Author: Janet Dawson

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Philip Hoose

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Published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  When Germany invaded Denmark in April 1940, fourteen-year-old Knud Pedersen and his fifteen-year-old brother Jens were appalled by how quickly the Danish government capitulated.  There was no Danish resistance, while in neighboring Norway, thousands of people fought the Nazis.  Knud and Jens organized some of their school friends into the RAF Club, inspired by the British pilots who were fighting the Germans.  The boys used their bicycles to commit acts of sabotage, such as turning signs around and cutting phone wires.  When the Pedersen family moved the following year, the boys found new recruits, this time calling themselves the Churchill Club.  The club’s activities grew more serious and bold, focusing on amassing a cache of weapons stolen from German soldiers.  A year later, the boys were caught and sent to prison.  But their actions had inspired a nation, and the Danish resistance was born.  An epilogue tells what happened to all the boys; a lengthy bibliography and notes section encourages more reading.  Ages 11 and up.

Pros:  A powerful and inspiring story of heroic boys who squeezed their acts of sabotage in with studying for junior high exams.  Told alternately in the third person and the first person voice of Knud Petersen, and illustrated with many photos.

Cons:  None of the boys escaped unscathed.  While all survived the war, many had lifelong difficulties stemming from the stress of their activities and jail time.

Look and Be Grateful by Tomie dePaola

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Published by Holiday House 

Summary:  “Open your eyes, and look.  Open your eyes, and see.  And say thank you, for today is today.  Be grateful, for everything you see.  Have gratitude.  Today is today, and it is a gift.  So, be grateful.”  That is the entire text of this little book, illustrated in Tomie dePaola’s distinctive style.  A young boy wakes up, looks at the world around him, and is shown on his knees praying with his little sister on the final page.  All ages.

Pros:  May Thanksgiving find you as full of gratitude as this book.

Cons:  Gratitude and turkey can be a dangerous combination.  Go easy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The Best Friend Battle (Sylvie Scruggs, Book 1) by Lindsay Eyre, ilustrations by Charles Santoso

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Published by Arthur A. Levine Books 

Summary:  Sylvie and Miranda have been best friends just about their whole lives.  But now a new boy in the neighborhood, Georgie, is becoming friends with Miranda, and Sylvie is worried that she’s losing her friend.  She decides that Miranda’s upcoming birthday party is her chance to prove what a good friend she is by giving the most spectacular present she can find.  Her misguided attempts result in a stolen ferret, a twisted ankle, and an enormous cardboard castle covered with glitter glue.  Will Miranda appreciate Sylvie’s efforts, or is their friendship doomed to come to an end?  Grades 2-4.

Pros:  Sylvie is a likable character with worries and self-doubts that many kids will relate to.  Her clumsy but heartfelt efforts at friendship will engage beginning chapter book readers.  Look for the sequel, Mean Girl Meltdown.

Cons:  The stolen ferret storyline made me anxious.

Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine, illustrated by Claudia Davila

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Published by Kids Can Press 

Summary:  Michel Chikwanine had a pretty idyllic childhood with his parents and three sisters in the Democratic Republic of Congo until he was kidnapped one day at the age of five.  He and his friends were taken in broad daylight while playing soccer and forced to become soldiers for a rebel army.  Then were given drugs and taught to shoot.  One nightmarish day, Michel was blindfolded and forced to shoot and kill his best friend, Kevin.  After two weeks, Michel managed to escape and make his way back to his family, but it was impossible for him to resume his old life.  Eventually, the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo worsened; Michel’s father was imprisoned and killed; and Michel, his mother, and two of his three sisters made their way to Canada.  After a difficult transition, Michel has been able to tell his story and now travels the world inspiring others to make a difference.  Grades 6-9.

Pros:  An incredibly powerful story told in graphic novel form.  The page near the end in which Michel sits on the bus listening to his classmates complain about cold pizza, boring classes, and crummy cell phones should give anyone with “First World problems” pause.  The last few pages, with more information about Michel, child soldiers, and what kids can do to help, will inspire readers to take action.

Cons:  Read this book before giving it to a child.  It’s part of Kids Can Press’s Citizen Kid series of inspiring picture book stories of Third World children, but this one is much darker and more intense than any of the others.  There are a couple of pretty disturbing scenes that may not be appropriate for all young readers.

The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

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 Published by Aladdin 

Summary:  Apothecaries around London are being murdered.  Christopher Rowe, apprentice to apothecary Benedict Blackwell, isn’t too worried…until his master sends him on a wild goose chase errand, and he returns to learn that Blackwell has become the latest victim.  Overwhelmed by grief, Christopher discovers an encoded message in the shop’s ledger and sets out to decipher it.  When he realizes Blackwell has named his killer in the message, Christopher knows he is in great peril.  Slowly, he uncovers the dangerous secrets of the Cult of the Archangel, and learns of his master’s involvement in activities designed to unleash the power of God.  Ultimately, Christopher must make certain that these powers don’t fall into the hands of the evil men who are seeking them…and rapidly closing in on Christopher himself.  Grades 5-8.

Pros:  Set in 17th-century London, this murder mystery/historical fiction thriller is a DaVinci Code for kids.  It took me awhile to dig into a book about an apothecary from the 1600’s, but Christopher is given a humorous, modern voice, without taking away from the historical authenticity.  With an escaped evildoer, uncertainty about Christopher’s next master, and the plague pushing against London’s borders, a sequel must surely be in the works.

Cons:  The final showdown gets pretty gory.  Someone loses half his fingers, a couple eyes are put out, and two characters will move into the next installment with a good portion of their faces gone.

Who Done It? By Olivier Tallec

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Each two-page spread poses a question: Who didn’t get enough sleep?  Who played with that mean cat?  Readers have eight to ten choices of kids and animals to figure out who looks sleepy or scratched.  There are twelve questions at all, and answers to all are given at the end.  Ages 3-5.

Pros:  This unique book helps preschoolers sharpen their powers of observation.  The cartoon illustrations are fun, and kids will enjoy playing detective.

Cons:  Be prepared for episodes of hilarity over “Who forgot a swimsuit?” and “Who couldn’t hold it?”

The Bear Report by Thyra Heder

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Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  The wordless first few pages show a bored Sophie rushing through her homework so she can watch TV.  For her assignment to write three facts about polar bears, she scribbles, “They are big, they eat things, they are mean.”  As she settles down in front of the TV, a polar bear named Olafur shows up to tell her, “We’re not all mean.”  He then whisks her away to the Arctic where he shows her the beauty of his home, and shares how he spends his days fishing, swimming, and listening to whales.  As the two of them finish their day watching the Northern Lights, Sophie promises her new friend she’s going to go home and tell everyone about him.  The last page shows her immersed in research, surrounded by books, notes, and a map of the Arctic.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  Nothing like a little excitement to encourage curiosity and learning.  You can almost feel the Arctic chill from the beautifully detailed illustrations.

Cons:  Melting polar ice caps.

 

Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks

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Published by First Second 

Summary:  In the first page of this graphic book, a skeleton appears on stage and begins narrating a journey through the human body.  In eleven chapters, she covers ten different systems plus the senses.  All kinds of organisms are given faces and personalities, including many different types of cells, bacteria, and viruses.  Delicate topics such as pooping, puberty, and reproduction are handled humorously yet informatively.  In the final act, the skeleton pulls on her muscle suit, skin suit, and clothes to become a bit more human.  Includes an extensive glossary and a brief bibliography.  Ages 10-14.

Pros:  An extremely thorough yet entertaining introduction to the human body.  A lot more fun than a biology textbook.  The illustrations are clever and the text is informative and engaging.

Cons:  The amount of material presented may make a cover-to-cover reading a bit daunting.

Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard

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Published by Beach Lane Books

 Summary:  There’s a drought in Gooseberry Park, and it’s up to Kona the dog, Murray the bat, and Gwendolyn the hermit crab to get water to the elderly and baby animals that live there.  Together, they hatch an ingenious Master Plan which requires the cooperation of Murray’s cousin Morton, Herman the crow, a possum, a cat, three young squirrels, and 200 owls.  Working with split-second precision, the team manages to secure and store enough water to keep the animals going until much-needed rain brings the park residents permanent relief.  Grades 1-4.

Pros:  This perennially favorite author-illustrator team have produced a worth sequel to Gooseberry Park.  The story is engaging, but the book is driven by the characters, such as spiritual Gwendolyn (she does Reiki) and motivational speaker Morton.  Readers will cheer for the success of the master plan and root for another book about this wonderful community.  This would be a perfect read-aloud for primary grades.

Cons:  Some of the characters’ quirks may be more appreciated by adult readers than children.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophia Blackall

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Published by Little, Brown and Company 

Summary:  When Cole asks him for a bedtime story, his mother tells him the tale of Harry Coleburn, a veterinarian who rescued a bear at a train station.  It was 1914, and Harry was traveling from Winnipeg to basic training before going overseas to be an army veterinarian.  The bear, named Winnie for Winnipeg, went with him on all his travels, proving himself to be a most intelligent and entertaining addition to the troops.  Finally, it was time to go to the front, and Harry knew he couldn’t take Winnie with him. Winnie moved to a new home in the London Zoo, where he was later discovered by Christopher Robin Milne, and found his way into stories written by Christopher’s father, Alan Alexander (A. A.) Milne.  The story unfolds in much the same way the Winnie-the-Pooh books do, with a parent telling a child a story.  At the end, the mom/author reveals that Harry Coleburn was her great-grandfather and is her son Coe’s namesake.  Six pages of photos of Harry, Winnie, Lindsay, and Cole are included at the end.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  Lovely illustrations illuminate Lindsay’s fascinating and endearing story to her son.  The revelation of the family connection is an interesting bonus, and the photos enhance that.

Cons:  Two excellent, well-illustrated picture books telling this exact same story (see Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh by Sally Walker) in the same year seems like a bit of an unfortunate glut on the market.