Bill O'Reilly and the Last Days series

  Hitler's Last Days: The Death of the Nazi Regime and the World's Most Notorious Dictator. Bill O'Reilly. Henry Holt and Company, 2015.


While this book is aimed at teens, it is filled with photographs and information that will satisfy any reader who is curious about the last six months of World War II. The book jacket says that it is adapted from Killing Patton by the same author. Chronologically arranged, chapters are short and read quickly. Most interesting are the photos of key players and the information on what happened to each. While students can read about the war in other places, they may wonder exactly what happened to the main figures after the war and O'Reilly answers those questions. Part of a series including Jesus, Kennedy, and Lincoln, the book is for those who are keen about learning more about each person.


 Kennedy's Last Days: The Assassination That Defined a Generation. Bill O'Reilly. Henry Holt and Company, 2013.


Students are often advised to write about what they know. In this title, Bill O'Reilly includes his own connections to the times of the 1960's and his background as a history teacher.  It strengthens the book immeasurably to know that he is more than his television persona and political views. Graphical pages tell the books and music and trivia of the times. Color photos of the Kennedy family are included as well as the 1961 inaugural address that moved so many young adults to volunteer and to serve their country. Of course, the Kennedy family story and the aftermath of the assassination are major topics, but O'Reilly includes the story of Oswald's family and what happened to them, too. Arranged the same way as the Hitler book, this one is much stronger. It is based on the earlier adult book, Killing Kennedy by the author.

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

  Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. Broadway Books, 2015. Penguin Random House, 2014.  Adult Fiction.

Looking for a summer mystery? Follow everywoman Mabel Dagmar to college where she meets her roommate, Genevra Winslow. The two really seem like water and vinegar, but  Ev invites May to her wealthy family’s summer retreat, Winloch. May leaps at the chance to be away from her working class family and to experience adventure. Every cabin has a quaint name and the family welcomes May warmly. But, why do the houses have such good locks? And , is all as calm as they would have May believe? One of the aunts sets May on a quest to discover past secrets. May even thinks she is in love with Ev’s brother, Galway. But, how did the Winslows make all that money? Who is protecting whom? If you liked Gone Girl and Unbecoming, both novels filled with suspense and unreliable narrators, you will love Bittersweet. It’s a good book to put in your tote bag for the pool or beach this summer!

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Thanks to Blogging for Books from whom I receive the book in exchange for a review.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club

 The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club  by Phillip Hoose. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015. Middle grade nonfiction.




Phillip Hoose has done it again! In his award winning Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, he brought forward a person and time in history to shed new light on one person's fight for equality and justice. In this new title, Hoose shines a light on Knud Pedersen and his brother, Danish boys who became involved in secret sabotage to slow and thwart German operations during World War II. The brothers and their friends decided that if the adults were not going to fight for their country, they would. But, as boys with only bicycles, with curfews of their own, and with limited funds, what could they do? Actually, their exploits and eventual imprisonment make a truly inspiring tale.


On a trip to Denmark in 2000, Hoose discovered snippets about Pedersen and the Churchill Club. He contacted Pedersen about working on a book, but a contract was underway with someone else. Years later, Hoose tried again. This time, Pedersen not only talked with Hoose, but worked to make this nonfiction book a reality. While it reads like an adventure tale, the book is filled with photographs, drawings, newspaper headlines, and comics that show what life was like during the war and the effect the boys had on it. Hoose does a masterful job of sprinkling just enough text boxes to explain difficult topics that may need more explanation. He tells, at the end, what happened to each of these heroic boys. A selected bibliography illuminates other works that avid history buffs will want to consult.

Wonder at the Edge of the World by Nicole Helget

  Wonder at the Edge of the World by Nicole Helget. Little, Brown         and Company, 2015. Middle grade Children's book.

What else can you say about this rip-roaring adventure except that it is a whale of a tale?  Hallelujah (Lu) Wonder, a feisty girl who lives in Tolerone, Kansas inherits the hidden treasures of her scientist father. With her friend, the slave boy Eustace, and his ever present dog, Fob, she defies the wicked Captain Greeney and heads to Antarctica with one of the most wondrous and dangerous treasures. Whales, sharks, ships, storms, and strange new people all play roles in Lu's challenges.

A story about longing for a home that cannot be (back in New Bedford, Massachusetts), a parent she cannot have (the dead father she adored), and trying to fit in and cope with changing times (a bossy older sister and a mother who has seemingly withdrawn from life; abolitionists and lynchings),  this story touches on survival, friendship, and other huge themes for such a small girl. That Lu wins us over and takes us on her own quest is a huge testament to the powerful storytelling abilities of Nicole Helget. This one will be great as an audiobook on a long car trip or just as a read-a-loud for a class of smart youngsters.

The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

 The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah.
                              St. Martin's Press, 2015.  Adult Fiction.


As the Germans invade France, two sisters become involved in activities far from those they had known or expected. Vianne's husband leaves to fight. When the German soldiers come, she and her daughter must allow a German officer to board with them. Her heart is with the Jewish children whose parents are taken away. Isabelle, younger and more rebellious, joins the resistance fighters to help downed RAF pilots escape the country. Both are changed forever and find strength that they never knew they possessed.


One of the sisters looks back and tells the story from 1995 Oregon. Chapters lead with the place and time. Every so often, readers are brought back to Oregon. Frankly, these glimpses are helpful in that they break the pace of the horrible things happening during the war. Leading toward a reunion of wartime participants at the conclusion, the book tells about the lack of food, electricity, and other essentials and the growth of the courageous women and men and children who tried to survive and make their lives and country better.