Joyce and her little sister have been living through the Blitz in England during World War II. So far, their family has been safe but others aren't so lucky. When they are evacuated during Project Pied Piper Joyce doesn't know what to expect. Will they be safe? Will her family be safe? Who will be taking care of them and will they be nice?
Together with some children they meet on the train and the daughter of the family that takes them in Joyce embarks on some adventure and a bit of a mystery.
I warmed up to this as it got going. This would be best for readers who are just entering into historical fiction and aren't ready for really meaty work.
This is a tough one for me. I have been to Guatemala many times. I work with a mission's organization there. The government is corrupt, their history is tragic, there is poverty but... I will not disagree that there are areas of the country where issues of gangs, drugs, and violence are issues. But... it isn't everywhere. My fear with books like this is that we are painting a picture and generalizing for the whole country. My wish would be for the government there to step up, to protect their people, to provide a needed structure to create jobs and security so that people didn't believe their only options was trying to get to the US in dangerous ways.
Free Lunch is a biographical account of Rex's life in the first semester of 6th grade. He is poor - so poor that his mom signs him up for the free lunch program and they have to move from their low income housing to government assisted housing. Rex is embarrassed and doesn't want anyone to know. In addition, there is abuse both physical and emotional between his stepfather and mom and between both of them and Rex.
The book is a hard read but unfortunately is something that too many of our kids experience. It is a good book in that it shows how Rex is able to navigate through his emotions and seek to better understand the situation.
Cap's father is desperate for money so he agrees to dig bodies up from graves and gets Cap to help as well. Cap doesn't like it but doesn't have much choice. One night, after digging up a body, Cap discovers it is a friend of his. He can't let her be taken so he decides to take her body back to the orphanage where she was living. But, when he touches her, she wakes up!! At first, Cap thinks he might have a gift of raising the dead, especially after he is able to "raise" another dead man. But, after failing to "raise" some other bodies Cap learns that some of the dead aren't really dead and that something really evil is going on. But who is responsible? Can Cap figure it out or will he be the next victim?
This was a good bit of historical fiction albeit a bit gruesome. It had a bit of mystery to it as well which I enjoyed. I felt that there were a few holes in the plot that weren't explained but overall an enjoyable read.
3 children - they could save the world. They just don't know it yet.
Alice is disappearing. Everyday since her father went away she has been losing more of herself. Because she blames herself. But she won't tell anyone...
Lewis wants to be a hero but everything has changed. Alice was his best friend but since her father left she won't talk to him.
Melanie lives with the witch. She wants to save the story web but needs help to do it. She needs Lewis and Alice.
They all need to tell their stories.
This was magical and thoughtful. I quite enjoyed it.
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. It features a half Guatemalan girl who is going to my beloved Lake Atitlan. But alas, it was longer than I thought it should be and there was too much going on.
The main plot involved Quijana's attempt to get out of going to Guatemala for Christmas. She knows very little Spanish and knows she will be overwhelmed and embarrassed. Subplots include: her grandmother's battle with cancer, the struggle to figure out what might be wrong with her younger brother, her first crush, a major argument with her dad. It was all a bit much - with so many threads I found it hard to care about the main thread I guess.
I am not sure where in Texas they were flying from to get to Guatemala but 7 hours? It takes 2 1/2 hours from Miami...
Mysteries for middle grade students can be hard to come by. You want a book that has a decent mystery and plot with enough clues that it could be figured out - not too easy, not too challenging. This one suffers a bit from not really enough substance but it is serviceable enough for collections needing more mysteries. I did not know this was a series when I requested it... it would be better to read the whole series I think.
