Nowhere Boy

Marsh, Katherine. Nowhere Boy. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2018.

Thirteen-year-old Max is not happy when his family moves from Washington, D.C. to Brussels, Belgium for a year. He is even less pleased when he has to attend a local school with instruction all in French. Worse yet, he has to repeat the sixth grade. But life changes when Max discovers a fourteen-year-old refugee, Ahmed, hiding in the basement. Told from alternating points-of-view, this 362-page suspenseful novel – set in the days following the 2016 Paris bombings – provides a heart-rending yet hopeful picture of life for survivors of war. Highly recommended for readers 11 years old and up. 

Learn the true history behind this fascinating novel!

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Stories of Life

           From stories, I have learned a lot about life. I learned about racism in The Last Pass: two basketball teammates were friends but one always blamed himself for not helping his friend who was an African-American in a city with a bad history regarding race; I realized that people should always help their friends. I also learned about racism in Back of the Bus: in 1955 in Alabama, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving her seat to a white person on the Montgomery bus; I realized that it is important to do what is right even when it feels dangerous, especially when laws are unjust. I also learned about unfairness in The Breadwinner: Afghan women have to stay inside their homes unless they wear burqas because men and women are not treated equally; I realized that I am fortunate to live in a country where both men and women are treated with respect. Unfairness was also shown in Breaking Stalin’s Nose: in the 1940s in the capital of Russia – Moscow – a boy named Sasha aspires to be a Soviet Pioneer until he witnesses his father taken away by the secret police because of a false report; I realized once again that I am fortunate to live in a country that is not communist. I learned that sometimes people have to find their own ways to survive difficulties in Silent Music: Ali, who loves soccer and loud music, lives in Baghdad, a dangerous place undergoing difficult times where he has to stay quietly indoors all day, so he spends his time practicing calligraphy; I learned that I am fortunate to live in a safe country where I can go outside whenever it is safe. But now when there is Covid-19 spreading all over the world and people are told to stay indoors, I am inspired to be creative and to always have hope and to learn at home. From picture books and novels, I have learned how to live with courage when there are dangerous times.  – Mehtej in grade six

References
Ellis, Deborah. The Breadwinner. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 2000.
Pomerantz, Gary M. The Last Pass. New York: Penguin Press, 2018.
Reynolds, Aaron. Back of the Bus. New York: Philomel Books, 2010.
Rumsford, James. Silent Music. New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2008.
Yelchin, Eugene. Breaking Stalin’s Nose. New York: Henry Holt, 2011.

More stories of courage

 

Three Rancheros: a series by Kate DiCamillo

Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2019

The third in a trilogy about three friends, Beverly, Right Here tells the story of fourteen-year-old Beverly who runs away from home and gets a job in a neighbouring town.

Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2016

The first in the series was Raymie Nightingale, about a girl who misses her father, who hopes if only she can win a beauty contest, he will come home.

Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2018

The second story was Louisiana’s Way Home in which the main character’s grandmother wakes her in the middle of the night to tell her they’re leaving town right now and never coming back.

Three elegantly written novels, set in Florida, with a consistent theme:
Life is not always the way it should be. Your parents may not have enough energy or interest to properly care for you. The people you depend on may not always be dependable. You probably will have to make important decisions all on your own. But there is hope. Someone will come along – even if only for a moment – to give you words of encouragement and wisdom. Life will never be the way you’d hoped it would be, but it will still be good. And remember: you are loved.

Highly recommended for readers 10 to 14 years old.

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The Rescuers

Dear Reader,

Do you have time to enjoy a classic novel of courage and adventure? Do you have the imagination to enjoy a tale of brave and noble mice? This 149-page story will capture your heart with its quietly lovely sentences. And the endearing characters will remind you that at any moment you, too, could be called on a mission to selflessly help others. 

Sharp, Margery. The Rescuers. New York: New York Review Books, [2012], c1987.

“Miss Bianca, a white mouse of great beauty and self-confidence, travels with the ambassador’s son to Norway on behalf of the Prisoner’s Aid Society in a perilous mission to rescue a poet imprisoned in the dreadful Black Castle.” – CIP This edition is exquisitely illustrated by Garth Williams, the famed illustrator of countless classic stories. 

More great novels for readers 8 years old and up.

More stories of adventure

Happy reading! 

Ms. R. 

Cinnamon Moon

Dear Reader,

Ailis and her brother are orphans living in a boarding house in Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871.

If you’ve read Sweep by Jonathan Auxier, you’ll remember how children were snatched by unscrupulous men to work as chimney sweeps.  In this novel, children are also enslaved, this time by devious men who force them to work as rat-catchers in the sewers of Chicago. But twelve-year-old Ailis is fiesty and brave. She is determined to save herself and her brother from a grim future. 

Cinnamon Moon is not a difficult novel to read as far the reading level is concerned.  The narration is written in present tense and from the first person point of view, so the story feels up-to-date in its style. Furthermore, the font is a comfortable size and the lines of print are well-spaced. But the story itself is serious and based on historical facts which are explained at the back of the book. However, rather than being discouraging or depressing, this novel is filled with humour and hope. I think the history will interest you and the ending will inspire you.

Hilmo, Tess. Cinnamon Moon. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar, Straus Giroux, 2016. 

P.S. Always watch for books by Tess Hilmo: they’re invariably well-written. 

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Exuberant life…

Cuevas, Michelle. Smoot: A Rebellious Shadow. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2017.
Smoot’s tiresome life of being a shadow ends when he decides to leave his boy and strike out on his own. Running, dancing, singing, he embraces all the excitement of his new life. Other shadows watch him and bravely follow suit. What will happen? Smoot looks around and has an idea. Maybe all of them – all of the shadows – could go back where they came from and still live with excitement. Will it work? Can life hold joy even in ordinary circumstances? This marvellously designed picture book – illustrated by Canadian Sydney Smith – will appeal to readers of all ages of appreciate fables. 

More fables

“Freedom lies in being bold.” Robert Frost

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Escaping…

Cole, Tom Clohosy. Wall. Somerville, Mass.: Templar Books, 2014.
In 1961, families found themselves suddenly separated by the Berlin Wall. East Berlin was under Communist rule and people were not permitted to cross the wall and join their relatives in the West.  In this evocatively illustrated picture book, a young boy is determined to find a way for his family to be reunited. Told from the first person point of view and based on true stories, Wall is recommended for readers 8 years old and up. (Artists interested in seeing how to depict night-time scenes may appreciate analyzing the illustrations which were created digitally but provide ideas for working with pastels.)

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