Amina is fleeing Syria in a boat with a lot of other people. The boat capsizes, and the people fall into the Mediterranean Sea. As Amina sinks in the water, she remembers her family and the ancient hero Zenobia, Queen of ancient Syria. Zenobia gives her courage not to panic in the water. Book reviewed…
Picks by Anne W. - Page 4 of 5
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Ruby & Olivia by Rachel Hawkins
Eeeeewwww, an old, abandoned, probably haunted house! Why would you want to go inside? Ruby and Olivia have to because they have gotten into trouble and are completing community service at a summer day camp. Live Oak House needs to be cleaned up so it can be turned into a museum. As Ruby and Olivia…
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Jerome is shot by a police officer who thinks he has a gun. Jerome's ghost tells us the story of how it happened. Jerome is a brave boy trying to protect his sister and be safe in their dangerous neighborhood. He deals with bullies and sees drug dealers near his home regularly. Jerome decides to…
The Painting by Charis Cotter
Annie and her mother are very different, and have trouble talking to each other sometimes. Annie finds an old painting in the attic of her house and is drawn to it. It fascinates her every time she looks at it, until she notices one day that things in the painting are actually moving. The more…
I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
Starting as an assignment for school, Caitlin is a middle school student in the United States who decides to write to Martin in Zimbabwe. They learn about each other's lives and become friends long after the assignment has been completed. As Caitlin realizes that Martin and his family are in increasing danger in their country,…
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Imagine that someone builds a wall in the middle of the night separating your town into different sides. You have to stay on the side you are on and never get to visit the other side. That is exactly what happened when the Berlin Wall was built to separate the West from the East. Gerta,…
I am Drums by Mike Grosso
Drums are Sam's life. She hears music everywhere she goes, even when she is dreaming. She even makes her own drum kit out of her encyclopedias and her Calvin and Hobbes books so she can practice all the time. Sam wants to become a better drummer, and she has to figure out how she can…
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
A spooky, mysterious tree is at the center of this story. Molly and Kip encounter the Windsor family, who are in need of a housekeeper/cook and someone to take care of their yard. The longer Molly and Kip stay, the more they realize that the tree (which the house has been built around) has magical…
How to Capture an Invisible Cat by Paul Tobin
Invisible Cats? Dogs that can talk? Villains chasing Nate and Delphine? In How to Capture an Invisible Cat by Paul Tobin, Nate and Delphine have to figure out how to shrink Nate's cat, Proton, to his original size (Nate loves science and experimenting and made Proton the size of an elephant and invisible). The Red Death…
The Disappearance of Emily H. by Barrie Summy
Raine is the new girl at school, and she is living in the house Emily H. lived in before she disappeared. What happened to Emily? Do the mean girls know something? Raine has the ability to see "sparkles" on objects, so when she touches them, she can see what happened. Is Emily still alive? Will…
