Visit Jen at TeachMentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who link up. Others join Sheila to share adult books at Book Journeys.
Come visit, and tweet at #IMWAYR. Thanks to Jen, Kellee, and Ricki for hosting!
A Night Divided - written by Jennifer A.
Nielsen
I raced through this story, wanted so
much to see it have a good end. You’ll need to read it to discover what happens
to this family. A father and mother with two boys and a girl are separated when
the father and the middle son cross to the west (before the wall was up) to see
about immigrating. They were caught on that side, and could not return. I was nearly
grown when the wall went up, and my family spoke about it often, although we
didn’t have any personal connection to anyone in the east bloc. The Cold War
was a terrible time for many. Jennifer Nielsen has written a good introduction
to this time in our history that’s appropriate for middle grade kids. It is not
too violent, although there is violence. It seems true to those who wished to
stay, but forced to be loyal enough to the government that they often betrayed
neighbors and friends. It is hard to believe how strong a twelve year old must
be to do what this girl, Greta, in the story must have done. I did a little
research, and found children who endured such hardships, although it might be
difficult for us to imagine. Greta tells her story, her feelings, her terror,
yet continues on to do what she feels she must. Luckily her older brother Fritz
does join her in time to work at their goal to escape across the wall to the
west. One thing I enjoyed very much was that Nielsen put appropriate quotes at
the beginning of each chapter. In the midst of their secret plan for leaving,
this quote was at the beginning of one chapter: “To begin is easy, to persist
is art.” German proverb. It’s a story one shouldn’t miss reading, and sharing
with others.
Lovabye Dragon - written by Barbara Joosse and illustrated
by Randy Cecil
This is the first book when the
little girl, so all alone in a castle, meets the dragon, so all alone, and
finally they get together. The dragon finds the girl by following the trickle
of tears spread by the little girl. The second book, Evermore Dragon,
was just published this year, another adventure between friends. It’s a cute
sing-songy story just right for young children to follow along when they meet,
how it’s discovered that the roar wasn’t a giant, and wasn’t a monster, but the
dragon that she wished for all along. The illustrations fill the page in grays
and blues, with a touch of starlight, for it seems that most of these
adventures happen in the night.