The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Written by Rodman Philbrick

Most enjoyed by history fans in 5th through 8th grade

Homer P. Figg, little brother to Harold, is known to embellish his stories a bit. He'll need to really tell some whoppers if he's going to get his brother out of the Union Army. You see, Harold went a bit too far when trying to stop his uncle, Squinton Leach, from hurting Homer. Now, Squinton has conned a judge into enlisting Harold into the Union army despite the fact that Harold is too young. Homer watches in agony as his brother is taken away, vowing to leave that night to rescue Harold. But Harold's lead is too great and Homer must rely on the kindness of others to help his search. From a Quaker minister helping runaway slaves to a kind newspaperman who tells Homer the stark truth about war, Homer's search leads him to the front and Harold himself. But the happy ending Homer had hoped for comes with a price, one that he and Harold live with forever.

I really liked this book. The characters are well-drawn, the story's pacing fast enough to propel the reader onward. It didn't sugar-coat the brutality of the Civil War, yet it didn't make it so graphic that it might turn away the squeamish. It's an excellent work of historical fiction that well deserves the Newbery honor medal it received.

Our 6th grade book club just finished discussing 'Homer' and those that finished the book before our discussion enjoyed it. The students loved Homer's ability to get himself out of major trouble with his tall tales. The biggest complaint was not about the book but about the cover art work. Group members felt it didn't accurately portray the subject matter of the book and made the book look as if it were appropriate for a much younger audience. We hope that when the paperback version comes out, the cover is redesigned. But the group consensus was that 'The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg' is great historical fiction for junior high readers.

Day of the Assassins

Written by Johnny O'Brien

Most enjoyed by WWI fans in 6th through 8th grade

There are not many books, either fiction or non-fiction, available for young readers interested in World War I, although a few have popped up recently. 'Day of the Assassins' by Jack Christie is one of these titles that does a nice job of mixing the war, time travel, and mystery in one story.

Jack Christie never really knew his father. His mother, who left with Jack when he was young, has never told him much about the man. Now, Jack wishes she had, because he's discovered that his father is up to something. Something big. Something involving time travel and a chance to change history.

When Jack and his friend Angus get sent back in time to 1914 Austria, they are pursued not just by Jack's father's friend, but by members of VIGIL, an organization committed to making sure the time travel machine cannot change history. As they try to escape VIGIL, they meet a young woman who asks for their help in carrying out the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, the event that triggered the war. If Jack is able to stop the assassination, World War I will never happen, but should he stop it? What will happen to history if he does?

Filled with plenty of action to keep readers turning the page, 'Day of the Assassins' is a thriller wrapped up in history and seasoned with time travel. The author's notes in the back of the book provide factual information about the assassination plot, the political climate of the time, and what happened to the assassins afterward. Period photographs placed throughout help identify key historical figures. Great for historical fiction fans as well as those that like action novels, 'Day of the Assassins' is well worth the read.

The Mozart Question

Written by Michael Morpurgo

Illustrated by Michael Foreman

Most enjoyed by 4th through 8th graders

'The Mozart Question' is one of the titles on the 2010 Rebecca Caudill list. It belongs there. Not only is it a great story, but it's one that should be read by everyone, not just those that participate in the Caudill program like we do at Zion.

Lesley is a new reporter for a newspaper when she gets the call reporters dream of. She is asked to make a trip to Italy to interview the great violinist Paolo Levi. A stern warning accompanies the invitation - do not ask the famous musician the Mozart question. As Lesley prepares for the trip, she keeps wondering about the Mozart question, realizing that the more she wonders, the harder it will be to avoid asking the question. When she finally meets the great man, she stumbles to get her words out and in the process, asks him how he began playing the violin. What follows is a story Paolo Levi has never shared with anyone, the story of the beginning of a musical career built on pain, suffering, and ultimately, the beauty of music.

I can't go much further in describing 'The Mozart Question' without giving the story away so I'll simply suggest that you read this book. It is beautifully illustrated and one that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Brooklyn Bridge

By Karen Hesse

Most enjoyed by 5th through 8th graders

In 1903, within the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, Joseph Michtom's parents have created the teddy bear. Inspired by a cartoon showing President Teddy Roosevelt sparing the life of a small bear cub, Joseph's parents begin making the stuffed bears, getting closer to their goal of living the American dream. Immigrants from Russia, they work constantly either in their failing candy store or on the stuffed bears. Joseph works for them, too, but longs to break away and make a trip to Coney Island, the new amusement park everyone is talking about. With Mama and Papa working such long hours, time off to spend on fun is out of the question.

Joseph fills his time with baseball, helping Mama and Papa, and visiting the Queen, one of his favorite aunts. When the Queen dies, Joseph finds himself without the one person he can confide in. He also discovers that she's been hiding a secret, living modestly so that she can use her money to bring Russian Jews to America to escape persecution. One of those immigrants becomes the help Joseph needs to realize his dream of a trip to Coney Island.

In the background stands the Brooklyn Bridge. Joseph and his family must cross it when they visit the Queen, but underneath the bridge is a world very different from theirs. It's a world of broken and abandoned children who have formed a loose family of sorts. Joseph's world and theirs come together in a way most unexpected.

'Brooklyn Bridge' is a wonderful slice of life in New York at the turn of the century. It is really two stories in one, with the focus alternating between Joseph and the children under the bridge. It may seem at first that the two stories have no connection, and for most of the book they don't. The lives and stories of the children under the bridge are in stark contrast to the love and relative success enjoyed by Joseph and his family. But the two stories eventually merge into a satisfying conclusion at the end.

Great for historical fiction fans, 'Brooklyn Bridge' is one to add to your must-read list.

Nora's Ark

By Natalie Kinsey-Warnock

Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

Most enjoyed by Kindergartners through 3rd graders

Young Wren lives with Grandma and Grandpa on a farm in Vermont. Grandpa is building Grandma a new house high up on a hill but Grandma's not too thrilled. She thinks the house is 'just gravy'. But her mind is changed when rains begin to fall, causing the river by the farm to rise. Grandma and Wren move to the new house and it isn't long before they're joined by some neighbors and their animals, filling the house with chickens, children, and three horses! When Grandpa doesn't return after going out in the storm to help a neighbor, Wren and Grandma make the dangerous journey into the flood waters to try to find him.

Based on the disastrous 1927 flood that caused widespread damage and loss of life in Vermont, this is a warm, reassuring story of how love and friendship win out in tough times. Share this book with your family and talk about how you weather tough times as a family. Isn't it reassuring to know that, like Wren, Grandma, and Grandpa, you'll have each other to fall back on? Another in the 2009 Monarch award titles, this one is a winner.

Ashes of Roses

By Mary Jane Auch

Most enjoyed by 5th through 8th graders

As Margaret Rose's boat arrives at Ellis Island from Ireland, she feels ready for a new beginning and a new name. Calling herself Rose, she and her family arrive to make a new life in America, the land where the streets are paved in gold. But when officials discover her brother has a eye infection, Da must return to Ireland with him leaving Rose, her sisters and mother to fend for themselves. They hope to find a home with their Uncle Patrick but his new wife and her daughters are not welcoming. In frustration, Ma declares they will leave America and go back to Ireland. Rose and her sister Maureen escape at the last minute, determined to try to make a life of their own in this country of opportunity.

Life begins to show promise as Rose and Maureen accept jobs at the Triangle Waist Company, sewing shirts together for fashionable ladies. With Rose's paycheck, the girls go to their first movie, enjoy cheap novels about working girls, and dream of buying one of the shirts they make. But one Saturday, as work finishes, fire breaks out in the factory on the 8th floor. Trapped inside, Rose attempts to flee, forgetting about Maureen until it is too late. Will Maureen survive? Will Rose be able to rebuild her life after tragedy?

The horror of the fire at the Triangle Waist Factory that took place on Saturday, March 25, 1911 is the basis for this gripping novel. Readers will find that the action never stops, with one page-turning event after another. The characters are all believable; you'll come to love many, dislike a few, and find your heart breaking as some of your favorites face the fire. If you like historical fiction, try 'Ashes of Roses' by Mary Jane Auch. It will make you think about what's most important to you.

Saturnalia

By Paul Fleischman

Most enjoyed by 4th through 8th graders

Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman is one of the titles Zion received in the We the People: Created Equal bookshelf this spring. It's one we'll be reading this fall but it doesn't hurt to get a jump start on it now!

Saturnalia is an old festival that is at the heart the story. It was celebrated on the winter solstice (the longest day of winter) in recognition of the birth of the Roman god Saturn. The celebration included gift giving, feasting, and the chance to turn the world upside down, with masters becoming slaves and slaves becoming masters for the length of the celebration.

Our story takes place in Boston, in 1681, during the month of December. Mr. Baggot, the town's tithingman, is in charge of making sure that the townspeople under his watchful eye learn their Bible verses, stay awake during long church services, and have nothing to do with that pagan festival Saturnalia. Mr. Baggot has heard that Mr. Currie, the printer, and his household celebrate the festival but he hasn't been able to catch them at it. This year for sure, he will make every effort to do so, especially if it means he has a chance to see Mr. Currie's apprentice, William, caught in wrong doing. William is a young Indian boy, captured and taken as a slave during a raid on his tribe. He's found a home, and an education, with Mr. Currie who treats William like part of the family. This irritates Mr. Baggott who has his own personal reasons for hating William.

Mr. Speke is a wood carver who has been commissioned to carve a figurehead for a ship being built in the harbor. He roams the streets at night, unable to sleep for the sound of the screaming Indian girl that haunts his mind. Mr. Hogwood, the wigmaker, wants to court the widow Mrs. Phipp, not for love but for the wealth she has. Not very good at figuring out just what the lady wants, he relies on his servant Malcolm for dating advice. Malcolm, who has yet to meet a pretty face he doesn't like, is more than willing to give Mr. Hogwood advice, especially when he can use it to woo his own sweethearts.

All of the characters in Saturnalia are intertwined in ways both funny and sad. Behind them all though, is the idea of Saturnalia, that time when the characters of the world trade places. There are lots of masters and servants in Saturnalia, and despite the fact that they aren't supposed to celebrate the pagan holiday, the world has a way of turning itself upside down anyway for all of these characters! Look forward to hearing and learning more about Saturnalia this fall!

Tennyson
by Lesley M.M. Blume
Most enjoyed by girls in 4th grade through 8th grade

Their game of hide-and-seek ended badly. Sadie broke the rules and didn't come home. As evening darkened and Tennyson and Hattie waited for her on the porch, they began to realize that Sadie was never coming home. Their mother, unhappy with the life of responsibility that kept her from writing the stories and poems she loved, leaves the girls and their father. Tennyson and Hattie are sent to Aigredoux, the family mansion along the Mississippi River in Louisiana to be cared for by their Aunt Henrietta whom the girls have never met. Aigredoux is a grand house falling into decay in the woods surrounding it. Aunt Henrietta can't and won't see it, convinced that constant letters to the government seeking a return of the family fortune taken during the Civil War will provide the funding necessary to restore Aigredoux to it's former glory. Only Tennyson is able to see the sadness and gloom that surround the house, dating back to the years before and during the war. As the history of the house and family is revealed to her in dreams, Tennyson writes the story down and sends it off to her mother's favorite literary magazine in hopes that the stories will bring her mother home. As the published stories bring Tennyson fame, they also bring reality home in a painful way, leaving Tennyson with the realization that while Aigredoux's hold is strong, the time that saw it's decay can one day see it flourish again.

Set during the Depression, 'Tennyson' is full of sadness and hope. One minute the reader will feel sorry for Tennyson when her situation appears as bleak as the crumbling house, as history repeats itself in an eerie fashion. The next page reveals a glimmer of hope, created by Tennyson herself, making the dream of a new Aigredoux possible. But Tennyson's story doesn't have the neat, tidy ending she and the reader hope it will have, leaving the reader to think about Tennyson and Aigredoux long after closing the book.

Start 'Tennyson' on a hot, muggy summer evening as you sit outside in the dwindling daylight. You'll feel trasported right to Aigredoux along with Tennyson and Hattie, listening for the hushed sounds of the Mississippi river as you wait, like Tennyson, to hear the voices from the past.

Fever 1793

By Laurie Halse Anderson

Most enjoyed by 5th through 8th graders

Mattie is fourteen years old and convinced she is made for a life of business. Helping her mother run the family coffeehouse has given her a good eye for what sells and how to please a customer. Now if she could only get herself out of bed on time. Up early one day, she learns the startling news that her best friend Polly has died suddenly of some kind of fever. And Polly isn't the only one dead. More and more people each day are dying and word in the market place is to leave Philadelphia if you want to live. Mattie's mother wants her to leave, to head for the country to a friend's farm. But Mattie, backed by her grandfather, wants no part of it, until Mattie's mother falls victim to the fever. Mattie flees the city with her grandfather only to be dumped at the side of the road when the old man gets sick. Mattie grows up quickly as she tries to survive and get back home where nothing is the same. Will life ever get back to normal?

'Fever 1793' is a fictional account of the yellow fever epidemic that hit Philadelphia in 1793. It wasn't the only time fever struck the city, but one in which thousands died. The book is fast-paced and gripping, leaving you wondering as you turn each page if Mattie will survive. Would you, could you, scrape and scrabble like Mattie did, simply to live?

A good companion book that gives you more information about the yellow fever epidemic in 'An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793' by Jim Murphy. This non-fiction title adds facts and details about the epidemic that flesh out the story in 'Fever 1793'. It also tells how Philadelphia changed after the epidemic. Read all or part of 'An American Plague' to learn more about this fascinating event in history.