Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet

Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source:  I purchased a copy from Scholastic

Take one boy named Noah and give him a stutter so he is an outsider. then turn his world upside down. That is what Anne Nesbet, the author has done to her character Noah Keller. Noah leaves his fifth-grade classroom and finds his mom and dad in a rental car. It is on the ride that they explain to him that his mom has the opportunity of a lifetime.  She is working on her dissertation about schools and children with problems like her son's. Noah learns that all of the German lessons he has been taking had a purpose. They will be flying into East Berlin. Noah has a new name and new rules. He is now known as Jonah Brown. He can't do anything that will bring attention to himself or his parents. He must not question anything because the walls have bugs. He isn't allowed to go to school even though he has taken their test. He meets a girl in his apartment building named Claudia. Because of his stutter, he ends up calling her Cloud-Claudia. She names him Wallfish.  What happens when they are caught up in something that they were not a part of. How will the secret he knows about Claudia affect their friendship?
Because I'm an adult and remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, this book was so important for me to read. I have always been fascinated by this topic. My father was stationed in Berlin when he was in the Army. This is such an important piece of history that unfortunately isn't really taught in schools. I do my best to at least introduce it to my sixth graders to the topic. I want them to start their own research on such an important topic.  I am impressed with the way the author handled the topic. The reader is right there and can feel the strain the people living on the East side of the wall must have felt, especially if they didn't agree with the politics at the time.  This is a book I will definitely promote to my students.  I had an extra copy so I passed it along to my granddaughter who had picked it up to look at. Thank you Anne Nesbet for creating a perfect book at the perfect time.

The Snake Fence by Janet Kastner Olshewsky

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is a great historical novel. Take a young Quaker boy named Noble, who believes in nothing less than peace, and put him in the middle of violent situations. He wants to bring peace between the Delaware Indians and the British settlers.

Noble wants to be a cabinet maker. Although he’s finished his apprenticeship his desire won’t become a reality until he has his own tools. That requires money. He searches for a way to make the money. An opportunity opens the door and he step through. He joins a wagon train from Pennsylvania to take supplies to Fort Cumberland. He isn’t exactly excited that he must have an older brother travel with him. This is the only way his father will allow it.

But what happens when he wants to continue helping against his father’s wishes?

I really enjoyed the book. There was obviously a lot of research don’t before the author wrote this book.  It gives us a look at the belief system and work ethic of those peaceful people called Quakers. Most people think of Quakers only when they see the oatmeal box. This gives kids an opportunity to learn about them and about the time period it is set in.  I recommended this to my 8^th grade teacher as part of one of her units. I believe this would hold their interest and help them learn so much about that time period. This is one book I will highly recommend.

Hoplite by Lee Ness

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Book description for the Hoplite novel: 
In 440BC, all the young Alexander wants to be is an Olympian. But while trying to follow his hoplite father, Alexander becomes trapped aboard a troop ship. His life spins out of control when making port, the seemingly benign state of Samos overthrows the mighty Athenian army and tragedy strikes. He soon realises that the foes in his own camp are more dangerous than the Samian rebels. When one of his only friends and allies on the island goes missing, Alexander has to further endanger his own life to try and find him but by doing so he puts his friend's life, and his mother back in Athens, in danger. 
Note: This novella is Part 1 of Hoplite. The other five parts will be released over the course of the year. 
Book description for Part 1. 
Alexander hero-worships his father, but Lysander is recalled back from furlough by the Athenian Army to intervene in a dispute between the island Samos and the City state of Miletus. Alexander decides to follow him, but finds himself trapped on the troop ship when it embarks. With the ship unable to return to port, Alexander must stay with the troops all the way to Samos. Lysander decides there is little danger as the Samians are mere farmers and scholars, no match for the might of the Athenian Army. But the Samians revolt and suddenly, all the Athenians are in danger....

My Notes:

I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This story starts off somewhat mysterious. We have a young boy, Alexander, who is sneaking along the docks. He is trying to locate his father. The reason we learn is that his father is going off to battle. He had been bullied and the way he handled it didn’t turn out right. His mother doesn’t really belong in Athens and as an outsider can own no land. With her son gone she is in danger from the people where she lives. Alexander spots his father. His desire is to speak to him and then go home. To avoid being seen he is grabbed and told to carry something aboard his father’s ship. He hides below deck where he falls asleep. When caught by a soldier he ran into on shore he is smacked around, until his father rescues him. Under his father’s care he is protected. He is stuck on board until they can get him back home. This means he will follow his father to the battle. When he sees his father killed things go from bad to worse. How will he get home? Was his father’s death his fault?

Alexander is a very brave young man who finds himself in circumstances he should never have been in. This book will keep you turning pages until you reach the end. It will also keep you waiting and wanting the next in this series. This is an awesome book.Alexander is a very brave young man who finds himself in circumstances he should never have been in. This book will keep you turning pages until you reach the end. It will also keep you waiting and wanting the next in this series.  This is an awesome book.

The Beat on Ruby's Street by Jenna Zark

Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Ruby is an eleven-year-old, who has become a "free thinker" like her idol Jack Kerouac. She is on her way to one of his readings when she is arrested and accused of stealing fruit. Her mom is an artist and her father is a musician. They allow her to run the streets and be this free thinker and this is what gets social services to remove her.  Ruby learns that there are  no perfect families. She also learns how important to it is to follow her own heart. She remains true to herself. She handles this situation  the best way she can, by being creative.
The author did a wonderful job of plunking the reader into Greenwich Village in 1958. You feel the "vibes" of that time period throughout the book. It is realistic, historical, and a book both adults and kids will be able to relate to. I am pleased to recommend this book to my students and will definitely watch for more from this author.

Pretty Maids in a Row by Teri Kanefield

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed ehre are my own.

I am and have always been a fan of time travel. Teri Kanefield is a master story teller when it comes to time travel stories. The main character is a fourteen year old girl named Mattie.  She and her parents are in France when she is transported into the body of Mary, Queen of Scots. Most time travel stories places the main character in the historical time period. This book drops the mai character into another body.  Mattie has to figure out whether she should do what she knows is best or make a decision that could change history.  This is an awesome way to do historical fiction.

One of the lessons, (yes, you knew there had to be a lesson) was about how life for women was different.  They were expected to behave a certain way and they were expected to stay in their place.  She also learned that some of her problems, time had not changed.  Like all of Teri's books I will proudly put this on my shelves at school. This is one I will also recommend to our school librarian, As long as Teri is writing books she will have a reader in me.  I highly recommend this book to all time travel fans or fans of the Tudor period.

Student Saturday: The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble

Student Reviewer: Amari B.
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

This book is a historical fiction book.  It is about a girl named Abigail Faulkners. In the beginning Abigail is punished because she was racing. While she was running she was being inappropriate by making her skirt flap everywhere showing her legs. Then all of a sudden, her dad starts acting crazy and saying crazy things like someone was after him. This book felt very emotional to me because the family has to suffer because of the dad's actions. How would you feel if you had to deal with soemone like that? I would recommend this book to people who would want to sacrifice themselves for anyone or anything.

Student Saturday: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Student Reviewer: Logan C.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

The characters are twelve year old Hugo, Isabelle, the toymaker, the stations inspector and Hugo's uncle. The setting is at the train station, the toymaker's house, and in the toymaker's shoe.

the major plot points are that Hugo is taught his uncle's craft after he is orphaned. His uncle goes missing and Hugo has to keep the clocks working. He found an automator in the fire that killed his father. They realize that the toy maker was a movie maker in the past.

Some connections I had with this book is that Hugo is my age, and likes to explore, take things apart, and make new things. I would recommend reading this book because even though it's thick it is really a quick read. I thought the book was better than the movie because the characters seem more real. This book also uses real antique photos as well as award winning drawings.

Rivka's Way by Teri Kanefield

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If you love historical fiction as much as I do then this is the book for you. Rivka is a fifteen year old girl who lives in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. The time period is the late 1800's. Unlike many of the other Jews in the ghetto, her family has it much better.  You may be wondering why. Her father is a doctor and there for is considere upper class in the ghetto.

Rivka is best friends with her brother Jakob.  She has grown up listening to his stories about the outside world.  He has left Prague to go to school to become a Rabbi.  Her mother just wants her to put foolish notions and stories away and prepare for her arranged engagement. I loved the fact that Rivka wanted to plant trees and other plants so much that she created a garden on the rooftop of her building. Having a garden isn't enough for her.  She wants so much to see what is outside the ghetto that she dresses in boys clothing and travels around as a gentile boy.  I loved her spunk.  I am not sure, given the time period that I would have had as much courage as she had to do this.  I would want the freedom, but I'm not sure I could pull it off.

This is a must read for all historical fiction buffs out there.  You won't regret this one.  Since this is considered a middle grade book I'll let you in on a secret.  I'm not a middle grade kid and I loved it. This is a book to be loved by all ages.

About the Author From Amazon
Teri writes novels, short stories, essays, stories for children, and nonfiction for both children and adults.
Her stories and essays have appeared in publications as diverse as Education Week, Scope Magazine, The Iowa Review, The American Literary Review, and Cricket Magazine.
Her children's books include the critically acclaimed The Girl From the Tar Paper School and Guilty? Crime, Punishment, and the Changing Face Justice. Both books were Junior Library Guild Selections. The Girl From the Tar Paper School was a California Reading Association Silver Honor book. Her first novel, Rivka's Way, was a Sydney Taylor Awards Notable Book. 
Teri lives in California near the beach. 
To learn more about Teri and her books, please visit her website at www.terikanefield.com

The Locket by Suzanne Lieurance

Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Source: Purchased

If you are looking for a historical fiction that will knock your socks off then this is the book.  This story is a familiar one to many of us. It is the story of lives lost in one of the worst fires in New York City.  Galena and Anya are two Jewish sisters who have immigrated from Russia with their parents.  Anya works on the 10th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Galena is only 14 and works on the eighth floor. Her job is to snip loose threads from the garments. She works six days a week.  Her sister's boyfriend Dimitri is trying to get Anya to join the union.  Their mother is against it. Dimitri wants them to be safe and he knows that working for the union is the only way that can be guaranteed. In March of 1911 a fire broke out in the factory.  Anya runs upstairs to find her sister.  What she witnesses that day is such a horror.  When talking to my students about it they will be able to make connections between this book and the Towers that were hit on 9/11.  It is a book that is hard to put down.  It is a story that must be heard again and again.  It is one I will definitely read to my students.

Two Wonderful Books by Hope Irvin Marston

Sackets Harbor Powder Monkey: The War of 1812 – Hope Irvin Marston


From Goodreads:


It's 1811 and eleven-year-old Rankin McMullin has joined the warship ONEIDA to fight the British and end the laws that force New York farmers to smuggle their potash across Lake Ontario to Canada in order to survive. As a powder boy on the brig, his job is to carry gunpowder to the carronades. Eventually the shooting war begins. How the first battle ends surprises Rankin and everybody else.


My Thoughts:


This was a wonderful book.  I love reading historical fiction.  The author has done a lot of research into the War of 1812.  As a teacher I can tell you we don’t teach a lot about this war.  I was surprised at how much I learned.  I didn’t know what a powder monkey was. To think that young boys, around the age of 11 served on these war ships and gave their lives at such a young age was surprising.  A powder monkey had to be fast and agile. Their main job was to run up and down the ladders from the deck, bringing gunpowder to the cannons. For that reason alone they were often targeted.  If the person firing the cannons couldn’t get the powder from below then they couldn’t fire their cannon.


I couldn’t understand why Rankin was so set on joining the battle. He seemed almost fearless. His older brother William signed on and was trained to fire the cannon.  One reason they were both signed on was because they could read and write.  Most boys of that time, unless their parents were wealthy were unable to read and write. The bibliography and glossary helped a lot.  For those people like me who want more information the bibliography was perfect.


 
Eye on the Iditarod Aisling’s Quest

From Goodreads


'I was born to race. Born to drive a team of sled dogs. Born to follow my dream of running the Iditarod.' This is the real-life story of a young girl with a big dream. From the time she was three years old, Aisling (pronounced 'Ashley') Lara Shepherd loved watching sled dog racing on television. Inspired by the drive and determination of the dogs and the people who race them, Aisling set out on a personal quest to one day run her own dogs in the famous Iditarod race in Alaska. Follow eleven-year-old Aisling as she conquers obstacles, deals with heartbreak and loss, and achieves great victories—all while keeping her eye on the Iditarod.


 
My Thoughts


From the very beginning I had a connection with Aisling.  When she described her eye condition and surgery I understood. Thyroid disease almost cost me my vision.  I didn’t let it stop me. I wrote and finished my first book while going through my five eye surgeries.  I am not sure anything would make me brave enough to try the Iditarod.  I admire the strength, perseverance, and courage a race like this takes. The fact that Aisling was only eleven years old makes me admire her even more.  The book not only teaches you about the race and all that goes into it, but also gives you a look at Aisling’s life. I do have to mention the illustrations.  Bob Renaud has created a set of illustrations that resemble photographs. They are that good.  I look forward to reading more books by this author.  The amount of research she puts into each and every book makes this something that I really enjoy having on my shelves.  There were two other things I enjoyed in this book besides the glossary that helped me understand the terms I didn’t know. One of them was the list of books she has included that are on the subject of the Iditarod and lesson ideas for teaching about the Iditarod. Now all I need to figure out is how I can bring the Iditarod into my Florida classroom curriculum. Like always when a subject intrigues me, I’m sure I’ll find a way.  This is a definite must read for boys and girls and for shelves in all middle schools.


About the Author (From Goodreads)


Hope Irvin Marston was the founder of the Black River Valley Writers Club and the founder and director of the North Country Children's Writers and Illustrators Workshop. She has taught creative writing workshops at Jefferson Community College and the Jefferson-Lewis Teacher Center for many years. She has also been on staff at Christian Writers Conferences at Hephzibah Heights (MA), Montrose Bible Conference (PA), and a St. Davids Christian Writers Conference at Beaver Falls, Pa. Hope is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a book reviewer for Church Libraries.


I received copies of the book in exchange for my review.  I was not compensated for it and the comments here are my own.

Student Saturday: Inside Out & Back Again - Thanhha Lai

Student Reviewer Maria C.

A girl lives in a place where war is starting, that place is Saigon. Her name was Ha. She loves everything in Saigon especially her own Papaya tree in her back yard. The Vietnam War has reached her home and she is forced out of her home. She flees with her family on a boat to the country of American and the state of Alabama. She learns the dullness of their food, the coldness of strangers and the strength of her family. She goes to school where kids make fun of her name, her skin and how her hair is. Her neighbors are kind, and she misses her papaya tree back at home. Her brother gets a job her father does too. When she gets made fun of right after school she will run to her brothers job ad tell him. Then she will go home with him. I will recommend this book to anyone who likes a story about a voyage to a new country. I really like this book.

Escape From Berlin by Irene N. Watts

Pages: 432

Genre:  YA, Adult Historical Fiction

Source: (Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program.)

From Goodreads:

Good-bye Marianne - As autumn turns toward winter in 1938 Berlin, life for Marianne Kohn, a young Jewish girl, begins to crumble. First there was the burning of the neighborhood shops. Then her father, a bookseller, must leave the family and go into hiding. No longer allowed to go to school or even sit in a café, Marianne's only comfort is her beloved mother.

     Remember Me - Young Marianne is one of the lucky ones. She has escaped on the first Kindertransport organized to take Jewish children out of Germany to safety in Britain. At first Marianne is desperate. Marianne speaks little English and is made to feel unwelcomed in her sponsor's home and, most of all, she misses her mother terribly. As the months pass, she realizes that she cannot control the circumstances around her. She must rely on herself if she is to survive.

     Finding Sophie - Sophie Mandel was only seven years old when she arrived in London on the first Kindertransport from Germany. She has grown up with a friend of her parents, a woman she calls Aunt Em, and despite the war and its deprivations, she has made a good life for herself in England with her foster mother. She has even stopped thinking about the parents she left behind. Now the war is over, and fourteen-year-old Sophie is faced with a terrible dilemma. Where does she belong?

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book.  In the past we have taught about the Kindertransport in my class.  However, I liked this much more than the book the county had picked for us.  It gave us a realistic look into how children were actually treated.  Those of us who have studied and taught about the life of a Jew during the times of the Nazis know that they had a lot of persecution to deal with.  Many parents sent their young children off to England for safe keeping, never knowing if they would be seen again.  They believed that the people taking in their children would treat them like they would their own. This was not always true.  Many of them as you learn from the stories in this book wanted them for free labor,  others saw them as traitors or demons.  I felt for Marianne the main character of the first two stories.  She is bounced around form one home to another.  Mistreated, thrown out or forced to live in opposition to her religious upbringing.  Sophia, the young girl Marianne meets on the train is treated much better.  Her “Aunt Em” is a friend of the family and treats her as if she is a relative. There is very little written about this time and it is refreshing to find a book that does such a wonderful job of telling it, even though the story is historical fiction.  This will be a great addition to my bookshelves at school.

Student Saturdays: I Survived- Lauren Tarshis

I Survived the Shark Attack of 1916
Student Reviewer: Maddy

From Goodreads:

Based on true events! It's the summer of 1916 and the Jersey shore is being terrorized by a Great White shark. Can 10-year-old Chet and his friends survive a swim in the local creek?

In the summer of 1916, ten year-old Chet Roscow is captivated by the local news: a Great White shark has been attacking and killing people up and down the Atlantic Coast, not far from Chet's hometown of Springfield, New Jersey.

Then one day, swimming with his friends, Chet sees something in the water. .

Student's Thoughts:

There is a boy who is moving and does not want to.  He is moving into a new neighborhood in New Jersey.  Behind his house is a creek.  He finds boys down at the creek every day.  They all go swimming. One day the little boy is walking around and he decides to go meet the boys.  So, now he goes swimming.  But, one day he has to go home and the other boys stay.  In the next few days one of the boys isn't there!  They figure out why!  Something lurks in the creek!

If you want to find out what's in the creek, check out Shark Attack at your nearest library.

A Long Walk to Water – Linda Sue Park

Publisher: Sandpiper

Pages: 128 pages

Source:  Purchased

Genre:  Middle Grade, Realistic and Historical Fiction

I love reading books that are based on real events.  This is the story of two people from two different time periods, whose lives cross paths.  The story of these two people is told in alternating chapters.

Sudan has always been a hotbed of controversy and war.  Innocent people are constantly caught in the crossfire.  The majority of them are children.  Salva Dut, eleven years old, is one of those children. They become known as the “Lost Boys”.  It is the 1980’s and he is at school when his village comes under attack.  The teacher hears the gunfire and sends the children running into the forest.  They travel across the desert to a refuge camp in Ethiopia.   After an extended stay they once again cross the desert to Kenya.  Many of them don’t make it.  They die of hunger, animal attacks, and attacks from soldiers.  Once in Kenya Salva begins to learn some English. He is one of many chosen to travel to America to live with an adoptive family.

The other character in this book is Nya and takes place in 2008.  She like many other young people don’t go to school.  She spends her day traveling several hours each way to bring water home to her family.  She must do this in the morning and in the afternoon.  She and Salva both lived in Sudan but in separate tribes that don’t get along.  It is her tribe that attacked his village many years before.

It is after Salva graduates that things in his country are affected by his actions.  He and Nya meet and the reader sees how their paths have crossed and why it is important.  I will be using this book in my classroom this year and I absolutely can’t wait for my students to read it.  This is a must read for anyone interested in learning what happens outside their own home.  It causes us to look at how lucky we are to live here in the United States.

Student Saturdays: The Devil's Arithmetic

Author:  Jane Yolen
Student Reviewer:  Placido

From Goodreads:

Hannah thinks tonight's Passover Seder will be the same as always. Little does she know that this year she will be mysteriously transported into the past where only she knows the horrors that await
 
Student's Thoughts:

I think this is a good book.  I found something that was alike to me.  Most times I forget some things like Hannah.  Hannah and her parents go to her grandparent’s house for a get together to tell what had happened to them.  They drive there in the car.  Hannah had to take care of the babies.  Aaron and her  start talking after she gets there about what has happened to them.  Hannah doesn’t know where or how she’s remembering them but, she does.  After they finish, Hannah goes to the bathroom.  When Hannah comes back nobody noticed that Hannah had come into the living room.  She sits back down and continues to talk to Aaron.  I think this book is very good.  It is so good I am going to recommend it to my brother since he usually likes the books I read.

The Island Horse - Susan Hughes

Publisher:  Kids Can Press, Ltd.

Pages:  160 pgs

Source:  Received a copy for review

Genre:  Grades 2 - 5, Animals, Historical Fiction

From Goodreads:

It's the early half of the 19th century in coastal Nova Scotia, and almost-ten-year-old Ellie is adjusting to the recent death of her mother. But just when she finally begins to feel happy again, Ellie and her father move to remote Sable Island, a tiny, windblown crescent of grass and sand in the Atlantic. While her father works, Ellie explores the island, feeling alone and furious with her pa for making them leave their beloved home. Even meeting a spirited island girl named Sarah does little to dispel her anger and grief. Then one afternoon, Ellie encounters a wild stallion grazing on the dunes, and slowly forges a secret connection with the beautiful horse she names Orchid. But Ellie soon learns that Orchid and his family are threatened, and it may be up to her to save them. Based on historical fact, this early chapter book is a touching exploration of loss and loneliness and the redemptive power of love and friendship

My Thoughts:

This is definitely a book for anyone who loves horses, or historical fiction.  There are so many themes here; moving on when things get tough, moving past loss and grief, facing hardships, and most importantly, friendship.  Ellie was a very believable character.  You  could see and understand her feelings.  I don’t think I would have wanted to leave the only home I’d ever known, especially if my mother had been buried there.  I enjoyed learning about Sable Island.  I had never heard of it and so learning some history is always a good thing for me.  I look forward to passing this on to students who will really enjoy this book.

Author Bio:
Susan Hughes is an award winning author whose books include Case Closed?, No Girls Allowed, Earth to Audrey and Virginia.  She has loved horses since she was a child and has long dreamed of setting a story on Sable Island.  Susan lives in Toronto, Ontario.


Website:  http://www.susanhughes.ca/ 

Student Saturday: Someone Named Eva - Joan M. Wolf

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages:  200
Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Student Reviewer:  Mirielle

This story takes place during WWII.  The years are 1942- 1945.  It focuses on the life of a young girl in Czechoslovakia after Hitler takes over.

The main character is Milada who is turning 11 years old.  She is very brave and endures much tragedy.

The story begins with Milada living a normal and happy life with her mother, father and brother.  She goes to school and has many good friends.  Her life changes drastically when Hitler and his soldiers take over her town.  They separate the women and men and take everyone to concentration camps.  to make matters worse she is then separated form her mom and grandma and brought to a school that will teach her to be a good German girl.  She is lonely and very scared.

After the people in charge think she has learned all her lessons she is adopted by anew German family.  She lives with a new mom and dad and has  a sister and brother as well.  She is treated well enough but still remembers where she came from.  Each day she forgets more about her old life.  She got used to the new home but deep down still misses her old life and real family.  She was also given a new name.  She is called Eva and is a good German girl.  This book does come full circle but you will have to read it to see what happens.

This book was interesting but not the best I have read.  It was scary to see a glimpse of what was really happening during WWII.  It was long and a bit difficult to concentrate on though.  If you are into historical books you would enjoy this. book  If you are looking for an easy read you may want to go back to the book shelf.

Promises - Carolyn Twede Frank

Promises
Publisher: August Corp Press

Pages:  172

Source:  I received a review copy from the author for her blog tour.  The opinions

              expressed here are my own.  I received no compensation for my review

Genre:  Middle School, Historical Fiction

As part of the blog tour the author asked us to share a promise we or someone in our family had made to segue into our review of her book “Promises”.  To me, I believe promises should not be made unless the intent is to keep them.  I see too many people today make empty promises.  I am not one of them.

I take promises very seriously, especially promises made to children.  I am ashamed to say that years ago I was a smoker.  When my husband and I divorced it bothered my children that I smoked.  I kept telling them I would quit.  When they asked me when, I would reply, “soon”.  They were used to their father making promises and breaking them.  I refused to let them down in that way.  My son once again asked me when I was going to quit.  I told him when I finished the pack I had, I would quit.  He said those three magical words, “Do you promise?”  I said, " yes I do".  I had a headache and laid down for a nap.  When I woke up I found my cigarettes in tiny pieces in the ashtray.  My son and his best friend told me that I was finished.  He finished with, “You promised!”  That was the end of my smoking.  Because of their father’s ability to break promises so easily, I had decided that I would never hurt them by breaking a promise to them.  When my children need something special from me they always end it with, “Do you promise?” They know that I will keep my promises.  It is the same with my students.  They know I don’t throw promises around.  To me promises are sacred.

From Goodreads:

Hattie is barely twelve when her pa’s “business adventures” disrupt her family and move them to the new town of Tropic, nestled in the shadows of old Ebenezer Bryce’s Canyon.  Her pa views the town as opportunity.  Hattie is hopelessly shy and views it with apprehension; she dreads the task of making new friends.  More than anything else, Hattie wants to be like her father-not afraid of meeting new people, talking to strangers, and standing up for herself.  So it is with trepidations that she accepts her pa’s challenge and promises to make new friends.

Hattie forms more promises as she struggles to make friends, finding companionship in places she wouldn’t have expected and learning that there is a difference between complaining and standing up for  oneself.

Promises is a heartwarming story of friendship with a touch of mystery and adventure set in the days before Bryce Canyon became a national park.  Drawn from the memoirs of Hattie Adair Jolley and her children, it is a realistic glimpse into the past and a delightful story for readers ages eight to eighty.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book.  I believe many of my students will enjoy it as well.  I could really identify with Hattie.  I was just like her.  I wanted to speak up for myself, yet was shy enough and let myself be bullied and walked on for most of my life.  I still don’t like conflict.  I loved the fact that promises meant so much to Hattie.  Her promises were driven by a desire to solve a mystery based on items she found in the house they moved into.  I definitely understood how Hattie felt when they moved  to their new place.  That was exactly how I felt when we moved to Florida when I was fourteen.  It was almost as if Carolyn followed me around as I grew up and had a microscope that showed her all of my thoughts and feelings.  This book reminded me in many ways of the “Little House on the Prairie Series”, which was always one of my favorites.  I will have no problem recommending this book to my friends.  Pick it up and read it to see if Hattie solves the mystery and stops being everyone's doormat.

About the Author:

Carolyn Twede Frank grew up in a small town in Utah.  Her love of writing first expressed itself in the third grade when she was given the assignment to write poetry and discovered the fun of creating rhymes. In high school, she had her own column in the school newspaper, and one of her articles took third place in a national editorial writing contest.

            She began college with a minor in journalism.  When an instructor slashed her writing up one side and down the other, she decided she wasn’t cut out to be a writer –even though the teacher gave her an A, and told her that his harsh critiques were meant to prepare her for the real world.  In 2006, as a participant in her neighborhood book club, she read a novel that bothered her immensely by its contents.  She thought, “I can write a better story than this!” Her love of writing was reawakened after twenty-five years of dormancy, and she immediately began her first novel, Fleeing Flagstaff.  Promises is Carolyn’s first published novel.           

            Carolyn currently lives in Utah with her husband and youngest daughter, where she continues to write and love life. 

Where you can find her:

Website:  www.carolyntwedefrank.com

Blog:  www.franklycreative.blogspot.com

Book Trailer:  http://youtu.be/cLNzO561kUA

Student Saturday: A Land Remembered - Patrick D. Smith

Publisher:  Pineapple Press
Pages:  235
Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Student Reviewer:  Mirielle

A Land Remembered is a book that takes the reader on a journey back in time to a more difficult era.  In many ways it was a much simpler life as well.  The story takes place in the Florida scrubs and the year is 1858.

The main characters start with Tobias MacIvey who is a husband and father.  he has strong moral values and is looking for a better life for himself and his family.  Emma MacIvey is his wife and mother of their son.  Her quiet strength and never ending support for her husband is to be admired.  Zech MacIvey is their son.  He starts as just an infant when the story begins and turns into a curious and outgoing boy as the story goes on.

This story tells of a man bringing his family from Georgia to the Florida wilderness.  They are escaping the Civil War in Georgia and also trying to make a better life with a fresh start for his family in Florida.  There are many challenges to surviving the Florida wilderness.  Tobias is known to be a fair and honest man who respected the land and the people on it.  Tobias and his family start out with almost nothing but through strength and tenacity they surprise even themselves by the magnitude of their accomplishments.  Along their journey they become friends with the Seminole Indians and they also make friends with an ex-slave both of which help them immensely.  The family's livelihood came from herding wild cows in the scrubs.  The story goes on to tell about their hardships and successes.

I wish that I could have been there with them on their exciting journey into the wilderness.  This book however did make me feel as close to really being there as I could be.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to explore the world how it once was.  From this book I learned so much about the Florida wilderness of that time and the people that lived there.  I truly loved this book.

Student Saturday: Al Capone Shines My Shoes - Gennfer Choldenko

Publisher:  Dial
Pages:  288
Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Reviewer:  Felicia

In the beginning a kid named Matthew, that they like to call Moose, sent a note in the laundry bag to Al Capone.  First I will tell you that Moose and his mom, dad, and sister Natalie live on Alcatraz because his dad got a job there.  Back to what I was saying about the note Moose had sent.  The note said, "Dear Al Capone, will you help me?"  Al Capone sent a note back asking what he needed help with.  Moose wanted help getting his sister Natalie into the Esther P. Marinoff School.  Al Capone sent back telling Moose "Done!"  Later that week Natalie got excepted to the Esther P. Marinoff School.  Then Al Capone asked Moose, what was in it for him.  If you want to know what happened with Al Capone and Moose, well all I can say is read the book.  I connected with Moose because I had to work with an autistic girl like Natalie.  Her name was Emily.  The only thing she said to me was hi.  She didn't like to talk.  I did all the talking all she did was sit and play with her thumbs.  I would recommend this book to people who love adventure in every two chapters, suspense on every page, and mystery in every sentence.  You will think that you are in the book with the characters looking for the lost baby.  In my mind I thought I was with Moose, Piper, Moose's dad and Natalie, screaming , "Help, stop him he has the baby.."  This book will give you a lot of mixed feelings.  The author made this book amazing.  Every page has lots of details and I also read the first book, Al Capone Cleans My Shirts. You should read that book first.  I can't wait to read another book by this author.