Making Bombs For Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

The book Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is a great book. It is about these sisters who get separated during World War II. We hear the story from the older sister’s perspective, who is forced to work in the concentration camps. This is a hard and difficult task to do, knowing that …

Suspect Red by L. M. Elliott

FBI agents. Wiretapping. Banned Books. This historical fiction novel is a great book to read during Banned Books Week. Thanks to the #kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own. It's the summer 1953, and the United States has just executed Julius and Ethel Rosenberg after being convicted …

Auma’s Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital galley for review- all opinions are my own. Auma loves to run. She has big dreams to win a track scholarship so she can attend high school and then maybe even become a doctor. She doesn’t want the same life as many …

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Full of suspense, magic, friendship, challenges, and the healing power of music, Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a must read. Don’t be turned away by the length of this book. Consider it four books woven into one. Check out the synopsis below, then get a copy and discover how music has the power to …

Lost Boys by Darcey Rosenblatt

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital galley of this book for review - all opinions are my own. You know a book is going to be good when the first sentence is so vivid and surprising that you are instantly drawn into the story wanting more. Lost Boys by Darcey Rosenblatt opening …

Watched by Marina Budhos

Naeem can sense the clicks of surveillance everywhere he goes. Cameras on poles, police cars parked outside Mosques, and unknown watcher hidden in the community. There is always someone watching his immigrant neighborhood in Queens. Naeem isn’t much of a rule follower. So when he get caught in a sticky situation and the cops offer …

Refugee by Alan Gratz

Three different kids. Three different periods in history. All with one mission in common: escape. Alan Gratz masterfully weaves together three refugee stories in this engaging and important historical fiction novel. Josef is escaping Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Isabel is leaving Fidel Casto’s Cuba in 1994, and Mahmoud is fleeing Syria's civil war in …

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan

Do you know that your favorite chocolate sweet could be hurting kids half a world away? 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from West African countries, mostly the Ivory Coast. The children in Western Africa live in severe poverty, and most begin work at a very young age to help support their families. Unaware of …

Seeking Refuge by Irene N. Watts and illustrated by Kathryn E. Shoemaker

A brief history lesson In an effort to rescue Jewish children from the Nazi regime, the Kindertransport was created. The United Kingdom waved immigration paperwork to allow these children to escape persecution. The first Kindertransport arrived in London in 1938, bringing two hundred Jewish children from Berlin. In the nine months preceding World War II, …

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo is the queen of storytelling. Her unique characters and captivating tales create stories that stay with us long after we finish them. She first stole my heart in Because of Winn-Dixie, illuminated my world in The Tale of Despereaux, and has now reminded me of the power of friendship in Raymine Nightingale. Raymie …