I Survived The Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 by Lauren Tarshis

Genre: Upper Elementary, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Adventure

Source: I own a copy 

Hugo, his sister Gertie, their parents and their dog Panya are going to America on the Hindenburg.  They had spent the previous year in Kenya. Hugo’s parents are scientists. They have loved it there, but Gertie got malaria. They have only the hope of new medicine in America to save her life. On the Hindenburg, Hugo and his family are introduced to the man in charge of the Hindenburg and his daughter. There are Nazi soldiers on board because they are looking for a spy.  All of this is tense enough. When the actual event happens you get a small feel for what it was like inside the Hindenburg when it burst into flames and hit the ground. All of this took a little over thirty seconds. I was handed this book by one of my students and told I needed to read it over Spring Break. I am glad I did. I highly recommend it.

What Hurts the Most by Willow Rose

 

Genre: Adult, Suspense/Thriller

Source: I purchased a copy

I love the setup of this book the chapter titles are dates. The book switches back and forth between past and present and the dates help keep you from getting confused.  Mary is a journalist with a young son. She has been fired from her job. When she learns her brother has been arrested for murder she returns to Cocoa Beach Florida to try to solve this crime. The tensions run high in this book. In the beginning she stays with her father and her step-mother. There is definitely no love lost between Mary and her step-mother.  Then there is her ex-husband and all of her old friends. Together they set out to try to prove her brother’s innocence.   One thing is for sure, Willow Rose does an excellent job of creating a variety of well fleshed out characters. Each of them have their own quirks, some of them very annoying. Be sure this book will keep you on the edge of your seat reading until the end.

Plum Springs by Dan Lawton

 

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

This could have been ripped straight from the headlines. As a matter of fact we have seen stories like this in the news. We have the abuse of young children by their father. Bo and Rusty work long hours in the field. They have little food or water. They do everything they can to protect their youngest sister Ruby. Living next door are the family members who should do everything in their power to protect them but didn’t.  I think as things got worse for the children and the mother and grandfather did nothing to help the children, I got angrier. No child should have to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves. I kept thinking the whole system had let them down. They were slipping through the cracks. This is not an easy book to read. The story of abuse will rip your heart out. What the children do to protect their sister will haunt you.  The writing shows the strength of the characters and the love that bonds them together. Most importantly it shows that there is always hope.  This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend.