City of Orphans by Avi

"Extra, Extra, Read all about it!", Maks, a newsie, shouts each day to help make a few pennies to help his family pay rent and buy food.  It's 1893 and New York is bursting forth with tenements, immigrants, unsanitary conditions, thugs, and obscene affluence.  Life is harsh enough, but Bruno and the Plug Ugly Gang make it their mission to rob and beat the newsies in hope that they will scare them away from selling newspapers.  What would a kid like Bruno care about this? Nothing  But the man he works for cares about this a lot!  Bruno has Maks right where he wants him, but Willa, a homeless girl with a big stick, has other plans.  Maks has other problems too!  He has to work to find clues to a crime that is tearing his family apart! 

I am often amazed at how children not only survive, but thrive, in the worst of conditions.  Maks is lucky!  He has a family that loves and cares for him.  Willa is lucky because she meets Maks.  Not all children are lucky though...  This book weaves New York history with a suspenseful story of Maks trying to discover the truth in a world of power and money that seems very foreign to him:  The Waldorf hotel!

Candy Bomber by Michael O. Tunnel

As I prepare to teach reading using more nonfiction, I've been really trying to find titles that are age-appropriate and engaging.  I do believe Candy Bomber by Michael O. Tunnell is both of those things. I've learned more history from reading children's books than I ever did while sitting in history class, and this book filled me in on events that unfolded post World War II in Berlin.  Small acts of kindness have woven into such a great story of hope and compassion.

I wish that I had read "Candy Bombers" by Michael O. Tunnell earlier so that I could have posted my review on Memorial Day.  After I read this book, I just had to watch one youtube video after another, scour websites to read even more about the handkerchief parachutes with candy attached that sailed into the hands of eager German children, and just marvel at the true heroes such as Lt. Gail Halvorsen.   Post World War II, the Soviets attempted block train and truck convoys with supplies into Berlin because they wanted to force West German to buckle under the weight of economic pressure to yield to them.  The people were strong and pushed back, but faced serious hardships.  This was definitely the beginning of the Cold War. The West Germans were facing starvation; however, once again, our military stood in the gap, risked their lives, and personified heroism! Airplanes began flying over to drop supplies to people in need.  This was known as The Berlin Airlift, and many times this was a dangerous operation. The Berlin Airlift saved the lives of countless citizens of West Berlin. 

Happenstance led to the "candy drops".  During a brief period on the ground,  Lt. Halvorsen,an Air Force pilot, had an opportunity to talk to a group of German children, and even though they didn't ask, he gave them some gum.  He was amazed at how the children shared with one another, and how much a simple luxury was so appreciated.  He decided to make little parachutes out of handkerchiefs to drop some candy to children below the next time he flew over.  This one act just blossomed until more and more people were involved, and news of this spread!  Children learned to watch for the bomber that wiggled its wings as it flew over! The Candy Bombers began dropping candy to the children to restore happiness and hope. READ the book! It is short, and has a lexile of 1130 and AR level of 7.2, but it's an easy read!

There is an adult book recounting the Berlin Airlift and the Candy Bombers by a similar title, "The Candy Bombers, The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour" by Andrei Cherney. Make sure you get the YA version or the text may be too complex for fourth/fifth graders. I want to read it though! GREAT READ! Nonfiction may be "my thing" after all!

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The second book in the Life as We Knew It Trilogy, The Dead and the Gone takes place in a bustling city where danger lurks on every corner.  Alex must care for his sisters when his parents disappear after a tidal wave, and this isn't an easy job.  The family quickly runs out of food and just keeping warm poses to be life threatening.  I like Alex because in spite of the horrific obstacles that he faces, he keeps his faith in God.  He can't explain or understand why all of the natural disasters have occurred, but he seeks to do what is right and often, difficult.  

Alex has to make decisions that most adults would find difficult.  The city has always been his home, but home has changed.

I really enjoyed this novel.  After going through an ice storm that stalled my town for weeks, I have such a greater appreciation for things that I once took for granted. 

Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life as they knew it for Miranda is forever changed when an asteroid hits the moon and moves it closer to the Earth.  Unprecedented natural disasters strike, and nobody can prepare for devastation on such a global scale.  Miranda and her family work very hard just to survive.  One day Miranda is worried about homework and just being a teenager.  Before you know it, the worries change to having enough food, staying warm, protecting what they have from others, and deciding who to trust.  

This book takes place in a rural area so the frantic pace isn't fast and furious, but slow and unwieldy. People are isolated from one another, and this sense of not knowing carries its own type of despair.  Miranda and her family periodically trek into town to collect food rations, gather news, and to talk to anyone...Anyone.  To add insult to injury, a pandemic flu hits the survivors, and real panic blossoms.

I don't know what it is about dystopic novels, but I can't seem to get enough of them.  I'm disappointed with a few character portrayals, but isn't that the way it goes sometimes?  I am eager to read the other books in this trilogy.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Egyptian Mythology and episodic action fans will probably love this book.  Me, it took about half of this book for me to get into it.  I'll be honest, I only read this because I figured it would be a book that reluctant boy readers would enjoy. I took one for the team!  

I would not give this five stars because I thought it was d.r.a.g.g.e.d. out, but I'd give it a 4 because I did enjoy reading and learning more about Egyptian mythology.  I know much more about Greek Mythology so I considered this to help my education.  :)  The narrative done in both characters' voices, Carter and Sadie, kind annoyed me too. ha  

It was very reminiscent of the Percy Jackson series which I didn't love either. *I'm so sorry!*  The characters run from one "quest" to another and come upon gods, magic, and those pesky demons.  Meh...

The Last Chance Texaco by Brent Hartinger

Winner of award after award, "The Last Chance Texaco" gives voice (sometimes profane) to the sometimes forgotten or misunderstood children that live in group homes, and the various reasons that put them there. I found myself wishing for the happily-ever-after for Lucy... Isn't that what we all want for kids?

Lucy has been bounced around from one foster home to another after the death of her parents in a car wreck.  She struggles with substance abuse and just has a difficult time lowering her guard because that has proven to be foolish so many times.  The Last Chance Texaco is the end of the line for her.  She has to get her act together before she ends up at Rabbit Island, a prison of sorts!  Hope the best for Lucy!

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

I kept putting The Underneath by Kathi Appelt at the bottom of my "to-read" stack because I prefer books about people rather than animals.  I'm used to avoid any book that had animals as the main characters, but after reading The Tale of Despereaux and  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane you'd think I'd not exhibit such avoidance, but I'm just not an overzealous animal lover.  However, this book uses animals to convey very human emotions: love, hate, anger, revenge, compassion... The animal part of it become secondary to the story of friendship and love.   It was a heartbreaking yet uplifting book.  

There were times when I could almost let the world fall away and be transported to the bayou with the loneliest creatures in the world.

I think this would make a great read-aloud for fifth graders.