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IRENA SENDLER AND THE CHILDREN OF THE WARSAW GHETTO

Irena Sendler stands out on the list of righteous Gentiles for her incredibly daring methods of hiding and transporting nearly 400 babies and children out of Nazi-occupied Poland. Sendler continually moved the children from one safe house to another posing as a nurse and employing several tactics, from hiding a 6-month-old in a carpenter’s tool box to concealing little ones under stretchers and floorboards during ambulance runs to smuggling them out in body bags to the cemetery as if ready for burial. Discovered and arrested, she escaped certain execution with the help of her collaborating resistance agency yet was shunned later on in life by the Polish Communists for her efforts. Rubin’s documentary-style narrative is smoothly interspersed with dialogue taken from interviews conducted with many of the now-adult survivors, allowing the realistic and passionate portrayal of this woman’s convictions and determined bravery to ring with the grateful voices of the many she worked so tirelessly to save. Farnsworth’s moody oil renditions authentically capture the tension, fear, despair and darkness of the period and culminate with a shining lifelike portrait of this now elderly heroine, who is only lately being recognized for her valiant behavior. (resources, index) (Picture book/biography. 8-12)

Pub Date: April 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-8234-2251-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Feb. 27, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011

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THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE

Set against a backdrop of war and sacrifice, Ada’s personal fight for freedom and ultimate triumph are cause for celebration.

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  • Newbery Honor Book

Ada discovers there are worse things than bombs after she escapes her Mam’s cruelty during a children’s evacuation of World War II London.

Crippled by an untreated club foot and imprisoned at home by Mam, Ada has survived, but she hasn’t thrived. Only caring for her brother, Jamie, has made life tolerable. As he grows, goes out and tells Ada about the world, her determination to enter it surges. She secretly begins learning to walk and joins Jamie when Mam sends him to the country. Ada narrates, recalling events and dialogue in vivid detail. The siblings are housed with Susan, a reluctant guardian grieving the death of her friend Becky. Yet Susan’s care is life-changing. Ada’s voice is brisk and honest; her dawning realizations are made all the more poignant for their simplicity. With Susan’s help and the therapeutic freedom she feels on horseback, Ada begins to work through a minefield of memories but still harbors hope that Mam will accept her. In interesting counterpoint, Susan also knows what it is like to be rejected by her parents. With the reappearance of Mam, things come to an explosive head, metaphorically and literally. Ignorance and abuse are brought to light, as are the healing powers of care, respect and love.

Set against a backdrop of war and sacrifice, Ada’s personal fight for freedom and ultimate triumph are cause for celebration. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-8037-4081-5

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

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SAINT LOUIS ARMSTRONG BEACH

Narrator Saint is a gifted clarinetist with Juilliard dreams and a soft spot for Shadow, a black Lab mix he longs to fully...

This gripping addition to the growing body of fiction portraying Katrina’s profound effect on children and families pits an 11-year-old boy, a neighborhood dog and an elderly woman against the hurricane and subsequent devastating flood.

Narrator Saint is a gifted clarinetist with Juilliard dreams and a soft spot for Shadow, a black Lab mix he longs to fully claim. Families flee Tremé, but Saint’s mom, a dedicated hospital social worker, toils overtime as Katrina homes in. Pops arranges for Saint to evacuate with Uncle Hugo’s family, but Shadow—to Saint’s tearful dismay—runs off. Shadow’s pivotal in the plotting, as Saint slips back into town to find him. Fate tosses boy and dog in with stubborn neighbor Miz Moran, who’s evaded her own relatives in order to remain at home. Their attic confinement is a study in contrasts: The woman’s good planning yields battery-operated fans and freeze-dried ice cream, but unplanned-for issues include her worsening health and dog poop. Saint bests the flooded house to retrieve Miz Moran’s insulin; the lady’s casual admission that her three heart attacks “was mild ones” ratchets tension. Woods’ marvelous characterizations of Saint and Miz Moran more than stand up to the vivid backdrop of the flooded, chaotic city. Shadow’s credulity-straining heroics will please kids.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-399-25507-6

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011

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