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Title: Just A Girl: A True Story Of World War II Author: Lia Levi Illustrator: Jess Mason Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers, LLC. Copyright: 2022 Original Language: Italian Translator: Sylvia Adrian Notini Original Title: Una bambina e basta Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-306508-6 Hardcover pages: 144 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Historical biography, Novel, Autobiography Book setting: Italy Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Rome, Italy Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: England Awards: 2023 Batchelder Winner Subjects: Boarding schools, Convents, Discrimination, Holocaust, Italy, Jewish, Memoirs, Survival, WWII |
Tag Archives: Travel
Different: A Story Of The Spanish Civil War
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Title: Different: A Story Of The Spanish Civil War Author: Monica Montanes Illustrator: Evan Sanchez Gomez Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2022 Original Language: Spanish Translator: Lawrence Schimel Original Title: Los distintos Original Publisher: Ediciones Ekare. Barcelona, Spain Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5598-5 Hardcover pages: 88 Age range: 9-14 Genre: Historical fiction Book setting: Spain, Venezuela Author’s ethnicity: Venezuelan Author’s residence: Madrid Illustrator’s ethnicity: Spanish Illustrator’s residence: Spain Awards: 2021 White Raven, 2023 Batchelder Award Subjects: Brothers and sisters, Caribbean and Latin America, Emigration and immigration, Military and wars, Refugees, Spain Civil War 1936-1939, Survival, Venezuela |
Girl On The Run
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Title: Girl On The Run Author: Nancy McDonald Publisher: Iguana Books. Toronto Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-77180-517-9 Paperback pages: 174 Age range: 10 up Genre: Historical fiction, Novel Book setting: Berlin, Paris Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Stratford, Ontario Subjects: Coming of age, Germany, Holocaust, Jewish persecution, Nazis, Stepmothers, World War II |
Lands Of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Britain
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Title: Lands Of Belonging: A History Of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Britain Author: Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhatt Illustrator: Salini Perera Publisher: Nosy Crow, London Copyright: 2022 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-83994-468-0 Hardcover pages: 64 Age range: 7-12 Genre: Nonfiction, Information Book Book setting: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Britain Author’s ethnicity: East African (Vikesh) Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: Born in Sri Lanka Illustrator’s residence: Toronto Subjects: Ancient empires, East India Company, Festivals, Food, Games, Holidays, Independence, Partition, World War I, World War II |
Our Own Little Paradise
![]() On the last day of sixth grade, all of Nora’s classmates tell about their exciting summer plans – Italy, Croatia, Florida, Denmark, Paris, Portugal, and Spain. Nora lies and tells the class that she is going to the tropics. She keeps the lie growing through social media. The problem is that a new boy, Wilmer, has moved into the neighborhood and finds out that she has not gone to the tropics. Nora and Wilmer secretly build their own “tropics” in an abandoned apartment. By the end of summer, her whole class finds out that she lied, but the resolution is satisfyingly happy. This wonderful middle age story, with short chapters, addresses the struggles of trying to fit in, finding true friends, and different social classes. mjw |
Title: Our Own Little Paradise Author: Marianne Kaurin Publisher: Arctis Books. Stamford, CT, USA Copyright: 2022 Original Language: Norwegian Translator: Olivia Lasky Original Title: Syden Original Publisher: H. Aschehoug and Co. (W. Nygaard) AS Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-64690-018-3 Hardcover pages: 300 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction, Novel Book setting: Norway Author’s ethnicity: Norwegian Author’s residence: Oslo. Norway Translator’s ethnicity: US Translator’s residence: Oslo, Norway Awards: 2021 German Youth Literature Prize Subjects: First love, Holidays, Lies, Peer pressure, Relationships, Social media, Summer, Vacations |
Leilong’s Too Long!
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Title: Leilong’s Too Long Author: Julia Liu Illustrator: Bei Lynn Publisher: Gecko Press. New Zealand Copyright: 2022 Original Language: Chinese Translator: Helen Wang Original Title: Riding A Brontosaurus To School Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-77657-433-9 Hardcover pages: 28 Age range: 2-5 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Taiwanese Author’s residence: Taiwan Illustrator’s ethnicity: Taiwanese Illustrator’s residence: Taiwan Subjects: Brontosaurus, Bus, Dinosaurs, Imagination, School bus, Transportation |
Born Behind Bars
![]() Nine-year-old, low-caste Kabir was born in jail in Chennai, India, because his mom is serving time for a crime she didn’t commit. He ends up living on the streets when a new warden decides that he is too old to still be living in jail. He meets Rani, a Roma girl, who helps him survive in the harsh, ugly outside world. He eventually finds his grandparents and a helpful lawyer who gets his mother released from jail. This story told through the lens of a young boy is both educating and entertaining. Kabir is brave and optimistic. Like Venkatraman’s other books, A Time To Dance, Climbing The Stairs, and The Bridge Home, this book is unforgettable. mjw |
Title: Born Behind Bars Author: Padma Venkatraman Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0593-11247-2 Hardcover pages: 273 Age range: 10 up Genre: Fiction, Novel Book setting: Chennai, India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: U.S. Awards: 2022 NCSS Notable Books, 2022 South Asia Award Winner Subjects: Homelessness, India, Poverty, Prejudice, Prisoners’ families, School, Street children |
Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue
![]() The colored pencil drawings are stunningly beautiful in this incredible true story about war veteran James Howard Williams; Bandoola, a working elephant; and Po Toke, the elephant’s keeper. They work together on a teak plantation in Myanmar (Burma), a country in Southeast Asia that was a colony of the British Empire. When World War II forces them to evacuate their home in the jungle, they lead a group of over 200 refugees and over 50 elephants across mountainous terrain to safety in Assam, India. A table of contents, a map, a wonderfully illustrated glossary, suggestions for further reading, and an author’s note add to this highly educational masterpiece. mjw |
Title: Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue Author: William Grill Illustrator: William Grill Publisher: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd. London Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-83874-123-8 Hardcover pages: 88 Age range: 8-14 Genre: Picture Book, Information Book, Nonfiction Book setting: Myanmar and India Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London Awards: Author /Illustrator has won the 2015 Kate Greenaway Medal Subjects: Asian history, Burma, Deforestation, Elephants, Green living, Jungle, Logging industry, Monsoons, Mountains, Rainforests, Timber, Timber elephants, World War II |
Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults)
![]() A very helpful Historical Context sets the scene for 65 short personal narratives told by those who were Russian children during World War II and survived terrifying war-time experiences. Nobel Prize-winning Svetlana Alexievich discloses the traumatic memories of children who were separated from their parents, most of them never to be reunited. This is the young adult adaptation of her masterpiece, Last Witness: An Oral History of the Children of WWII. The Russian perspective stories are fascinating as they portray terror, survival, and hope. The book also features a useful glossary. mjw |
Title: Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) Author: Svetlana Alexievich Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Russian Translator: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky Original Title: Last Witnesses: An Oral History Of The Children Of WWII Original Publisher: Molodaya Gvardiya, Moscow Original Copyright: 1985 ISBN: 978-0-593-30853-0 Hardcover pages: 288 Age range: 12-17 Genre: Information book, Nonfiction, Oral history Book setting: Russia Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: Soviet Union, Belarus, Western Europe Awards: Author has won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature. 2022 NCSS Notable Books Subjects: Childhood, Death, Historical biographies, Hope, Military history, Oral history, Resilience, Survival, Terror, WWII, Young adult |
189 Canaries
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Title: 189 Canaries Author: Dieter Boge Illustrator: Elsa Klever Publisher: Eerdmans Book for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2021 Original Language: German Translator: Laura Watkinson Original Title: 189 Original Publisher: Aladin Verlag, an imprint of Thienemann-Esslinger. Stuttgart Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5574-9 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: Germany and United States Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Germany Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Germany Awards: 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Books List. Author has won the German Youth Literature Prize and has been included in the White Ravens Catalog Subjects: Birds, Canaries, Harz Mountains, Home, Miners, Voyages |
Red Stars: The Case Of Viktor And Nadya’s Notebooks
![]() Diary entries, maps, drawings, and historical photos tell this story of Viktor and Nadya, twelve-year-old twins who were evacuated from Leningrad when Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union. They were separated when they were put on trains that were meant to take them to safety. The story is told in three voices, alternating between Viktor (printed in red), Nadya (printed in dark blue), and an offstage voice of a Soviet Secret Police officer. His handwritten comments are written in the margins. Viktor’s train makes it to Moscow, where he is expected to do hard labor on a kolkhoz (farm). It is rumored that Nadya’s train was bombed with no survivors. Viktor doesn’t believe this and sets off through cold and harsh conditions to find Nadya. They eventually find each other and unravel a mystery of treason and betrayal at the highest level of Soviet leadership. mjw |
Title: Red Stars: The Case Of Viktor And Nadya’s Notebooks Author: Davide Morosinotto Illustrator: Simone Tso Publisher: Delacorte Press Copyright: 2020 Original Language: Italian Translator: Denise Muir Original Title: La Stolgorante luce di due stelle rosse Original Publisher: Mondadori, Milan Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-9848-9332-1 Hardcover pages: 432 Age range: 10-12 Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Soviet Union Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Italy Subjects: European historical fiction, Evacuation, Germany, Hitler, Leningrad, MIlitary fictioon, Siblings, Trains, World War II |
The Crow And The Peacock
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Title: The Crow And The Peacock Author: Jo Fernihough Illustrator: Jo Fernihough Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Oxford University Press. Oxford, England Original Copyright: 2020 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5568-8 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book. Fable Author’s ethnicity: British Author’s residence: Cambridge, England Illustrator’s ethnicity: British Illustrator’s residence: Cambridge, England Subjects: Birds, Fables, Happiness |