Recent Readings and Recommends

The Bonemender’s Oath- Holly Bennett

This sequel to The Bonemender does not disappont and the next one is on my reading list. This one centers more around Derkh, whom Gabrielle has rescued and healed, but is really one of the enemy they’ve been fighting. He finds himself in a strange position- torn between these people who treat him with real friendship, and the knowledge of where he really thinks he belongs.

 I have been reading some newer novels for a holocaust unit. Here are some of them.

Milkweed- Jerry Spinelli

 What an amazing book and fascinating perspective. It is told from the viewpoint of a ragamuffin street urchin who believes his name is Stopthief because that’s all anyone has ever called him. He is adopted by a group of orphans who thieve as a way of existence. He befriends a little Jewish girl and wishes he could be Jewish as well without any understanding of what the ramifications might be. As he accompanies this family into the Warsaw ghetto, we are  given us a very unique perspective on what life there might have been like.

Behind the Bedroom Wall- Laura E. Williams

Another book with a unique perspective, this is told from the viewpoint of a German girl who is brainwashed by the Fuhrer and through participating in the Nazi Youth group. When she finds out that her parents are hiding Jews, she has to decide where her loyalties lie. This wa s page-turner.

The Righteous Smuggler- Debbie Spring

This is also from the viewpoint of a non-Jew; a boy named Hendrik who has Jewish friends and is appalled at their treatment as the Nazis move into Holland. Hendrik and his father want to help in some way and decide they can use their fishing boat to smuggle Jewish families.