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Odin's Promise
Sandy Brehl, the author of Odin's Promise, was kind enough to give us a free copy of this book. And how could we resist? It's been compared by many to Snow Treasure, one of our favorite books.
Here's the synopsis (from Amazon):
"ODIN'S PROMISE is a historical novel for middle-grade readers, a story of the first year of German occupation of Norway in World War II as seen through the eyes of a young girl. 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. "

Olivia has already this, but Oscar is eagerly awaiting this read (Olivia can't blame him).
Here's the synopsis (from Amazon):
"In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer."
Oscar, being a big fan of Asian culture, could not resist this, especially after Olivia recommended it to him.

We've been following the Wings of Fire series as each new book has come out for a while now, and we could not be more excited for the next book, Talons of Power.
Here's the synopsis (from Amazon):
"The war is over. The false prophecy has been fulfilled. But the dragonets still have enemies. A dark evil, buried for centuries, is stirring.
And a young NightWing may have had the first true prophecy in generations . . .
Something is coming to shake the earth
Something is coming to scorch the ground
Jade Mountain will fall beneath thunder and ice
Unless the lost city of night can be found."
Release Date: December 27th, 2016
See our reviews of the previous books in the series:
The Dragonet Prophecy
The Lost Heir
The Hidden Kingdom
Moon Rising
The Brightest Night
Escaping Peril

This book seems like the kind of heart-racing, action-packed, thrilling book we've been wanting to read all summer. Just read the synopsis, and you'll be hooked, too,
Synopsis (from Amazon):
Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places.
Eli has never left Serenity . . . why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents."

This is a book we've heard about over and over again. We keep meaning to pick it up, but never seem to come around to it. So while most people set their New Year's Resolutions over six months ago to include something like getting better grades in school, we set our's to read the Breadwinner.
Here's the synopsis (from Amazon):
Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. Parvana’s father — a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed — works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day, he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food. As conditions for the family grow desperate, only one solution emerges. Forbidden to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy, and become the breadwinner.