Two For Joy by Gigi Amateau

Genre: Children, Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

When Jenna's grreat-great-aunt Tannie breaks her ankle her mother becomes worried about her.  Tannie lives on a large farm and has chickens.  She has traveled all over the world and is a very active person. Jenna's mom is a nurse and knows how fragile her great-aunt's bones have become since she has gotten older. She and Jenna decided to have Tannie come and live with them.  They prepare the house and try to convince Tannie she needs to move in with them.  They go to bring her back over Spring Break and are able to convince her to move.  She sells everything and moves in with them.  But, it isn't as easy as just having someone move in with them.

I was able to relate to this simple book on such a large level.  My mother lives with us.  At first it wasn't so bad.  She was very mobile and did a lot around the house so it felt like we all just lived together and shared the responsibilites.  Then one day while we were gone she slipped and fell and broke both feet and her ankle. She is very resistant to some of our suggestions when we know it is for her best.  In a lot of ways she has given up doing things we know she can do.  As Tannie and her mom found out, there is a very delicate balance that has to be struck for everyone to live harmonioulsy.  This is a great book to read any time, but especially if you have an older loved one who must come and live with you.

The Dead Lands – Rick Hautala

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Take a mystery, add a ghost into it, tack on a murder and you have the makings of an excellent book.

Abby is a ghost who lives in a cemetery in the Dead Lands. She’s been dead for over 100 years. She’s not sure why, unlike the many that she helps, she’s been unable to move on.  She sleeps until she hears a mockingbird sing, which signals that someone needs her help.  This time it is Meagan who has shown up.  Abby quickly whisks her into the cemetery.  Why?  Abby’s uncle George Wheeler, who was once a pastor chases Abby along with his Hell Hounds.  He’s determined to get her to come to his side of things. Abby must help Meagan find out who murdered her and help her get justice.  She must do this all without being caught by her uncle.  Abby has a protector who quickly comes to her aid.  She doesn’t know who he is or when he will show up but he does.  There is a second story line that flows through this story.  Jim Burke purchased a locket that used to belong to Abby. Inside the locket is a strand of hair and a key. He was originally going to buy it for his mother because she like it, but decided to keep it because he feels strangely drawn to it. This connection is what allows him to see Abby, something no other living being has been able to accomplish. We are left at the end of the book with Meagan’s mystery solved, but not Abby’s.  This is a great set up for a second book. It can be read as a stand-alone book.

When I went in search of this author who was new to me, I was saddened to learn he had died of a heart attack in 2013.  I love his book and would have gladly read the entire series.  It was so good that it only took me a couple of hours to read it.  Now we will never have the answers to the questions we had at the end of the book about Abby and her uncle.  I will recommend this to all of my students.  It is one of the best I’ve read in a long time.

Happy Fourth of July - Dad's War Photos by neal Bertrand

I could think of no better book to review for the Fourth of July than this book here.  After all isn't this what this holiday is about, Celebrating freedom?  Enjoy the review.

Genre: Photo-Biography, WWII, History
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.


From Goodreads:
Curtis Bertrand returned home from WWII in the South Pacific with over 600 photos. These never-before-seen pictures from his private collection, along with official battalion journal entries and stories of near-death experiences entail drama, adventure, and depict the reality of war.
Dad's War Photos covers many aspects of Curtis's experiences: leaving the farm in Opelousas, Louisiana, going to boot camp, being sent overseas, and coming back home, all through the lens of his Kodak fold-up camera passed down to him from his parents.
The homecoming and post war life chapters give an intimate view of what many returning soldiers faced. For Curtis it was getting back to work on the farm, meeting his lovely wife, and trying to put bad memories aside.
Two appendices include extensive photo coverage of WWII aircraft nose art and the daily lives of natives in the South Pacific.

My Thoughts:
I am so glad that Neal Bertrand took his father's pictures and journals and put together this book.  This is a fabulous primary source. As a teacher I am please to have it as a resource, although I am sure I will be accosted by upper grade teachers who teach history for my copy.  I believe in sharing.  I loved not only the pictures which gave you a first hand look at what was taking place in the Pacific, but also the military journal entries.  This gave you a first hand look at what else was going on with him and the other's in his battalion during the month.  Another added bonus was the section titled "Elsewhere in the War". This section allowed me to see not only what was happening where he was but also in Japan, Germany and other important places.  Every book I've ever read similar to this deals only with what was going on in that particular area. This book give the reader a wider picture of the war.  I find this beneficial for students who may use this as one of their primary sources when researching.   I would however caution if you are using this as a resource for middle school.  Not all middle schoolers are mature enough for some of the pictures.  Yes I know that shocks you.  There is a picture I found hilarious of a group of men on an outside latrine, naked butts to the camera.  Then there are the pics of the half naked women on the planes, or the Philippine women who are naked from the waste up. This is life, but not all middle schoolers  are mature enough.  I must also caution that some of the pictures are quite graphic of corpses.  All in all this is a book that is not just a photo journal, but a wealth of written information as well.  I am so happy I had the honor of reading and reviewing this book.

About the Author:
Neal Bertrand is a publisher, full-time author, and an avid genealogist and family historia. In 2009, he began scanning his dad's World War II photos. eal had never seen what was written on the backs of the photos because they had bee attached to the pages of three photo albums kep in a cedar chest in the hallway of Neal's childhood home. The photos were put in the albums in no particular order. But once he gifured out the timeline, Neal was able to organize them by coutry, month, ad year. After six months of culling the photos and researching diary entries of his dad's outfit, the 863rd Engineer Aviation Battalion, Neal was able to trace his father's steps from boot camp to war and back home.

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