Category: Historical Fiction
diary—a diary that unveils the horrors of daily life among a group of twenty resilient, courageous and defiant young women. The paper heart was a “birthday gift” given to Fania as an act of total defiance by the women who lived and worked side by side. If any of them were caught while making it or if Fania would have been caught with it in her possession it would have meant certain death. The paper heart survived and is in a Holocaust Museum in Canada.Stay Where You Are And Then Leave
Stay Where You Are and Then Leave
By John Boyne
Grades 5 and Up
Genre: Historical Fiction
One of my all-time favorite movies as a child was, The Little Princess starring Shirley Temple and this book brought back those fond memories. If you are older like me, you might remember that Sarah (Shirley Temple) has been searching hospitals for her father who has been reported killed in action in World War I. But, Sarah knows in her heart he is not dead and the wicked boarding school mistress cannot stop her from sneaking out and looking 
for him. So, I searched online and found the four-minute ending to the movie—sweet memories. To my surprise I see YouTube has the entire movie—here’s the link in case you want to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDyX3wsVLxw
As I was saying, John Boyne’s book has a similar theme! Alfie will never forget his 5th birthday—it is the day his father, Georgie enlisted in World War I. He thought if he enlisted he might have better duty than if he got drafted. Alfie’s life changed forever on that day—his mom had to get two jobs so they could keep their house and have food to eat, Alfie cuts school to secretly become a shoe shine boy and the world engaged in war that was supposed to last for six months and ended up lasting for over four years and three months—which seemed like forever for Alfie. Letters from Georgie came regularly for a while, then not so often and then not at all. Alfie’s mom said that Georgie was on a secret mission and could not write but Alfie now nine, knew better. Alfie, like Sarah from The Little Princess took on a mission to find his father. I enjoyed the book and I hope students will have a sense of how difficult times were when young men go off to war.
Gingersnap
Ginger Snap
By Patricia Reilly Giff
Lamb Books, 2013.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reading new books, listening to older ones—then I went to book warehouse and bought a used copy to add to our library! I love Patricia Reilly Giff books—they are good wholesome stories perfect for 5th and 6th graders (and me too)!
Set during the height of World War II, in 1945 in Upstate New York Rob is preparing to join the war effort in the Pacific. Rob has mixed emotions about heading off to war as he will be leaving his only family member, a younger sister, Jayna. Jayna will have to leave their home and stay with the crabby and mostly disagreeable landlady. As Rob is getting ready to leave he shares with Jayna that perhaps they have a grandmother alive in 
Brooklyn as he found a recipe book with a woman’s name and the bakery she owns. He says when he comes back they will go and investigate. However, Rob goes missing in action when his ship comes under attack. Jayna is distraught and she sees a spirit that encourages her to head to Brooklyn to see where she fits in. Jayna packs up the recipe book, her turtle Theresa and heads off in quest of family. Join Jayna as she deals with heartbreak and hope in this compelling story of family and friendship.
Wolf Hollow
Wolf Hollow
By Lauren Wolk
New York: Dutton Children’s Book, 2016.
Pages 291 Grades: 5 and Up Genre: Historical Fiction
This was a fabulous story about eleven-year-old Annabelle whose family are farmers and live out in the country during World War II. Annabelle gets up does her chores, goes to school and comes home and finishes her chores—a rather quiet existence until Betty Glengarry moves in with her grandparents. Betty is like your worst nightmare—a mean, mean bully! The local vagabond, Toby, steps into save Annabelle from Betty and befriends Annabelle. Toby is what we call today homeless veteran of WW I who suffers from Post 
Traumatic Stress Disorder. Annabelle’s mom says that he is odd and to keep her distance—even though she herself often sends food to him. A friendship grows between Toby and Annabelle and Betty begins to become more violent and blames the terrible things that are happening on Toby. It is hard for the people of Wolf Hollow to understand what is happening and Annabelle is having difficulty expressing herself and so begins a web of deceit—she begins to lie. Come along on this action packed historical novel as Annabelle tries to find courage to speak up for what is right!
Raymie Nightingale
Raymie Nightingale
By Kate DiCamillo
Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2016.
Grades 4 and Up 262 Pages
You will not soon forget the three girls in this delightful story of friendship, family troubles and a quest 
to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire Competition! Raymie, Louisiana and Beverly meet at their first baton twirling class—where the instructor Miss Ida Nee calls off class because the girls were too dramatic—Ida Nee reminds me of Sue Sylvester in Glee! Raymie tells the story of how her father runs off with a dental hygienist without even saying goodbye to her. She knows in her heart if she would win the competition, become famous her father would surely come back. Louisiana needs to win so that she does not get sent to a foster home and Beverly—she just wants to sabotage the competition. You will laugh and cry as their friendship grows and they slowly begin to have faith in one another and find strength when they begin to share their struggles.
A great story not to be missed!
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
By Firoozeh Dumas
New York: Clarion Books, 2016.
Grades 6 and Up. Pages 378.
This is the story of Zomorod Yousefzadeh told in first person by an eleven-year-old who is just trying to fit in, again! Zomorod is settling in from her fourth move between Iran and California in the 1970’s. She is really tired of being the new and different student; so she decides to make changes by taking an American name, Cindy. This she believes will allow her to make an easier transition into school so that each class she does not have to give the origin of her given Iranian name—which makes her stand out.
I found it delightful and humorous that Cindy wants all the American experiences she can get—food, school, camp, scouts, holidays and that her parents are wanting to maintain their Iraqi culture. No surprise that there are a lot of parental clashes! At Thanksgiving, Cindy wants to have an American Thanksgiving dinner but she compromises with her parents as they settle on cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie with their dinner. As they open the can of cranberry sauce the author describes that the “sauce” does not come out of the can. They shake and shake can until all at once it plops out in one big piece—fearing that it is spoiled; they just throw away the can shaped blob.
The 1970’s are a tumultuous time in Iran and for relations with the United States. The author does a great job of helping the reader to understand the role of the oil industry, the political leadership in Iran and the Iran Hostage Crisis. The latter which causes her family much distress as her father, an oil engineer loses his job in America. Then random acts of hatred begin to occur—blaming her family on the hostage situation—subtle at first and then a dead hamster with a note to go home! Iran is in so much turmoil they cannot return home and so they are stuck in the United States with their fear, and their family and life falling apart.
Lucky for Cindy, she has a caring and compassionate friend, Carolyn that helps her to make sense of her world and those who Cindy has touched rally around the family. When Cindy tells Carolyn they are returning to Iran because they have no job and no money she and others join forces to help Cindy’s family to pick up all the broken pieces and put their life in the United States back together again!
It is a wonderful story that will make you laugh and have an appreciation for those Americans that have a different heritage from our own. They all have a story to tell!
Somewhere Among
Somewhere Among
By Annie Donerth-Chikamatsu
New York: Atheum Books for Young Readers, 2016.
Grades 6 and Up Pages 433
This is the story of Ema, told in verse. She is the daughter of an American mom and Japanese father. There is a lot going on in this story maybe too much for the younger readers. 
Ema’s mom is expecting but has miscarried in the past and is now on bedrest at the childhood home of her father. Ema is binational, bilingual and bicultural. But being between two very different countries and cultures is very difficult for 11 year old Ema. She often talks of the difference between the grandparents—the ones from California are loving and giving and the ones from Japan who are very stoic, strict and simple. The lifestyles couldn’t be any farther apart. As Ema tries to make sense of her world—her mom’s difficult pregnancy, the events of 9/11, the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the current sinking of a Japanese ship, being the new kid at school and being bullied– she tries to blend the two cultures together to understand the tragic events. Although, I think there was way too much going on in this book—I enjoyed the journey. Experiencing the Japanese holidays, the cultural differences, family structure and education helped me to appreciate how difficult it is to be different and to be more understanding of those who are culturally trying to fit in.
Nine, ten: A September 11 Story
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story
By Nora Raleigh Baskin
New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2016.
Grades 5 and Up Pages 197.
Just how can this story be Historical Fiction? All of my middle students were officially not born when the events of 9/11 took place—it is so hard for me to imagine—time passes so quickly!
Nora Ra
leigh Baskin’s new book Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story looks at this event,
two days prior from the perspective of four young children from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California who don’t know each other –at least not yet! They all have struggles in their lives—absent parent, death of parent, new school, being Muslim and yet the tragedy of 9/11 binds and unites them all in a way the reader will not soon forget!
Anyone who has lived through 9/11 can tell you exactly what and where they were on that fateful day when we watched in horror as first one then two planes flew into the World Centers, one into the Pentagon and the final one into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nine, Ten will gently and thoughtfully introduce a new generation to the events of September 11, 2001.
Anna and the Swallow Man
Anna and the Swallow Man
By Gavriel Savit
New York: Alfred Knopf, 2016.
YA—grades 8 and Up 232 pages.
This book is brilliantly written by a new author Gavriel Savit. This is the story of Anna who lived in Krakow, Poland in 1939. She was just seven years old when her father, a college professor, was rounded up by the Germans. This group of intellectuals was either imprisoned or sent to their death but all Anna knows is that her father does not come back to pick her up. She was left with a friend who ran a pharmacy, who does not want and leaves her outside. In comes a man that befriends Anna—or at least she thinks he does. So she follows him out of town and that is where he revels his magic to her—he a master at many languages including birds. He can call birds, swallows, at will—this seems magical to Anna.
Anna, sensing she has no one in the world begins to attach herself to this stranger, Swallow Man. Poland is much too dangerous to settle in one place so this odd duo become nomads. Traveling off the beaten path, trying to survive and outlive the horrors of the Nazi invasion. Swallow Man teaches Anna how to survive—how to eat from the forest, how to barter, how to overcome adversities. Swallow Man is very good at observing or studying people and then knows how to get what he needs or wants from them. He is the ultimate con man; a master of deceit. Throughout this book I had many questions, who is this man, what does he have to hide from, what is cultural background and why does he befriend Anna? And what that of Anna—is she Jewish, what makes her trusting of a troubled young man they find along the way?
I continued with questions right up to the end of this book—why, why, why! The book first left me hanging and I was mad. Then I began to reflect on this beautifully written story–in the end I compared this book to Jonathon Livingston Seagull—discovering of greater truths are unobtainable until we are willing to forgive the wrongs that are done to us!
Definitely YA book—Anna at one desperate point in the story needs to sell herself.
Reading in the Middle 