The Lions of Little Rock

Summary:
"Everything's changing for twelve-year-old Marlee.  Her brother's gone off to college and her sister's moved out of the room they've shared since Marlee was born.  To Marlee, who's not much of a talker outside her family and who doesn't have many friends, it feels like her whole world's falling apart.

On top of all that, she's starting middle school and has to break in new teachers - teachers who don't yet know Marlee doesn't talk.  It's not that she can't talk.  She just doesn't.  At least not until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes she could be: she's brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say, especially to the resident mean girl, Sally.  Liz even helps Marlee overcome her fear of speaking.  But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was really a colored girl caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn't matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.

Set in 1958, Kristin Levine's novel weaves a moving and heroic tale of friendship and shows us how Little Rock finally found its voice and became whole again."

Pros:  This book is a quick paced, adventurous read.  Kristin writes in a manner that instantly catches your attention and holds it the whole way through.  She makes the point that people are people, to be valued no matter what color their skin is.  This book is an intriguing story of how two girls overcome the stigma of an entire town and have the courage to do what's right, in spite of the trouble it brings them.  I really like how she used 1 Peter 3:14 as a theme throughout the book, even though it isn't technically a Christian fiction book.

Cons: The two girls have a black feather that they pretend gives them courage, kind of like in the movie Dumbo.  They also have what they call "magic squares", but I think they are just like sudoku puzzles; they don't use them for magic or witchcraft or anything like that.

Overall, this book was very good; I would recommend it!  For ages 12 and up. 

The Auschwitz Escape

The Auschwitz Escape - Joel C. Rosenberg

Summary: A terrible darkness has fallen upon Jacob Weisz’s beloved Germany. The Nazi regime, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, has surged to power and now hold Germany by the throat. All non-Aryans—especially Jews like Jacob and his family—are treated like dogs.
When tragedy strikes during one terrible night of violence, Jacob flees and joins rebel forces working to undermine the regime. But after a raid goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself in a living nightmare—trapped in a crowded, stinking car on the train to the Auschwitz death camp.
As World War II rages and Hitler begins implementing his “final solution” to systematically and ruthlessly exterminate the Jewish people, Jacob must rely on his wits and a God he’s not sure he believes in to somehow escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the Nazi’s atrocities before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.  (Copied from description on Amazon)

Pros:  This is a very interesting book that gives you a perspective on life in a death camp.  It is well-written with excitement and suspense; even though it is 480 pages, it kept me interested the whole time and I read it in less than a week.

Cons: There is some violence, as is to be expected from a book about a death camp.  It does not go into extreme detail though, so it isn't horrible.

Overall, I thought this was a very good book, especially for anyone who is interested in historical fiction.

Five stars.  Ages 10? and up.  (Question mark because it depends on how sensitive the individual person is to violence.  The suspense may also be a bit much for younger folks.)

The White Gipsy

Summary:  This book is about a boy named Willie, who is captured by a gipsy woman after flying out of a train in a train accident.  His family believes him to be dead, because his body was never found.  After a few years of being with the gipsy family, another family finds out that he is not really a gipsy and that he had been stolen, so they buy him from the gipsy family and raise him as their own.  Eventually, Willie and George (one of the family's sons) go off to boarding school, and there they meet Willie's real little brother, although they don't know it's Willie's brother because Willie can't remember anything...  And I'll not say anymore so as to avoid spoiling the story!  =)

Cons:
The only things are that the gipsies are mean to Willie and drug him so that he can't remember anything.  Also later, two of the boys in the boarding school get involved with gambling and betting, but they are caught and expelled from the school.

Pros:
Throughout the book, faith in God is prevalent, and that is one thing that Willie remembers after the accident.
He shows kindness to a boy that no one else wants to befriend, and sticks up for him when he gets in trouble, taking the punishment for him.
This is a neat story of reconciliation!  =)

Survival In The Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards

Summary:  This book in written in journal form; about a girl named Grace and her family.  It is set during the Dust Bowl and is about this family's struggle to keep going amidst the troubles they face.  Several families end up leaving, but Grace's family is one of the few that stay.  This is a very interesting book that gives you insight into what it might have been like to live during the Dust Bowl!

Cons:
Grace doesn't have a very nice attitude toward her younger sister at times; mostly due to the fact that the mother spoils the little girl and coddles her.

Pros:
I like how this family's faith is prevalent and mentioned often in this book.  They turn to God for help and mention Him often.
This book is also quite entertaining, and Grace learns a lesson of forgiveness towards the end, as well.

Ages: 8 and up