Then by Morris Gleitzman

Then by Morris Gleitzman
Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Source: Purchased a copy

In the second book in this series Felix has taken Zelda under his wings. He has decided  to help them find a new home and find his parents who he still thinks is alive. He holds on to this hope throughout. Zelda claims she is Jewish even though she isn’t. Her parents were actual Nazi supporters. As Felix and Zelda travel across Poland they witness the horrors of the Nazis. Felix does his best to shield her from a lot of this violence. He tells her stories to take her mind off of any troubles they may run into. As a ten-year-old he seems at times so much older. Zelda is only six and can definitely be annoying. Felix takes it all in stride.  This is the second book in the series and the tension is just beginning to get really taught. I highly recommend this series.

First Post of the New Year: Once by Morris Gleitzman

Last year I didn't come close to hitting my reading goal of 100. I had lowered it a lot. A lot happened last year. We had multiple deaths in our family. We had a lot of changes at school. I have raised my goal to 150 books for 2020. I just need to work harder at my reading. 

This series is one that I am glad I have read. I will give you one review per day. However, it only took me two days to read the entire series. They are short, but powerful. I definitely recommend these books to young and old alike.

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Genre: Middle Grade, YA, Historical Fiction

Source: Purchased

As a teacher I am always trying to find wonderful books for my shelves. This is a whole series based around the Holocaust and its aftermath on people. I definitely recommended it to my students.  Felix is a young Jewish  boy living a hidden life in an orphanage. He believes his parents will be coming for him any day. He has been at the orphanage for three years.  One day the Nazis’s visit the orphanage and find Jewish books which they take to the courtyard to burn. Felix is horrified that they would burn these books. His parents owned a book store. He decides he is going to have to find and save his parents and their books. He prays for help to God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Pope and Hitler. This gives us an indication that he has no idea what is going on in the world.  Later he adds in the name of his favorite author and removes Hitler’s name. He gets himself and others out of trouble by telling stories. I think it was Felix’s love of books that helped me connect to him. He runs away from the orphanage and rescues a young girl whose parents are killed. It seems to be his mission to help others as he tries to find his parents. This is a wonderful book highly recommended. Be advised that the author does not water down what the Nazis were like or the atrocities they inflicted on others.

Blue: Little Boy Blue by Elizabeth Rose

       I liked the fact that I could have read this book as a stand-alone. I was asked to read and review this book. It looked so interesting I purchased all three and started at the beginning. Since Raven Birchfield dug up an old nursery rhyme book and a quartz necklace things have not been the same. First, she was haunted by Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. Then she had to help her best friend who was being controlled by Miss Muffet. Who would have suspected she would now have to help her brother who is being controlled by Little Boy Blue. He found an old trumpet when they moved into his aunt’s house. He is not very good at playing it. However, Blue is definitely good at playing the trumpet. Johnny likes Blue so he is perfectly fine being stuck in this realm that Blue once lived in.

Everything happening to Johnny began when his sister found a blue jacket in an old trunk. It was given to her brother as a birthday gift. The jacket is all that is needed for Johnny to start behaving differently. There is a lesson to be learned in this one. This book talks about confidence or believing in oneself. I am liking the way these books are going and look forward to reading more by this author.

Muffet:Miss Muffet by Elizabeth Rose

           It wasn’t bad enough that Raven Birchfield was controlled by Mary, Mary Quite Contrary for a while. It all started when she found an old nursery rhyme book and a crystal in her back yard. The battle to keep Mary from over-taking her life was real. Now Raven has something more to worry about. Her best friend Candy is being controlled by Miss Muffet.

Candy is the best candidate for Miss Muffet. She has a lot of anger toward her step-father. He is abusive in many ways. Miss Muffet feeds off of that anger. Can Raven help her best friend overcome this terror known as Miss Muffet?
          This was another wonderful by Elizabeth Rose. I have always loved nursery rhymes. I was in high school when I learned there was a completely different reason for the nursery rhymes I grew up with. They were not originally created to entertain children. They were there to teach and to express feelings about what was going on during the time period.  This was the second book in the series so I am looking forward to reading the next one.

Mary, Mary (Quite Contrary) Nursery Rhyme Series by Elizabeth Rose

      

            Raven Birchfield is not real thrilled to move into a house once owned by her dead aunt. The house hasn’t been opened up in a long time. When Raven, her brother and mother arrive they realize how strange their aunt was. Raven begins school only to find herself bullied by one of the most popular girls in the school. She is placed in a horticulture class, which is not something she really had an interest in. After almost letting her flower for her horticulture class die, she brings it home and clears out an area in the back yard to plant it. In the process she makes a couple of discoveries. The first discovery is an old cemetery at the back of their yard along with a creepy raven. The second is an old book she digs up while digging the hole for her flower, and a quartz necklace. Both of these things will have a major effect on her life.

            Raven suddenly finds herself in the body of Mary from the nursery rhyme, but she learns how nasty this person was in real life. When Mary is in control of Raven’s body and mind she is not the most pleasant person. The battle to remain Raven and not Mary is real. The question is, who will be the strongest and win the battle?

            I loved that this was based on a nursery rhyme instead of a fairy tale. Most people don’t realize that nursery rhymes were an accepted way of talking about real people who were not the most pleasant. Everyone knows that bad-mouthing a queen could get your head taken off. Write a nursery rhyme that has a hidden meaning and you could spread your thoughts about that person all you want. This was the first book in the series. I loved it so much I purchased it and the other two books for my classroom.

            I loved that this book had a message about loving and accepting who you are. Maybe this will be the vehicle used by teens to learn this lesson.

Three Cute books by Arline Cooper

Be Brave,Little Puffy
Puffy is a pufferfish who doesn't like his spikes. He pulls them out and pricks his friends with them. He decides to go out and try to find some new friends because no one else wants to be friends with him.  He meets many wonderful fish, but none of them want to be his full-time friend.  When danger comes their way Puffy must rely on the thing he hates the most to save himself and his friends.

Enjoy, Slow Little Puffy
Little Puffy swims very slow. When all of the other fish go flying past him it makes him sad. It also makes him wish he was like the other fast swimmers. Then he meets the lionfish and several other fish that teach him that sometimes it is bests to slow down and look around. Puffy will use this lesson to help save a friend.  What a great lesson to teach children.  Great lessons in a colorful yet simple book. What a great book to teach self-esteem.

Be Friendly, Little Puffy
Puffy and another fish greet each other one morning. However, it soon becomes a contest about who is the most beautiful fish. They swim off to see the all wise octopus. The octopus teaches them that they are each special in their own way. She teaches them that their looks don't matter. She sends them off to find a gift for the other. Through this lesson they learn much.

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman

I am always telling my students to read the back or inside cover to pick a book. I tell them not to pick it simply based on the cover. This is one time I didn't follow my own advice and I am glad I did not.  We have a surplus store not to far from us. My husband decided a week ago that I needed to go and buy some books because it had been several months since I had been there for that reason. This store buys overstock. The first one-eighth of the store, right inside the doors is their book section. I can buy books that are regularly $17-$18 for  As low as $2-$3. Most of these are hardback books. Sometimes they are the third or fourth in a series and I must go elsewhere to purchase the first ones. Since we recently read Maus and did a Holocaust study in my high school credit class I have kept my eye out for books about World War II. I have a student who is quite an expert on this war. So, when I came across this book and read the title I put it in my cart.

This was a story unfamiliar to me. I am aware that during wartime they had the Kindertransport that took predominantly Jewish children away from parts of Europe that the Nazis were beginning to take control. There was an effort I was unaware of until this book. The CORB was an organization that took both poor and wealthy children and relocated them to Canada. From there some went to live with relatives or friends either in Canada or the United States.

The passenger ship SS City of Benares was one of these ships. There were 406 people on board this ship.   This passenger ship was torpedoed and sank in 30 minutes. Only 148 people survived. This book tells the story of many of those courageous people. It shows how hope, determination and sometimes just human decency can mean everything when it comes to survival. The author has done a tremendous amount of research and her bibliography is so informational for people like me who would like to learn more. It was truly one of the best books for kids I have read on this time period. I highly recommend it.

Cover Reveal and Review: An Unexpected Exploit by Kandi J. Wyatt

Here it comes!  The release date, September 10th,  is almost here for the third book in the Myth Coast Adventure Trilogy.  Not only does it have a beautiful cover, but it has a wonderful story inside.

Review

In this third installment, we find Franklin out hunting. He sees what he believes is a bear. As he raises his gun to shoot, the creature disappears. Franklin goes to investigate and stumbles into another realm, Shinwano. When he doesn't return home his friends go to search for him.  In the alternate realm, Franklin is being trained to protect the portal and his new friends.  Franklin returns to his own realm. Unfortunately, Jack Collins, the poacher is up to his old tricks. This time he forces Franklin to show him the way in. Franklin's friends follow to help him out. Franklin is welcomed back into the village. The secret he carries about the danger he has brought into Shinwano is eating away at him. Will he do the right thing? Can he save those he loves?

This is a must-read when it comes out. I can't wait for it to come out in paperback so I can purchase it for my classroom and a couple of grandkids.

Pre-order a copy! Then go here and fill out this form: 

 http://bit.ly/preordergiveaway

Witch Catcher by Mary Downing Hahn

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mystery
Source: I purchased a copy

When my granddaughter messaged me that she had found another Mary Downing Hahn book she wanted I bought it. You know how it goes, you order a book then find several more by the author that you need/want to read.  This was one of those jewels. What drew me in was the difference in the subject matter. Hahn is known for her ghost stories. In this book, we meet Jen and her father who have just moved into a house her dad inherited. It is full of antique artifacts from his eccentric uncle. Jen disobeys her father and visits the tower behind their house. There she finds a glass globe that she takes back to her house and hides.  Jen is surprised to learn that when her father had come to this small town to work on the house he had met an antique dealer and started a relationship with her. Jen is not thrilled. She is even more upset when she meets Moura. Something doesn't seem right.  Moura makes it clear that she wants the globe and knows that Jen has it. Jen's cat Tink accidentally breaks the globe releasing a fairy from inside. With Moura's reaction, the change in her father and Moura's mysterious friend Jen knows that she must get involved if she wants to save her dad and her new friend. I absolutely loved this book.  Hahn has an author's note in the back that explains witch catchers and her fascination with them. I am sure my students are going to love this one.

Guest Post by Richard Spitzer - The Margin of Error War

The 2016 Presidential election exposed the cyber-war waged by the adversaries of the United States.

How did it happen?   How did we let it happen?  What did we miss?

Cyber-defenses must be developed now to prevent the 2016 cyber-attack from repeating in the 2020 election. But if we don’t understand how our adversaries succeeded, countermeasures will not be effective.

We thought we knew a lot about cyber-war, but our adversaries knew more. We did not recognize the subtle aspects of the new “information-terrorism” war. What exactly did Russia and China do? How did we miss it? What can we do to fight the new cyber-information war?

How could I analyze all the information? We know what happened in the 2016 cyber-attack, but what were the conditions that led to that event ? My practical approach was to reverse engineer the known events and work backwards over the long history of US vs. Russia and China conflicts.

My research process was similar to the crime mysteries from TV, movies and books. The story opens with the discovery of a crime. The detectives investigate the scene, look for clues, motives and possible suspects, backtracks every possible step that led up to the crime

The Margin of Error diagnosis is similar to the criminal investigation, but we are starting with far more information than a typical crime story. We know:

ü  The crime: the infiltration of digital news and  social media with fake information and hacking  of the 2016 presidential election.

ü  The perpetrators: the adversaries of the United States, primarily Russia, China and to a lesser extent, Iran and North Korea.

ü  The likely motives: the malicious intentions of our adversaries  for economic, political and global influence, and to harm the United States and  the 2016 presidential election.

ü  The obvious weapons used in the crime: mass media, social media, hacking of digital files.

ü  All the basics of the crime have been confirmed by the first investigation teams and the  U.S. intelligence agencies about the scope and actions of external “meddling” in the U.S. elections.

So, our mystery is not a whodunit, or why they did it, or what weapons were used.

Our mystery is how the cyber- weapons were brought into our space undetected and used so effectively.

The second familiar crime concern – is the perpetrator still at large ? Are we still at risk for another similar crime? The answers are yes.

The Margin of Error War diagnoses the long-term war against the US and the 2016 turning point, when we lost the first epic cyber-battle of the 21^st century. Russia, and friends, found the subtle and unrecognized techniques to manipulate the news and voters – right in front of us– to shift political polls, in critical areas, just enough, within the “margin of error”.

The internet has leveled the global battlefields. All combatants now have the same capabilities to wage cyber-war using unregulated digital media. And digital communications technology has advanced far faster than our systems to ensure their safe and legitimate use.

Our adversaries did not have to use the digital media to influence every vote in America, their plan was simpler and easier. The basic strategy had two components that we missed in real-time:

·         Aggravate and accelerate every conflict that was already present in the US, to increase divisiveness.

·         Change the minds of just 2% of the people, in critical states. The elections in three states, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were each decided by less than 1%. Our adversaries were able to manipulate news and opinions, nudge just enough votes to be undetected, because the shifts in the political polls were “within the margin of error”.

We have one more chance before 2020 to get the cyber-war right.

We have a government and professionals who have the knowledge to develop the hi-tech cyber defenses. But we also need new information defenses that will give us more confidence in the credibility of the news and the providers.

There are regulations for accrediting or  inspecting food, airplanes, water, colleges, almost everything in our life to help ensure they are safe and accurately presented. But we have no standards for the critical news that affects our lives. We can develop the standards to make sure that most news and political polls provide the most accurate, reliable and honest information possible.(Yes, can stay within First Amendment rights).Two things we can do now:

·         Create an accreditation system for news and information providers. No one will be prohibited from publishing news, but accreditation will be an additional step for sources that want to be acknowledged as willing to meet standards of transparency and legitimacy.

·         Develop robust standards for political polling. General practices are currently observed, but they are insufficient to ensure that surveys and political polls are designed and conducted to minimize bias and help make them more comparable. The disclaimer of poll results must be sued recognizing  the “margin of error”, is not a safeguard, its an excuse.

You have to judge what you believe about our diagnosis and proposals, but you can’t disagree with the current state of global conflicts. The conflicts are real; the identities of terrorists are not in question. Most of the tools, tactics and actions are documented. This book is about how it happened, how easily it happened, and what we can do while we still have time to combat our adversaries and preserve America institutions and democracy.

Yes, the truth can be more alarming than fiction.

Available on    Amazon

Richard Spitzer   

richard@marginoferrorwar.com

www.marginoferrorwar.com

847-736-2424