Terezin

Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a perfect book for use with the 7th grade Common Core unit "Courage in Life and Literature."  This well-researched and carefully presented book illustrates the story of the Holocaust from the voices of those who experienced it.  The book contains secret drawings, diary entries, excerpts from memoirs, etc., all giving a first-hand look at the atrocities experienced by Jews in WWII.  Great to pair some of the excerpts with the Diary of Anne Frank.



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Seraphina

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was a little confusing at first, but turned out to be quite an intriguing dragon tale.  The narrator, Seraphina, is part human, part dragon.  She is extremely afraid of anyone finding out she is part dragon. Although there is a truce between the dragons and the humans, there is still an uneasy friction that is undercurrent to the peace.  Neither dragon nor human quite trust the other.  Seraphina, a gifted musician and assistant music teacher in the royal court, ends up as a friend to the Prince and Princess.  In fact, Prince Kiggs is quite enamored with her.  When Prince Rufus is found decapitated before the anniversary of the dragon treaty, there is suspicion that the dragons have broken the treaty.  Since Prince Kiggs has been impressed by Seraphina's knowledge of dragons, he enlists her help in finding the murderer.  It is hard not to be intrigued with Seraphina and her magical qualities in this magical world.  I found myself totally absorbed.  This will be a fun book for my fantasy readers.



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Seconds Away

Seconds Away by Harlan Coben

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Seconds Away, by Harlan Coben was a surprisingly good mystery thriller.  I didn’t realize it was number 2 in the series after Shelter until I was into it a little.  There were a few confusing parts, but overall, it was able to stand on its own.  The story is about Mickey Bolitar, who is staying with his Uncle Myron because his father was killed in a car accident, and his mother, overcome with grief, is sent to a mental institution.  As I mentioned, there were some lose ends that apparently come from the first book.  I was a little confused about the Abeona Shelter, whose secret mission is to save children.  But, I did get that Mickey’s friend Rachel was grazed by a bullet at the same time her mother was murdered.  And, I understood that Mickey, and his friends Ema and Spoon are caught up somehow with the Abeona Shelter, as is their friend Rachel.  They are intent upon finding out who murdered Rachel’s mother and tried to murder Rachel.  There is also a back story about a spooky neighbor, known as the Bat Lady, who tells Mickey that his father is still alive.   Lots of ends to tie together for sure, but the pace of the story is excellent, definitely a page turner, as Mickey and his friends try to solve the mystery.  This is a story I will highly recommend to middle school readers. 



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