booksncrannies_official's reviews
88 reviews

'Resistance' holds an extraordinary story that illustrates the power of courage and hope in the face of insurmountable odds. Told from the perspective of a teenage Jewish girl who works in a Polish resistance group during WWII, this novel brings the horrors and atrocities many experienced in Nazi-occupied Poland to a personal level with the reader. The ever-present death and suffering within the Polish ghettos is keenly felt by the reader as the protagonist, Chaya, tells her story. The plot does take a while to bring the reader to the action of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; however, the plot is sprinkled with other conflicts, surprises, and events that will hold the reader's attention quite well until this crisis. The characters are realistic and dynamic which adds another layer of realism to the plot. Accurately detailed yet simply stated, the writing style is well-balanced in its delivery of the horrific acts of Nazi aggression. 'Resistance' is a thrilling historical novel that draws on the lives of actual resistance workers to create an excellent story — a story that demonstrates love is "a weapon that will defeat hate every single time."

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A historical narrative that features incredible heroism, 'Into the Blizzard' gives readers a look at a little-known tragedy that occurred off the Massachusetts coast during the Great Blizzard of 1978. The history examined in this novel is intriguing but at the same time devastating. While the presentation of the historical facts was interesting, I didn't feel engaged in the plot and action for the first half of the book because the suspense and main sequence of the storyline are disrupted quite a bit by several attempts to give a background to the already-lacking characters. These disruptions take the reader to examine several past rescue operations that fill a good portion of the book. These "flashbacks" greatly destroy much of the main sequence and action of the current rescue operation. The characters lack sufficient development which makes them feel impersonal and isolated to the reader. For a young reader's edition, the writing is paradoxical. Except for the transcripts of the original radio broadcasts, the writing is simple but can seem unconnected at times. Yet on the flipped side, the writing contains some morbid details relating to the tragedy and several swear words. Also, the end of the novel contains a few paragraphs describing how the individuals who perished in the tragedy supposedly "appear" from the dead weeks later to grieving friends and family members. At least the historical facts of this novel were interesting and educational. 'Into the Blizzard' is a mediocre account of a tragedy that demonstrates how one simple decision can have profound (and sometimes deadly) consequences.

'The War Below' features an interesting WWII story of a boy's fight for survival. Since the setting of this novel is on the Eastern Front of WWII, the story holds a different but fresh feel in its details. I really enjoyed the events of the plot but felt that it moved too quickly for me to resonate with the protagonist. Although overall the plot was intriguing, the structuring and pacing could have been a bit better for a more dynamic story. As I read this book, I kept wanting more development in Luka, the protagonist; but, alas, that development didn't arrive and I was a bit disappointed — his character holds so much untapped potential. The writing is blunt and streamlined which, although is more realistic, sacrifices needed details and smooth delivery at times. Because this novel had a lot of action and historical intrigue, I still enjoyed 'The War Below.' Luka's story is yet another sampling of the sacrifices so many make to obtain something that every oppressed person desires — freedom.

'Listen to the Moon' is such an exquisite novel that poignantly illustrates the importance of friends and kindness in the face of war and opposition. I absolutely loved every bit of this book: the plot, characters, setting, writing style, and atmosphere. Even though it has a façade of simplicity, the plot actually gets quite deep and gripping. Its multilayered conflicts and beautifully crafted progression work in conjunction to produce a story that held my full interest and attention; every time I picked this book up I didn't want to leave its gripping plot! The characters are so well developed. Alfie and Lucy — I loved their characters; they were so wonderfully realistic and excellently developed. I admired Alfie's courageous and selfless actions when he alone defends Lucy from the evil acts of... I better not give anything away! Complementing all of the other elements of this this novel, Morpurgo's amazing writing style fills the story with smooth flow, vivid details, and realistic dialogue — all attributes of a talented storyteller. I was impressed once again by Morpurgo's ability to craft such a heartfelt story of community, trust, and endurance. I highly recommend this five-star novel!

A suspenseful and dynamic WWII novel, 'Rescue' delivers an exciting storyline filled with secret codes, shifting loyalties, and daring missions. The plot is very engaging and kept me really involved in the story. Several thrilling plot twists are employed to lift the suspense to a higher plane in this novel. Solidly defined characterization instills dynamic levels of intrigue and adds dimension to the plot. Providing for some page-turning moments, the nonstop action drives the reader right to the elegant ending. 'Rescue' is a delightfully thrilling novel that will keep readers engaged as they follow the story's courageous heroine on her dangerous trek across the treacherous territory of Nazi-occupied France.

Set in the turbulent times and territory of ancient Roman Britain, 'Hostage Lands' delivers an exciting historical adventure that is both gripping and satisfying. The fast-paced plot definitely holds much intrigue and didn't fail to in its task to keep me engaged in the story. Even though the vast majority of the plot is rooted in Roman Britain, the story's modern-day beginning gives an interesting perspective to the main events of the plot. The mix of characters — Romans and Celts, tribunes and chieftains, plebians and centurions — is a varied and balanced ingredient that lends good flavor to the plot. Many terms and customs of Latin and Roman history are scattered throughout the book; these historical nuggets were fun to learn about and greatly help to set the historical atmosphere for the book. Also proving historically interesting are the many references to the Roman and Celt gods of mythology; a helpful glossary aids the reader in further understanding the meaning of the gods' names. Entertaining, thought provoking, and instructive, 'Hostage Lands' is an exciting and intriguing historical novel that aptly shows the workings of the one true God within the pages of history.

What a helpful book! 'Confound the Critics' is easy to follow and understand. Its conversational style really helps the reader learn the techniques used when answering questions and addressing attacks against the teachings of the Word of God. This book will definitely be a resource I will use in the future!

"'A real hero steps in when they see people getting hurt, no matter what'" — a quote that the characters of Heroes wonderfully demonstrate in so many different ways. From the very beginning of the book, the nonstop action carried me right through the story! I felt really involved in the action of the plot and enjoyed Gratz's attention to sensory details — it greatly helped to bring the story to life. The plot is definitely well structured and holds a lot of exciting action. The main characters, Frank and Stanley, have so many realistic thoughts, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses that I found it very easy to connect with them during their dynamic development. Since this novel accurately portrays the cruelty that Japanese Americans faced after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the fear and shock of such mistreatment is presented in a personal level with the reader through Stanley's character (he has Japanese ancestry). Displaying descriptive word choices and smooth flow, Gratz's writing style is a balanced approach for the riveting action in the story. Heroes is an exciting and action-packed look at a day "which will live in infamy."

What an adventure! King Solomon's Mines definitely proved to be a different kind of dramatic narrative that is built upon high-stakes adventure. But the writing — that's where the story seemed to lose much of its forceful delivery. A lot of times the writing just felt stale and sorta like it drew out the details too much. Since this is a plot-driven story, the characters are flat and don't feature much development; but for this story's purpose — providing readers with an exciting plot — the lack of character development doesn't hamper the story very much. Taking everything into consideration, I still certainly enjoyed the general delivery of this classic piece of literature.

Bridge to Terabithia is an interesting story that stresses the importance of good friendships. Did I enjoy the book? Not as much as I could have. The story is littered with frequent inappropriate language which robs the book of its of much of its young and innocent atmosphere that the plot and characters work so hard to create. So, yeah, the language cheapened the story quite a bit for me. Other than that, the writing is okay: not super great, not super cheap. Featuring a simplistic and slow-paced plot allows the story to focus on the development, emotions, and thoughts of the main characters; this character focus magnifies the story's theme — the importance of having good friendships — and allows the reader to develop a deeper connection with the protagonists.
That ending — why? *sighs* It was almost expected in a way but was still quite abrupt and sad. Oh, well.... A different kind of story to say the least. Even then I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.