Wonderstruck

Students, kids, and life-long readers,

Brian Selznick is back with another novel with a similar style to his renowned tale, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Similar to his other title you will find a giant 600-page book with half of it being beautifully drawn scenes that tell a large part of the plot.

This novel follows two story lines - one told with words, and the other told with pictures.  There are also two different time periods and settings.  Ben Wilson has just lost his mother and starts to have questions about his father whom he knows nothing about.  This curiosity and a Wonderstruck book with a hidden message lead him to take a trip to New York City to see if he can find his father.  The picture part of the story is about a girl named Rose who also has some parental issues.  I don't want to reveal too much about the connection between the two plots lines.

The best part of this novel is how the two plot lines intertwine and the continuous mystery of when the connection will be revealed.  I found it hard to put down because I wanted to find this out.  Also, the pictures are very well done, and often I could be lost in the pictures before he brought back a couple of pages for reading.  It is a completely different style of reading that coincides with his books.  If you enjoyed Hugo Cabret, you should definitely give this a try.

AUTHOR: Brian Selznick

GENRE:  Historical Fiction, Fiction

GRADES: 5-7

Projekt 1065

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

"Sometimes we have to sacrifice good people to win the war."

"Sometimes you do what you have to do, even if it means doing something wrong."

These phrases test our characters throughout this historical fiction novel set in Berlin during the heat of World War 2. Michael and his parents are living in Berlin as ambassadors from neutral Ireland, but are really serving as spies for the Allies.  There are some plot lines intertwined in this dangerous world of espionage.

 - Michael needs to conquer his fear of heights to pass the Hitler Youth test to become an SD, and help his friend Fritz, a weaker bullied teenager, do the same.  Michael needs to get closer to Fritz to steal his father's plan for a top-secret airplane being planning by the Nazis named Projekt 1065.  Will Michael's trust in Fritz pay off, or will it cost him everything?

 - Simon, a British pilot, crashed down into enemy lines, and Michael and his parents are harboring this fugitive.  They need to find a way for him to escape along with the Projekt 1065 plans, but at what costs and at what sacrifices.

 - An assassination attempt is being planned to take out a scientist working on the Manhattan Project for the atomic bomb. Can Michael find a way to stop this assassination attempt that will be taking place in Switzerland?


This historical fiction novel is filled with interesting historical facts about life in Berlin during World War 2 from bombing raids, anti-aircraft guns, Kristallnacht, and even the Eidelwise pirates.  The larger theme of this novel involves sacrifice.  Michael continually struggles with the decisions he needs to make and what is the greater good.  Is it worth it to sacrifice one life to continue to fight against the Nazis and win the war which could save thousands?  Readers will be able to make many connections to what would they do if they were in Michael's shoes.

Overall, this novel is filled with suspense as our characters' lives are faced with many dangers which makes this book hard to put down.

AUTHOR: Alan Gratz

GENRE:  Historical Fiction

GRADES 6-8

Dead End in Norvelt

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

What is the longest period of time that you have been grounded?  In this realistic fiction novel set in rural America during the 1960's, Jack has been grounded for the entire summer.  One night as he was playing with his father's Japanese WW2 gun, it accidentally went off and shot through their neighbor's window.  Thankfully, no one was hurt, and his grounding would not affect the events of his summer.  One major character in this story is an elderly lady named Miss Volker who needs Jack's help in writing obituaries for all of the original inhabitants of Norvelt, but something is amiss as many of the inhabitants continue to die off from supposed natural causes.  There is also Hell's Angels threatening the town, a best friend whose father works at the morgue, parents who never seem to agree, a bomb shelter and an airplane being built in their backyard, and a police officer who rides a tricycle,

This novel follows a historical feel with humor mixed throughout the story line similar to A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO by Richard Peck.  There are interesting history facts sprinkled throughout the story that ties to the main characters love of history and the history of the town.  There are also humorous moments like the time the main character passed gas while hunting with his father, so he wouldn't have to kill a deer, or when it appeared Miss Volker's hand were "melting."  Finally, I really enjoyed that many of the events and the setting tie to the author's childhood, so it has a real-world feel which makes it more enjoyable to ponder what really happened and what was exaggerated.

One reason that I picked this book to read was due to the comment by another author.  Dave Barry is an author that I really enjoy.  If he liked this book, there is a good chance I would like it to.  This can be helpful in picking out your next book to see what books your favorite authors recommend.

AUTHOR:  Jack Gantos

GENRE:  Realistic/Historical Fiction

GRADE:  5-8

The Bicycle Spy

Kids, students, and life-long readers,

We have another edition to the continually growing genre of historical fiction that takes place during World War 2.  The setting for this selection is in Nazi-controlled France where our main character, Marcel, has a love of biking with the dream to some day in the Tour de France.  But there are two events that will alter his semi-normal life.  One is the discovery that the bread he is delivering for his parents each day holds more than just flour and water, but secrets and information for the better of France.  The second is a friendship that grows with the new girl in town, Delphine, who seems to be a bit different from what Marcel expected.  There are many tense and suspenseful moments where one wrong move, the slightest move, the incorrect turn, or a misguided statement can lead to ruin and hardship not only for Marcel but for his friends and family as well.

Author: Yona Zeldis McDonough

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade Level: 5th-8th Grade