Tag Archives: Migration
Somewhere Among
Between Shades Of Gray
Fifteen-year-old Lina’s life takes a drastic turn when the Soviet Secret Police force her out of her home. Lina, her mother, and her younger brother Jonas are treated like criminals and dragged onto a train to Siberia. Along the journey, Lina leaves behind hints for her father in the form of her drawings. This account of the tragedies and horrors Lithuanians and others experienced during Stalin’s rule in Word War II is filled with hope, love, and compassion. Readers can look forward to the upcoming movie adaptation of the novel called Ashes In The Snow. ema
Title: Between Shades Of Gray |
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel
Sweet Pizza
In The New World: A Family In Two Centuries
Salt To The Sea
As World War II comes to a close in the winter of 1945, refugees flee East Prussia as the Soviet Union advances in the area. Thousands gather at the coast of the Baltic Sea in the hopes of gaining freedom and security by obtaining a ticket on one of the ships. One of these vessels is the Wilhelm Gustloff. Sepetys’ courageous novel sheds light on the greatest tragedy in maritime history and how the carnage resulting from warfare collides with the lives of innocents. Though readers can find the story heartbreaking at times, hope and life are ever present in this novel told by four teenagers from different countries. The honest prose gives voice to those incapable of sharing their story. ema
Title: Salt To The Sea
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Philomel Books
Copyright: 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-16030-1
Hardcover pages: 400
Age range: 12-17
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Setting: East Prussia
Author’s ethnicity: Lithuanian American
Author’s residence: Tenessee
Subjects: Death, Maritime tragedy, Refugees, Warfare, World War II
Two White Rabbits
Child Soldier: When Boys And Girls Are Used In War
Shooting Kabul
Vango: Between Sky and Earth
In 1934, a young man named Vango on the cusp of taking priestly vows is suddenly made a fugitive. Accused of murder, pursued by police and mysterious others, Vango finds that proving his innocence involves uncovering secrets from his past, taking him from Parisian rooftops to Mediterranean islands to Scottish forests in a hyper-coloured spy-thriller with a backwards-and-forwards timeline. Part of the book’s charm involves historic figures turned into characters – like Hugo Eckener (commander of the Graf Zeppelin) who de Fombelle has written as a friend of Vango and as a quick-witted protester to Hitler’s increasing regime. Snippets of story are also told from the perspective of a young girl who turns out to be Stalin’s daughter. These historic guess-who’s never felt clunky. With a larger-than-life protagonist, Vango will appeal to lovers of daring escapades. The mystery to his identity unravels in the sequel, Vango, Book 2, A Prince Without A Kingdom, published in 2105. ew |
| Title: Vango: Between Sky and Earth Author: Timothee de Fombelle Publisher: Candlewick Press. Somerville, Massachusetts Copyright: 2014 Original language: French Translator: Sarah Ardizzone Original title: Vango: Entre ciel et Terre Original publisher: Gallimard Jeunesse Original copyright: 2010 ISBN: 978-0-7636-7196-9 Paperback pages: 421 Age range: 12 up Genre: Historical fiction Book setting: France, Germany, Mediterranean Islands, Russia, Scotland Author’s ethnicity: French Author’s residence: Paris, France Awards: Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2014, 2012 IBBY Honor List Subjects: Adventure, Fugitives, Identity, Mystery, Nazi, Priests, Voyages, World War II, Zeppelin |










In 1934, a young man named Vango on the cusp of taking priestly vows is suddenly made a fugitive. Accused of murder, pursued by police and mysterious others, Vango finds that proving his innocence involves uncovering secrets from his past, taking him from Parisian rooftops to Mediterranean islands to Scottish forests in a hyper-coloured spy-thriller with a backwards-and-forwards timeline. Part of the book’s charm involves historic figures turned into characters – like Hugo Eckener (commander of the Graf Zeppelin) who de Fombelle has written as a friend of Vango and as a quick-witted protester to Hitler’s increasing regime. Snippets of story are also told from the perspective of a young girl who turns out to be Stalin’s daughter. These historic guess-who’s never felt clunky. With a larger-than-life protagonist, Vango will appeal to lovers of daring escapades. The mystery to his identity unravels in the sequel, Vango, Book 2, A Prince Without A Kingdom, published in 2105. ew