The Year We Learned to Fly

Woodson, Jacqueline. The Year We Learned to Fly. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022.
What do you do in spring when it’s raining outside and you have to stay inside? What do you do in summer when you have to do chores and can’t stop quarrelling with your brother? What do you in autumn when it’s dark outside and you’re stuck inside? What do you do in winter when you move somewhere new and you don’t know anyone at all? Well, use your imagination, of course! Remember the strong people who came before you. Lift up your arms, close your eyes, and let your mind fly! This joyous and inspiring picture book – illustrated by Rafael López – is highly recommended for readers of all ages.

P.S. Any book published by Nancy Paulsen Books is worth picking up. Sometimes you might not be ready for a particular story, but the quality of the writing will always be superb.

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They Went Left

Hesse, Monica. They Went Left. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2020.
After surviving the horrors of being locked up in a concentration camp, eighteen-year-old Zofia travels back to her home in Poland in 1945 with the help of a Russian soldier. She hopes to be reunited with her younger brother, but he isn’t there.  So she sets off in the middle of the night to search for him, determined not to give up until she finds him. It is in a displaced-persons camp in Germany where she finally discovers the truth.
A young adult novel about love and loss and learning to live with memories, this novel is most highly recommended for mature readers 13 years old and up.

(Note: due the sexual references, some private schools and some parents may prefer to reserve this book for older readers.)

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One Smart Sheep

Schmidt, Gary D. and Elizabeth Stickney. One Smart Sheep. Boston: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021.
Wilson is one smart sheep. And friendly. And handsome. Unfortunately, Wilson is also a little bit lonely so when he discovers his gate unlocked, he sets off on an adventure. Fortunately, Abigail notices that he has disappeared and sets out – with Tippy her collie dog and Jeremiah her neighbour – to rescue him. This charming little novel – full of humour, elegantly designed with a large font and widely spaced lines, and softly illustrated by Jane Manning – is perfect for young readers. Highly recommended as a read-aloud.

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A Place to Hang the Moon

Albus, Kate. A Place to Hang the Moon. New York: Holiday House, 2021.
Three orphaned siblings – 12-year-old William, 11-year-old Edmund, and 9-year-old Kate – are evacuated from London during World War II and sent to live in the countryside.  

You may have read other stories about British WW 2 evacuees: Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian; The Sky is Falling by Kit Pearson; and The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Baker. You may have read other stories about orphans: Anne of Green Gables  by L.M. Montgomery; the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath. The list of similar stories could go on and on and on. So why read this new novel by Kate Albus?  

A Place to Hang the Moon is as heartwarming as stories by Beverly Cleary and Eleanor Estes.  It is as unflinching in its description of hardships as novels by Avi and Karen Hesse. Kate Albus’s three protagonists display all the determination and resilience found in the best of children’s stories. Why not read another novel that will bring joy to your heart? Recommended for readers 9 to 12 years old.  

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Village of Scoundrels

Preus, Margi. Village of Scoundrels: Based on a True Story of Courage during WWII. New York: Amulet Books, 2021.

During World War 2, brave villagers in Les Lauzes, France shelter refugees and the people leading them to safety in Switzerland. This quickly-paced novel does not hide the brutality of the Nazi occupiers. Danger is ever present. But there is also humour and joy and hope among the children and young adults setting out to fool the German Gestapo. Includes an epilogue with photographs and biographies of what happened to the real people in the story. Highly recommended for readers 11 to 14 years of age. 

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