Sol could talk all he wanted about how the world worked, but he was an American, and he would never know what it was like, how dumbfounding, how confusing, how paralyzing it was when it all went wrong, when the place you lived in your whole life, your city, your beloved country, abruptly and for … Continue reading Book Review: The Lost Family by Jenna Blum
Hana, come home. Her sister's voice is loud in her ears, jolting her back to the present, to the room and the solider still asleep on the floor beside her. The ceremony fades into the darkness. Desperate not to let it go, Hana squeezes her eyes shut. She has been held captive for nearly two … Continue reading Book Review: White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
There are days when I feel like the secret is growing inside of me, and wonder if I might explode like a popped balloon. But I have to keep Mama safe, and not let the words out. Words the could ruin everything and put us all in danger. At first all I wanted to do … Continue reading Book Review: Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman
Anna watched the sea. There was a feeling she had, standing at its edge: an electric mix of attraction and dread. What would be exposed if all the water should suddenly vanish? A landscape of lost objects: sunken ships, hidden treasure, gold and gems and the charm bracelet that had fallen from her wrist into … Continue reading Book Review: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
He picked up the penny, squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could, and wished Dad was gone. Just like that. When he opened his fist, the penny was still in his hand. He heard the distant rumble of thunder in the San Gabriel Mountains. It would rain soon. Max suddenly felt bad. He … Continue reading Book Review: The Trick by Emanuel Bergmann
The sudden cold butt of the gun against her temple surprised her. She didn't even let out a cry before the man grabbed her arm, and the letters fell from her hands, onto the unblemished snow. In Austria in 1938 the Nazi party is gaining a foot-hold and Kristoff is forced to witness Jewish families … Continue reading Book Review: The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor
Everyone needs to hide the truth and reinvent himself in order to survive. Based on true events during WWII, The Orphans Tale by Pam Jenoff ephasizes the lengths we go to protect one another and the resillience of the human spirit. The story begins with Ingrid, a Jewish woman, decendant of a circus ancestry, forced … Continue reading Book Review: The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff
The Life Between Pages 