Each week I try to join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels.
In addition to it being #IMWAYR, this week is also #Redukkah. #Reddukkah lasts from December 15 - December 22, was created by The Association of Jewish Libraries, The Book of Life/Jewish Kidlit Mavens, and The Jewish Council to promote awareness of any book of Jewish interest. To find about more join the Facebook Event.
Finally, it's my final week reviewing books as a first round Cybil judge for the middle grade fiction.
Here's what I read this week:
Middle Grade
When Shirli Berman gets the role of Goldie in the school production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof opposite her crush Ben, she decides to search through her Zayde's attack to see if he has any old clothes that would add authenticity to the play. When she comes across a poster of a klezmer band and a violin, she opens up a window into her Zayde's past that allows him to finally tell the story of his experience in the Holocaust. Set in 2002 with a backdrop of 911, Broken Strings is a story about family, forgiveness, acceptance, and moving forward.
Middle Grade Reposts for #Readukkah
It has been a year since Leah's life was forever changed. A year of feeling like a ghost with ghost parents with the door to her brother's room permanently closed. But when Leah meets Jasper, a new girl in town who never knew Leah's brother, Leah is able to find her way back to herself and to tell her story. But Leah isn't the only one with a story to tell. Jasper is experiencing problems too and has asked Leah to keep her secret. But some secrets are too big to keep and Leah has to decide whether to risk losing her one true friend in order to keep Jasper safe. This is a wonderful story about friendship and moving forward after loss.
Upper Middle Grade/YA Repost for #Readukkah
It is not often I find out something I didn't know about the Holocaust. I am normally a very quick reader, but The Librarian of Auchwitz is not a book to read quickly. The author goes backwards and forwards through time and makes references to the books the librarian is reading inorder to set the scene for the events in Block 31 in Auschwitz and the main character, Dita's role in saving the books and creating living books to enrich the lives of the children imprisoned in the family camp. It is an amazing read, especially when you realize that all the people and situations were based on true events.
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Stacy Barnett Mozer is a teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.
I loved The Librarian of Auschwitz, thought it showed the incredible courage people incarcerated there, hard to imagine. I know the other titles, Stacy, but still haven't read them. As for #readukkah, I just saw someone on twitter post a list of those with a Jewish theme or author. Wish I'd kept it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe Librarian of Auschwitz sounds like a powerful read.
ReplyDeleteI have Broken Strings but I haven't read it yet. I might put it on a 2020 list. I want to find copies of the other two you have here. They have been on my list for a while, thanks for the reminders. Great shares!
ReplyDeleteCOMPLETELY agree that The Librarian of Auschwitz is not to be read quickly. I really, REALLY enjoyed this one and it has stuck with me since I first read it. I also really enjoyed My Jasper June. Broken Strings is a new title to me, so I'm adding this one to my list. Thanks for the shares, Stacy!
ReplyDelete