Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Fans of Snow Treasure, Once, Number the Stars, and Each Little Bird That Sings.

Synopsis (provided by the publisher): 
Set in Norway during World War II, Bjorn’s Gift continues the adventures of Mari, a young Norwegian girl who faces growing hardships and dangers in her small village in a western fjord. German occupation troops and local Nazi supporters move closer to her family’s daily life, and her classmate Leif becomes active in
the Norwegian Nazi youth party. Mari struggles to live up to her brother Bjorn’s faith in her, as she becomes more involved in risky resistance activities, trusting only her family and a few close friends. Across Norway, oppressive laws are imposed in the months from Fall 1941 to the early 1943, with dire local consequences. Difficult decisions force Mari to admit that many things in life are not easily sorted into good or bad, and she begins to wonder if Hitler will ever be defeated and . . . whether the occupation of Norway will ever end.

Reviewed by Olivia


Rating: High Five!


​Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Snow Treasure, Once, Number the Stars, and Each Little Bird That Sings.


Synopsis (from Amazon):
Eleven-year-old Mari grew up tucked under the wings of her parents, grandma, and older siblings. After Hitler's troops invade Norway in Spring 1940, she is forced to grow beyond her "little girl" nickname to deal with harsh new realities. At her side for support and protection is Odin, her faithful elkhound. As the year progresses, Mari, her family, and her neighbors are drawn into the activities of the Norwegian underground resistance. 

Reviewed by Oscar

Rating: High Five!

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of the Inheritance Cycle, the Young Samurai series, and Charmstone.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind. — This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year, she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. It is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Four

​Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of the War That Saved My Life, ​Breaking Stalin's Nose, the Devil's Arithmetic, and Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed.

Synopsis (from Amazon):
Felix, a Jewish boy in Poland in 1942, is hiding from the Nazis in a Catholic orphanage. The only problem is that he doesn't know anything about the war, and thinks he's only in the orphanage while his parents travel and try to salvage their bookselling business. And when he thinks his parents are in danger, Felix sets off to warn them--straight into the heart of Nazi-occupied Poland. To Felix, everything is a story: Why did he get a whole carrot in his soup? It must be sign that his parents are coming to get him. Why are the Nazis burning books? They must be foreign librarians sent to clean out the orphanage's outdated library. But as Felix's journey gets increasingly dangerous, he begins to see horrors that not even stories can explain.

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of any other of Pam  Munoz Ryan's books, Cornelia Funke, and (just a little bit) Jerry Spinelli.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.

Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.

Rating: High Five!

Synopsis: Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.
 
So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

Why I'd Recommend It: The War That Saved My Life is another Sweet Sixteen book - one of the first I read, in fact. It still remains my favorite, right alongside My Diary From the Edge of the World (they have a very similar feel). Right from the start, I felt the emotions Ada felt, in a  very moving way. The writing was beautiful, and I loved the setting, too. This book provides an interesting perspective on World War II -- the perspective of a girl in England experiencing things from that side of the War. But more than anything else, this book isn't about that. It reminds me of Paperboy, or Part Two of Echo (review coming soon!). It has a classic feeling, and there's never a dull moment. I was completely engrossed in this beautiful book the whole ride. Definitely one of my favorite books this year!

Rating: High Five!

Synopsis (from Amazon):
In the bleak winter of 19 0, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lindstrom's tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated—until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine million dollars in gold hidden on their sleds. It meant risking their country's treasure—and their lives.

Why I'd Recommend It: My teacher in - third grade, I think? - recommended this to me, and I instantly dove into it and couldn't be shaken out. Although it's been a while since I last read it, I remember having loved it to the fullest and being fascinated with the interesting perspective on Nazis during World War II, and how small villages being taken over dealt with it. Since then, I've read many Holocaust and World War II books, but I think this book is probably the best introduction to those terrifying times a parent could give their children. With a story that's bound to keep you engaged for hours, brave characters that any kid would look up to, and plenty of danger and adventure, SNOW TREASURE truly is a winner.

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Katerina's Wish, the first Calpurnia Tate book, anything Pam Munoz Ryan, Navigating Early, Brown Girl Dreaming, and the Secret of the Bees.
Synopsis (from Amazon):
included-away from her mother's critical eye. Whether it's wrangling a rogue armadillo or stray dog, a guileless younger brother or standoffish cousin, the trials and tribulations of Callie Vee will have readers laughing and crying and cheering for this most endearing heroine.

(click the green "Read More" button in the bottom right hand corner of the post to see the full review)

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Jerry Spinelli, Pam Munoz Ryan's Paint the Wind, and anything Jacqueline Woodson.
Synopsis: 
When Jack Baker’s father sends him from his home in Kansas to attend a boys’ boarding school in Maine, Jack doesn’t know what to expect. Certainly not Early Auden, the strangest of boys. Early keeps to himself, reads the number pi as a story, and refuses to accept truths others take for granted. Jack, feeling lonely and out of place, connects with Early, and the two become friends. 
 
During a break from school, the boys set out for the Appalachian Trail on a quest for a great black bear. As Jack and Early travel deeper into the mountains, they meet peculiar and dangerous characters, and they make some shocking discoveries. But their adventure is only just beginning. Will Jack’s and Early’s friendship last the journey? Can the boys make it home alive? ​
(click the Read More button below to view the whole review)

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Four
Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of NUMBER THE STARS and SNOW TREASURE
Synopsis:
Hannah dreads going to her family's Passover Seder—she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942. Why is she there, and who is this "Chaya" that everyone seems to think she is? Just as she begins to unravel the mystery, Nazi soldiers come to take everyone in the village away. And only Hannah knows the unspeakable horrors that await. ​