the process it succeeds at connecting “history directly...to our lives as we live them right this minute.” Worthy of inclusion in every home and in curricula and libraries everywhere. Impressive and much needed. (further reading, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-adult)"

My Comments

Grades 7-12. A vitally important book. Stamped should be required reading. Jason Reynolds brings his storytelling abilities to nonfiction, bringing it alive, making it relevant, and accessible. I greatly appreciate how he chunks events, while sharing a new perspective that you will never forget. High Five stars, Absolute favorite!

AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saeed

Realistic Fiction, Multicultural, Courage, Resistance, Family

226 pages

From the Publisher

"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.

Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens--after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt.

Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal--especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Most troubling, though, is Amal's growing awareness of the Khans' nefarious dealings. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.

My Comments 

Love, love, absolutely love this one. Accessible for a wide reading level, great discussion points, and educational. Winner all the way!