After his father dies fighting in the Civil War, Jacob runs away from home to join his father's old regiment as a drummer boy. On his way, he comes upon two Rebel drummers practicing a call for safe passage on their drums. He observes them, and learns the call, which becomes useful to him later, when his unit takes part in an attack.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0780796543

ISBN-13: 9780780796546

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Ned Begay grew up attending Catholic schools just off the reservation. It was very hard to practice his Indian beliefs, including his native language, in a boarding school run by Whites. There, he was taught that Navajo is a useless language and that their people are worthless. Ned learned the 'White man' ways very quickly, but also kept his native culture alive within himself. Then, Ned and many other Navajo men were recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending secret messages during World War II in their native tongue. Ned went on to fight in many of the major Pacific battles using the code based on the Navajo language. The 'code talkers' code was never broken by the Japanese. There was also a movie made based on the Navajo role in WWII called The Windtalkers.

Similar books: Unsung Heroes of World War II: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers by Deanne Durrett

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/28/2009

ISBN-10: 0803729219

ISBN-13: 9780803729216

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It is December 16,1773 and the errand boy for the printer makes his rounds through Boston, delivering the news about the last tea tax meeting. He also tells the Patriots about the 'Secret.' As he delivers his news at each stop, we hear from the people of the town. Some are loyalists, some are patriots and some are in-between. All have concerns about their country on that day before the famous Boston Tea Party.

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 10/12/2010

ISBN-10: 0525478728

ISBN-13: 9780525478720

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In this story set during war time, we meet Ada Ruth, her mother, and grandmother. The family doesn't have enough money, and Ada Ruth's mother needs to leave to find work. She tells Ada Ruth, 'They're hiring colored women in Chicago since all the men are off fighting in the war.' Ada Ruth misses her mother terribly, and while a tiny kitten Ada Ruth and her grandmother find brings her some comfort, nothing can heal her sadness at missing her mother. She and her grandmother hope for the time when a letter will come saying her mother will be 'Coming on home soon.' This is a thoughtful tale, artfully written, about the emotional experience of missing a parent who has to be away. The book received a Caldecott Honor award for its illustrations.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 6/29/2009

ISBN-10: 0399237488

ISBN-13: 9780399237485

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Life is already tough enough for 14-year old Tom Tin living in London in the early 19th century. After his younger sister drowns and his mother is terribly depressed, they have to move yet again due to unfortunate circumstances that keep his father from getting a job. Seems like Mr. Goodfellow is really quite a bad fellow who is responsible for most of the awful things happening including Tom's father being taken to debtor's prison. As sad as all this is, it is only the beginning of the torment and misery that comes Tom's way when he is unjustly arrested for murder and sentenced to 7-years. As a convict Tom befriends a young 10-year old boy and fights to keep them both safe on the prison ship. Readers will be spellbound as the daily struggles unfold and Tom plans his escape. The tale continues with The Cannibals followed by The Castaways.

Similar authors: Anthony Horowitz

Similar books: Alex Rider series

Reviewed by: adf

Date read: 12/22/2009

ISBN-10: 038573087X

ISBN-13: 9780385730877

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