WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

Life is not easy for ten-year-old Ada, living with her mean mother and younger brother in London at the eve of the Second World War. Born with a bad foot, Ada never learned to walk right, which made her mother ashamed of her. Ada is not allowed to go outside, or talk to anyone, and barely gets enough food from her mother. But Ada is a fighter, and takes care of her younger brother and tries to survive to the best of her ability. When the war starts, children are evacuated to the English countryside, away from major cities that might get bombed by the Germans, and Ada and her brother finally get away from their mother to live with a lady named Susan. Although Susan never wanted children, she takes care of the two children, and Ada's life truly begins, and it includes learning to ride a horse, making a friend, and even catching a spy. But what happens when the war ends?

The War that Saved my Life is a beautiful, sad, and heartwarming tale about a girl faced with the worst circumstances who decides to fight for her life. It is also a book about love and family, and the way that both can be found in unexpected places. Ada is a wonderful character to read about, because even though she is hurt, she is brave enough to take care of herself and find her voice.

Although this is mostly the story of Ada and her brother, it is also a historical fiction book. The descriptions of daily life in the English countryside at the beginning of the war are fascinating to read about. Ada and her brother Jamie have to live with a stranger, just as many children had to do to get away from the danger of large cities. And besides that, they have to live on food rations and stand in long lines to get any food at all. They have to look for suspicious activity and report it, and even take care of wounded soldiers. But all that seems bearable with caring people around them as the village comes together to help each other.

This is a book you won't want to put down until you get to its bittersweet conclusion. Fans of The Book Thief will especially enjoy this book.

For readers in 5th-8th grade.

SWIMMING TO SOLACE

When Kasienka and her mother move to England from Poland in search of her father who abandoned them, she loses more than just her home. She begins to lose her identity. At school, they call her Cassie, and she begins to break apart into pieces. There is the Cassie who, even though she is 12 going on 13, they put into sixth grade. There is the Cassie who is being bullied and tries her hardest not to fight back. And then there is Kasienka. The Kasienka who helps her mother look for her father despite the cold and terrible conditions. The Kasienka who's only relief from life is swimming laps like an olympian.  And the Kasienka who is in love.

Follow Kasienka's journey as she immigrates to a new country and navigates her changing world in The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan. This novel told in verse is suitable for Grades six and up.

A ROMANCE FOR JANE AUSTEN OR BRITISH FANS

...then you have to read this.  Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl is absolutely predictable but still a good fast read.   Seventeen years-old Miss Crawley must marry but she can't marry just anyone. It must be someone wealthy.  Her grandfather has left them a crumbling faux castle at the edge of a cliff in Yorkshire County England and in order to keep her young brother (the heir) mother and two stepsisters in food, clothes warm, and a roof over their heads along with the staff, she has to make a decent match but of course she has no dowry, only her beauty.  

Althea almost always speaks her mind and because of misunderstandings, prejudices and  circumstances it looks like she and her family may lose everything.  For a bit of British romance in the style of Jane Austen, pick up this light-hearted book and bury yourself under the blankets for a few hours.  For mature readers in 6th and up. 

RUBIES ARE A GIRLS BEST FRIEND

I have just now finished RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier, the first of three books, and I CANNOT WAIT for the next one! The story takes place in England, so some of the language takes a little getting used to, but the characters will jump under your skin from the very first page. Gwen/Gwyneth is an ordinary modern day girl, or so it seems. But her family has many secrets, ones for which her cousin Charlotte has spent her entire life preparing. What's the secret? The ability to time travel! That much I can tell you, but you'll be surprised what happens to Charlotte, Gwen and a boy named Gideon in this century and throughout centuries of the past! I'm ordering Sapphire Blue as soon as possible! For grades 6 and up.

FAIRIES AND FIGHTING IN ENGLAND

A plague is threatening North America, and the Morgans ship their children off to England so they won't be exposed. It is here that Rowan, Meg, Silly (short for Priscilla), and James, along with friend Dickie Rhys and foe Finn Fachan (other plague-threatened children) learn all about the wonderful world of fairies. Only it's not so wonderful. The Morgan's Aunt Phyllida Ash turns out to be the ancestral protector of the fairy kingdom, and does everything in her power to prevent the children from encountering fairy life. But it doesn't take long for the Morgan children to be sucked into the Midsummer War between good and bad fairies. UNDER THE GREEN HILL by Laura L. Sullivan is a good tale of heroic gestures, a glimpse at fairy-dom, contains some moral undertones, and includes a lot of great vocabulary words! For grades 6 and up.