Title: "I will Protect you- A story  of Twins who Survived Auschwitz"

Author: Eva Mozes Kor with Danica Davidson

Grade: A

Synopsis

Eva and her identical twin sister, Miriam, had a mostly happy childhood. Theirs was the only Jewish family in their small village in the Transylvanian mountains, but they didn't think much of it until anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in their school. Then, in 1944, ten-year-old Eva and her family were deported to Auschwitz. At its gates, Eva and Miriam were separated from their parents and other siblings, selected as subjects for Dr. Mengele's infamous medical experiments.

During the course of the war, Mengele would experiment on 3,000 twins. Only 160 would survive--including Eva and Miriam.

Writing with her friend Danica Davidson, Eva reveals how two young girls were able to survive the unimaginable cruelty of the Nazi regime, while also eventually finding healing and the capacity to forgive. Spare and poignant, I Will Protect You is a vital memoir of survival, loss, and forgiveness.

Review

Being a twin myself, my curiosity was peaked when reading the title of this book. I have read a large variety of book about the Holocaust but have never read a book about survivors of the experiments of Dr. Mengele. The ones I have read from a child's point of view about the Holocaust have all been fiction so it was interesting to read a non-fiction book. It made everything a little more real as I was reading through the book. Davidson does a great job describing the when is happening so that the reader feels like they were there with Eva and Miriam. It is a book aimed towered a younger audience but is detailed enough that older readers would want to read it as well. 

One of the part of the book that struck me the most was the sheer bravery and the situation that these children were put through at such a young age. I knew that there were children in concentration camps but this was almost a lightbulb moment for me. Eva and Miriam had to completely fend for themselves and make life altering decisions before they would even have graduated from elementary school. There is a part where the twins get separated due to side effects from one of Dr. Mengele's experiments and the bravery and the split second thinking these girls is unimaginable. These are just two of the many children that were in concentration camps but I think are truly two of the bravest girls I have ever read about.

You can read more about Danica Davidon's other books and find out more information from "I will Protect You" by visiting her website.

Happy reading!

Bookaholic

Review: Broadway Tails

 

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 Title:  Broadway Tails

Author: Bill Berloni

Grade:  A+

Summary from the Back of the Book

Bill Berloni was a young apprentice when he got his first big break: to find and train a dog for the original production of Annie. He rescued a down-on-his-luck dog from a local shelter and together they redefined what animal performers could do. Since then Berloni and his trainers have provided animals for hundreds of films, commercials, and television shows as well as live theater, including productions of Annie, The Wizard of Oz, and Because of Winn-Dixie. In this book, Berloni tells the stories of “throw-away” animals who starred with some of entertainment’s biggest names—including Bernadette Peters, Sarah Jessica Parker, Meryl Streep, and Natalie Portman—and his search for Broadway’s newest Sandy.

 

Review

I have been dancing since I was 5 and absolutely love stage performances. Musical soundtracks are one of my most played genres on music. So when I saw this book at the library I knew I had to read it. This book takes you through the career of Bill Berloni and the many musicals and plays he has worked on. He though, is not the one on stage. Bill  rescues dogs from shelters and gives them a second chance of life as stars of the stage. The book goes through the many different performances that his dogs have performed in. They range from the first production of Annie through the 2005 stage performance of Legally Blonde. He doesn't just use dogs. Some of the other animals he has trained are a pig and a rat. I love reading about the adventures that he goes through to get the different animals that are needed and of the antics of animals in live theater. It is a book I have read multiple times and one I still pull out to read from time to time. A local high school used one of Bill's dogs in their production of Annie and I had the opportunity to meet Bill and have him sign my book!

I would highly recommend this book to all! I think theater buffs would very much enjoy this book and seeing the behind the scenes of some of their favorite performances!

You can learn more about Bill Berloni's upcoming projects by visiting his website

Happy reading!

Bookaholic

A long break

 I have stared at this screen for longer than I am willing to admit trying to figure out what to type. I have been gone for a really....really....really....long time. Several years long. It has been a crazy last few years with lots of changes where reading has taken a back seat. I had lost the passion I once had for reading and books. Before I went to bed at night, all I had the energy to do was scroll mindlessly through social media instead of picking up a beloved book and devouring the pages as I used to do. I am happy to say though, the "library doors" of my heart have returned. I am back in the reading zone and so excited to bring this blog back to life!

Through teaching these last few years, I have come to love and adore childrens books. One of my absolute favorite parts of each school day were the times I had to share a story with my nuggets (as I called them). I loved seeing their reactions to different parts of stories, hearing their belly laughs, and experience their questions and comments about different parts of the book. In order to share some of my favorite with other lovers of kids books, I have started a new blog solely dedicated to picture books. I hope to add some new favorites to your bookshelves and discover some new books to add to my classroom library. The link for that blog is:

Miss Ripcurl's Booknook

I am excited to become a part of the reading community again and meet some fellow booklovers!

Happy reading!

Bookaholic