The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

The Girl in the Tower is the second book of a series by Katherine Arden. I read the first book The Bear and the Nightingale and loved it. This is the story of Vasya a girl who can see the old spirits in Russia. After her father and stepmother are killed Vasya flees from her home and begins to explore the world. She disguises herself as a boy but soon finds herself in situations that could be the end of her life if she is discovered. She soon finds herself in Moscow and friend with the Grand Prince. When Moscow finds itself under siege from outside forces Vasya must use her knowledge of the old world to save herself, her family, and Russia.

This book is a gripping adventure from start to finish. Arden does a fabulous job of weaving together the old and new world in Russia. Her description of the wilderness and Moscow itself helps the reader to visualize the world in which Vasya lives. Vasya's relationship with the Frost King is touching and frightening at the same time. Anyone who loves adventure will surely love this book.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through Netgalley.com for my honest opinion.

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz

This book is about Penny, a 17 year old ballerina who lives at a finishing school with 11 others girls. The girls eat, sleep, and breathe dance. The school is run by a man who the girls call Master and the social event of the year known as The Midnight Dance is fast approaching. But life is not all that it appears. Penny soon finds herself question what she thought was the truth and with the help of a boy named Cricket she will soon discover the dark secrete surrounding Master and his school.

I loved this book! It pulled me in from right at the beginning and I found myself trying to figure out what was going on right along with Penny. Katz does a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue. Her description of the school and Master helped to set the stage. The flow of the book was perfect and didn't drag. It kept you guessing and rooting for Penny and Cricket. I highly recommend this book!

I received an advanced copy of the book through Netgalley.com for my honest opinion.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

This book is the story of Dita, a young girl in the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. Dita lives in the family block of the camp with her father and mother. The Germans created this section of the camp to show Red Cross delegates that the Jews were being welled cared for. The majority of the people from this camp had been transferred from Terezin to Auschwitz.

Part of the family block was a school run by Freddy Hirsch, a Jewish leader and a man who believed that even in a place like Auschwitz, children should have a place to learn. He tasks Dita with the job of caring for the books of the school, a job with huge risk as books were forbidden in the camp. As the war winds down and the Germans become desperate to get rid of any evidence that the death camps existed, Dita and the others must struggle to survive.

This book was beautifully written. Translated into English, the book captures the heartache, desperation, hope and love that existed in Auschwitz. The book tells the story of people who knew that knowledge was power and did what they needed to do to ensure that that knowledge was carried on. This book reminded me a lot of The Book Thief  by Marcus Zusak in that it shows that all it takes is one person to stand up and turn darkness to light. What I liked most about the book was the author's notes. In this section, you learn about the real people that the book was based on. I feel it is so important for these stories to be told.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Netgalley.com for my honest opinion. 

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus

I read the first book in this series entitled One Thousand White Women and found it to be interesting. The story is about a group of women who are sent West to live as wives among the Cheyenne Nation. While this book is fiction, there are some historical aspects of the book. The Cheyenne did request 1,000 white women to be wives and mothers as a means of assimilating into the white culture. The request was denied however. One Thousand White Women, tell the story as if they did go West and focuses on a woman by the name of Mary Dodd, a real person.

Now, on to The Vengeance of Mothers. This book tells the story of the Kelly sisters, twins who were part of the first group of women who went West. The story begins after the Cheyenne are massacred by US soldiers. The Kelly sisters swear vengeance for the death of their children and the death of their friends including Mary Dodd. The book also tells the story of a second group of white women who are brought West. While I found the first book in the series to be interesting and engaging, this book was not. There was no flow and the switching between characters telling the story made the book choppy and hard to follow.

Normally I try to read at least 25% of a book before I give up totally. This book I didn't even make it to that point. I was disappointed because I throughly enjoyed the first in the series. Even though the book is a work of fiction, it still sheds light on how the Native Americans were treated.  I would have liked to continue the series but won't. I give this book a 1 star out of 5.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through Netgalley.com for my honest opinion.

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wien

I read Code Name:Verity when it came out a couple years ago and absolutely loved it. Elizabeth Wein has a way of developing characters and plot lines that full you and and help you to get lost. In that book you meet Julie and you are carried away with her story. The Pearl Thief gives a closer look at Julie's earlier life and the events that help to shape her. Mystery, suspense, forbidden romance, and the journey every teenager takes trying to find themselves are all in this book. While I didn't feel it was as good as Code Name:Verity, it still has its merits and is a good book. I recommend it.

Wonder By R.J. Palacio

Every so often you come across a book that pulls you in so completely that you can't put it down. You find yourself immersed in the story fully. That's what happened to me with this book. Every year I do a reading challenge. This year one of the categories was read a book about someone with a disability. So, I got online and looked at the group I joined to find a suggestion. Now, let me first say this, I am a person with a disability. Second, I am always leery about reading books about someone who has a disability unless it is an autobiography or a memoir. Why? Because, unless you live with a disability on a daily basis or live with someone who has a disability, I find that it is truly hard to understand what that person deals w. There are exceptions of course but that's just what I've found.

Okay, so there were several suggestions. Be Before You by Jojo Moyes was one (will not be reading it, long story) and a book about Stephen Hawkins was another, a Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar was there too. None of these caught my attention. Then I read the description for Wonder. This is the one!
From the first page I was hooked. The story of August and his family had me wanting to read page after page. For those who don't know, the story is about August Pullman, a boy who has severe facial deformities and because of these he has had to have many corrective surgeries. He has been homeschooled but his parents decide that its time for him to go to regular school. So he is enrolled in a private school starting in 5th grade. Now, everyone knows that middle school is probably the toughest years of a kids life. For Auggie it is no different. Kids stare, kids point, they whisper behind his back, and some even go so far as to create a game called The Plague (read the book to know about this awful game). However, a girl named Summer befriends Auggie and a boy named Jack does as well. The book follows Auggie through this first year of school and everything that happens. The good and the awful.


Now, here is why this book is so amazing. First, it is not told from one perspective, its told in 6. Not only do you see the story through Auggie's eyes but you see it through his older sisters, her boyfriend's, her friend Miranda's, Jack's, and Summer's. There is also a sort section of emails and messaged between the principal of the school and some parents. Secondly, this book is about growing up. As the book progresses you see Auggie begin to mature and realize, with the help of his sister, that the world can't always revolve around him. Finally, and most importantly, this book is about compassion. It teaches that just because someone looks different or acts different doesn't mean that they shouldn't be treated kindly. It touches on the subject of bullying and how important it is to teach our children empathy and compassion.

I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. I think every kid should have to read it, and every adult too. For me, this book struck a lot of chords. Being a person with a disability I know how hard it is to fit it. I know what its like to have people stare at you and point. I was lucky to have lots of friends who looked out for me and stood up for me, people that I had gone to school with for years. However, I did know what it felt like to have kids pick on you and make fun of you. Its not easy, and even as an adult its not easy. That is why I feel that kids should have to read this book. We need to teach our children to be compassionate, caring individuals.

The Night Voyage by Daria Song

This is the second coloring book that I have had the opportunity to review. Like the first, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Coloring is such a calming, soothing activity and this book add to that. I found the pictures to be advanced enough that I was challenged in my coloring but I could easily see this book being enjoyed by an other child as well as adults. The pictures were engaging and I loved how the story played out as you advanced through the book. My only issue is that the pictures are back to back. While the paper is heavy, I still had to be careful that there wasn't bleed through front page to page. I wanted my pictures to be vibrant so I used fine tip markers. I think that colored pencils would be best to avoid bleed through. 
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the adult coloring craze that has swept the country. I truly hope the creator of this book will continue to create more!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."