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

Carole P Roman Roundup!

I have featured several series by Carole P. Roman on my blog before. She writes two book series for children that I have really enjoyed and am excited to bring you a few more books in both of those series and a stand alone book as well! Her books are always full of beautifl illustrations and rich vocabulary that can enhance a read aloud session. I have read some of the books to my past preschool classes and they are always a hit! Without further ado...

Series: If You Were Me and  Lived in...

                                                 Grade: A+

Review

As I have stated in past reviews, I think this series is a much needed addition to the world of childrens literature. Each book in the series focuses on a different country and general facts about that country that are relatable to children. The newest ones I have to review are about Greece, Scotland, Hungary, and China. Each of the books starts with a map of the location of the country and then goes into the facts. I am going to Scotland in the spring, so I was very interested in the book about Scotland. I liked the descriptions of the food and am looking forward to trying some delicious tassie scones! Something that I picked up when reading these newest books that I didn't before was that after each new word, Roman gives the phonetic pronunciation. This can be such a vital tool when reading new and unfamiliar words to children! I hope that you all have the opportunity to check out this series! I promise you won't be disappointed and will definitely learn something new!

    Series: Captain No Beard

                                                      Grade: A

Review

The Captain No Beard series follows Captain No Beard, aka Alexander, and his crew as they learn life lessons through high sea adventures with his crew. 

One of the newest books, Fribbet the Frog and the Tadpoles focuses on new additions to the family. Fribbet is scared because he has no brothers and sisters in his family and doesn't like the new changes. He shares his fears with the crew and the crew is able to help him through this difficult time. I really liked two things about this book. First the lesson about families growing and the changes that bring. This is a subject that is very relevant for children and it shows them how to talk through their fears with others. The other thing I liked about this book was that it went through the life cycle of a frog. It started with eggs and went all the way to an adult frog. This description included pictures and verbal descriptions on each phase. I would definitely include this book in my life cycle theme!

A Flag for the Flying Dragon is the second new book in the series. This book introduces and new character to the crew, baby Zachary. The crew struggles to find a job that will make Zachary feel included, but will also keep him out of trouble. The crew problem solves, and works together to come up with a solution. Learning how to problem solve is a vital part of my preschool classroom. This book shows an example of how to do this in a fun and understandable way.

Title: I Want to do Yoga too

                                  Grade: C

Review

I Want to do Yoga too introduces us to Hallie and her mom who are on the way to yoga. While Hallie's mom is attending her yoga class, Hallie is in the childrens area. She really, really wants to do yoga just like her mom! Robin, the babysitter, shows Hallie how to do several easy yoga poses that any child can do. Hallie is delighted to find out that she can do yoga too!

I was not super impressed by this book. It started with a good plot, but then fell stagnant. Hallie is shown how to do yoga poses, but is constantly complaining that she wants to do yoga too, which she actually is doing. I guess the book tries to show kids that they can do several easy yoga poses just like their parents. The book is just not very interesting and I don't think it would hold the attention of most of my preschoolers. If you are into yoga, you would probably find this book interesting, otherwise I would leave it. 

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

Review: Hidden-: Like Anne Frank

Title:  Hidden: Like Anne Frank
Author: Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhis
Grade:  A+

Review
This book tells the tales of several Jewish children who survive the Holocaust by hiding.  This book had been on my TBR shelf for quite awhile. I have always been interest in the Holocaust but was pushed to read this book after I recently saw a play version of Anne Frank. I was blown away by the play and was excited (which I don't think is the exact word to describe reading about such an awful time period) to read this book. The book is divided into 14 chapters that each focus on a different child. Most of the children in the chapters do not actually end up in a concentration camp, but survive by either hiding in plain sight and acting as a non-Jewish child, or by hiding in a closet or a hidden area in a house. This is different than most of the books I have read about the Holocaust. Each of the chapters truly tugged on my heart and made me feel like I was actually there hiding along with each of them. I can not imagine how terrifying it would be to have to worry who would find me or where if I would ever see my family again. Another part of the book that I really liked was that there were photos of what each child looks like today. This really puts a face to a name and truly shows that these were real people, not just fictional characters in a book. Because the Holocaust is truly a terrible, horrible time period, when reading these books, we sometimes convince ourselves that the stories are fiction and there is no way that any of this could have actually happened. It is very unfortunate that it did happen and it is truly a part of history.

I think this book is a great read for anyone interested in the Holocaust and survival stories. It is a juvenile fiction book so it is a short read, but is still very powerful.

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic 

Review: The Breeding Tree

Title: The Breeding Tree
Author: J. Andersen
Grade: A+

Synopsis from the back of the book
When seventeen year old Katherine Dennard is selected to become a "Creation Specialist" in Sector 4, the opportunity sounds like a dream come true. But Kate soon discovers the darker side of her profession - the disposal of fetal organs and destruction of human life. It makes sense, really. In a society where disease and malformations don't exist, human perfection demands that no genetic "mutants" be allowed to live. For Sector 4, "survival of the fittest" is not just a theory - it's The Institute's main mission.

When Kate discovers that The Institute is using her DNA to create new life, her work gets personal. In order to save her unviable son, she'll have to trust Micah and his band of underground Natural Born Rebels. The problem is, if The Institute discovers her betrayal, the next body being disposed of could be hers.
Review
As you can tell from many of the books I review, I really enjoy the genre of dystopian fiction. Of course, when reading the synopsis for The Breeding Tree, I was instantly hooked. Katherine, or Kate as she is come to be known, lives in a dystopian society where everything is monitored, from food intake, what your job is, who you date, and who has children and even what kind of children. The society that the book is set in only allows children to be born if they are without defect. If they are fond to be nonviable, which means they have any sort of flaw, they are disposed of. When Kate is assigned the job of creation specialist, this is a job she must learn to do. Along the way Kate becomes friends with people that are fighting this perfect society and they make a huge impact on many of the decisions Kate has to make.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I feel like the issues of birth and when a child is considered a child is a hot topic in this day in age. Anderson is able to discuss this subject in a nonthreatening, but very thought provoking way. It brings up questions in the readers mind such as, at what point is a life considered a life, or would it be possible to have a perfect society?I think that Anderson also makes all of her characters very relatable to the reader. Every time Kate went through a struggle, or had to make a tough decision, I felt for her.  The book ends kind of on a cliff hanger, so I am assuming this is the start of a series. I think that anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction will be instantly drawn into The Breeding Tree!  Even those who do not typical look at dystopian books will enjoy this thought provoking novel! You can read more about J. Anderson and her books by visiting her blog.

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

Review: Meritorium

Title: Meritorium
Author: Joel Ohman
Grade: A

Synopsis from the back of the book
Charley has escaped from Meritropolis...

but in his quest to take down the System that has taken his brother from him, he must go through Meritorium, a city where gladiatorial games of life or death combat are waged between High Scores and Low Scores, man and beast.

Charley and Sandy must face man-eating plants, religious zealots, slave traders, and the ever present mutant animal combinations that roam a dystopian Coliseum presided over by Emperor Titus, the one man standing between Charley and the answers he seeks. Man is not an animal, but if they are to make it through Meritorium, will they even be able to tell the difference?

The lines between man and beast, friend and foe, will blur in Meritorium, the riveting sequel to the bestselling Meritropolis.


Review
Meritorium is the second book in the "Meritropolis" series by Joel Ohman. You can read the review for the first book posted below this review! I was a little disappointed by Meritropolis and was hoping to be more excited about the second book. I have to say that the second book did not let me down! This book blew me away! The book picks back up with Charley and the gang on their way to Meritorium. The meet many animal combos and even some interesting plant combos. When they finally reach the city, they are instantly thrown into many situations that keep the reader on their toes throughout the entire book. The System continues to be challenged and Charley, Sven, and Sandy continue to fight it, which brings on a slew of new characters and obstacles. During the course of the book, Ohman introduces as one point the concept of grace into a situation between Charley and another character. I liked being challenged on a mental level on how difficult it is to provide grace to someone who does not deserve. As a Christian I know that I am given grace through Jesus Christ, and recognized this with Charley. It is always a plus when books can make you think on a higher level.

I am not always a hge fan of books that are turned into movies, but Meritorium would make for an epic action movie, along the lines of The Hunger Games" series. Seeing how the animal combos are depicted in real life would be pretty awesome! I was a little sad that we did not get to see what happened to Elena during the second book, but maybe Ohman will bring her back in the next book in the series. Meritorium kept me wanting more and I am anxiously awaiting the third book! I suggest this book to any readers who like dystopian fiction and anyone who is looking for a book to keep them on the edge of their seats. As the second book in the series, you do have to read the first book to understand what is going on in the second book.

Happy Reading!

Bookaholic

*I was sent this book to review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by others.*