Waiting on Wednesday: Among the Red Stars, a Novel by Gwen C. Katz

Waiting on Wednesday was a meme begun by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights

upcoming releases we can't wait to read, and although she no longer hosts this meme, many continue

to post Waiting on Wednesdays

My Waiting on Wednesday pick this week is:

Among the Red Stars, a Novel by Gwen C. Katz
Harper Teen, October 3, 2017, 384 pages

From Goodreads:
World War Two has shattered Valka’s homeland of Russia, and Valka is determined to help the effort. She knows her skills as a pilot rival the best of the men, so when an all-female aviation group forms, Valka is the first to sign up.

Flying has always meant freedom and exhilaration for Valka, but dropping bombs on German soldiers from a fragile canvas biplane is no joyride. The war is taking its toll on everyone, including the boy Valka grew up with, who is fighting for his life on the front lines. 

As the war intensifies and those around her fall, Valka must decide how much she is willing to risk to defend the skies she once called home.

Inspired by the true story of the airwomen the Nazis called Night Witches, Gwen C. Katz weaves a tale of strength and sacrifice, learning to fight for yourself, and the perils of a world at war.

What are you looking forward to reading?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights

upcoming releases we can't wait to read.

There was an article published in the New York Times on July 13, 2016 called "Novels Bring World War II to Life for a New Generation."  According to the article historical fiction about World War II is having a renaissance and when on to showcase three relatively new novels: Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne (links are to my reviews).   

It seems as though the boon in WWII books is continuing - in fiction as well as nonfiction.  Take October 2016, for instance.  As you can see below, it is going to be a big month for books written for young readers about WWII:

Fiction:

Aim by Joyce Moyer Hostetter
Calkins Creek, 2016, 288 pages, age 9+
Available: October 4, 2016

From Goodreads:
As World War II threatens the United States in 1941, fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe fights his own battles at home. Junior struggles with school and with anger—at his father, his insufferable granddaddy, his neighbors, and himself—as he desperately tries to understand himself and find his own aim in life. But he finds relief in escaping to the quiet of the nearby woods and tinkering with cars, something he learned from his Pop, and a fatherly neighbor provides much-needed guidance. This heartfelt and inspiring prequel to the author’s Blue andComfort also includes an author’s note and bibliography.

Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II by Alan Gratz 
Scholastic Press, 2016, 320 pages, age 9+
Available: October 11, 2016

From Goodreads:
Infiltrate. Befriend. Sabotage.
World War II is raging. Michael O'Shaunessey, originally from Ireland, now lives in Nazi Germany with his parents. Like the other boys in his school, Michael is a member of the Hitler Youth.
But Michael has a secret. He and his parents are spies.
Michael despises everything the Nazis stand for. But he joins in the Hitler Youth's horrific games and book burnings, playing the part so he can gain insider knowledge.
When Michael learns about Projekt 1065, a secret Nazi war mission, things get even more complicated. He must prove his loyalty to the Hitler Youth at all costs -- even if it means risking everything he cares about.
Including... his own life.
From acclaimed author Alan Gratz (Prisoner B-3087) comes a pulse-pounding novel about facing fears and fighting for what matters most.

Liberty (Dog of World War II) by Kirby Larson
Scholastic Press, 2016, 240 pages, age 9+
Available: October 11, 2016

From Goodreads:
Fish has a knack for inventing. His annoying neighbor, Olympia, has a knack for messing things up. But when his latest invention leads Fish to Liberty, a beautiful stray dog who needs a home, he and Olympia work together to rescue her.
At the Higgins boatyard, where the boats that just might save the Allied forces during World War II are built, the wartime workforce is integrated and includes women and the disabled. However, a friendship that crosses racial lines is not the norm in 1940s New Orleans.
Fish, who suffered from polio and whose dad is away fighting in Europe, looks up to Mr. Higgins, and he's thrilled when one of his inventions helps Mr. Higgins's engineers unlock the mechanics of the landing crafts. Mr. Higgins inspires him to be bold and brave. As Fish enlists the help of unexpected friends and allies to save Liberty, he finds his perceptions of the world -- of race and war, family and friendship -- transformed.

Nonfiction:

Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II by Albert Marrin
Knopf BFYR, 2016, 256 pages, age 12+
Available: October 11, 2016

From Goodreads:
Just seventy-five years ago, the American government did something that most would consider unthinkable today: it rounded up over 100,000 of its own citizens based on nothing more than their ancestry and, suspicious of their loyalty, kept them in concentration camps for the better part of four years. 
 How could this have happened? Uprooted takes a close look at the history of racism in America and carefully follows the treacherous path that led one of our nation’s most beloved presidents to make this decision. Meanwhile, it also illuminates the history of Japan and its own struggles with racism and xenophobia, which led to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, ultimately tying the two countries together. 
 Today, America is still filled with racial tension, and personal liberty in wartime is as relevant a topic as ever. Moving and impactful, National Book Award finalist Albert Marrin’s sobering exploration of this monumental injustice shines as bright a light on current events as it does on the past.

What new books are you waiting for?

Waiting on Wednesday - The Plot to Kill Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero by Patricia McCormick

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights

upcoming releases we can't wait to read.

The Plot to Kill  Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero by Patricia McCormick
HarperCollins, September 13, 2016, 192 pages, age 9+

From Goodreads:

It was April 5, 1943, and the Gestapo would arrive any minute. Dietrich Bonhoeffer had been expecting this day for a long time. He had put his papers in order—and left a few notes specifically for Hitler’s men to see. Two SS agents climbed the stairs and told the boyish-looking Bonhoeffer to come with them. He calmly said good-bye to his parents, put his Bible under his arm, and left. Upstairs there was proof, in his own handwriting, that this quiet young minister was part of a conspiracy to kill Adolf Hitler.

This compelling, brilliantly researched account includes the remarkable discovery that Bonhoeffer was one of the first people to provide evidence to the Allies that Jews were being deported to death camps. It takes readers from his privileged early childhood to the studies and travel that would introduce him to peace activists around the world—eventually putting this gentle, scholarly pacifist on a deadly course to assassinate one of the most ruthless dictators in history. The Plot to Kill Hitler provides fascinating insights into what makes someone stand up for what’s right when no one else is standing with you. It is a question that every generation must answer again and again.

With black-and-white photographs, fascinating sidebars, and thoroughly researched details, this book should be essential reading. 

What are you waiting for this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Enemy Above by Michael P. Spradlin and Brave Like My Brother by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights

upcoming releases we can't wait to read.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick this week is:

The Enemy Above: A Novel of World War II by Michael P. Spradlin
Scholastic, June 28, 2016, 240 pages, age 9+

From Goodreads:

The Germans are closing in.  And twelve-year-old Anton knows his family can't outrun them.  A web of underground caves seems like the perfect place to hide.  But danger lurks above the surface. Ruthless Major Karl Von Duesen of the Gestapo has made it his mission to round up every Jew in the Ukrainian countryside. Anton knows if his community is discovered, they will be sent off to work camps...or worse.

When a surprise invasion catches them off guard, Anton makes a radical decision.  He won't run any longer.  And he won't hide. He will stop being hunted...and start doing some hunting of his own.

Brave Like My Brother by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Scholastic, June 28, 2016, 112 pages, age 7+

From Goodreads:

When Charlie's brother, Joe, is called up to fight in World War II, he promises to write letters to ten-year-old Charlie as often as he can.  It won't make up for not being there to help Charlie out with the neighborhood bullies, but it's all Joe can do.

Life is tough for a soldier, and Joe tells Charlie all about it, from long hikes in endless rain and mud to the stray dog his company adopts.  But when Joe is sent on a secret mission with the one soldier he can't stand, he will have to face risks that place their mission - and their lives - in grave danger.

Charlie knew his brother was strong, but he will discover that Joe is more of a hero than he lets on.  Will Joe's letters give Charlie the strength to stand up for himself and be brave, too?

I've read other books by Marc Tyler Nobleman and really enjoyed them, so I am looking forward to his new book.  Michael P. Spradlin is a new author for me, but his book sounds very interesting.

What are you looking forward to reading?

Waiting on Wednesday #3: The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that highlights

upcoming releases we can't wait to read.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick this week is:

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne
Henry Holt & Co.
June 7, 2016; 272 pages

From Goodreads:

When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy Austrian household. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler.

Pierrot is quickly taken under Hitler's wing and thrown into an increasingly dangerous new world: a world of terror, secrets, and betrayal from which he may never be able to escape.


I'm always curious to read books by John Boyne.  I've reviewed a few of his novels in the past, but after the controversy of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (which I have not reviewed) I always feel hesitant on the one hand, excited on the other.  

What are you looking forward to reading?

Waiting on Wednesday #2: Skating with the Statue of Liberty by Susan Lynn Meyer

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that highlights

upcoming releases we can't wait to read.

I haven't participated in Waiting on Wednesday in a long time, but hope to be more regular from now on.  This week, my pre-publication selection is:

Skating with the Statue of Liberty by Susan Lynn Meyer

Publication date: April 12, 2016

Random House

From Goodreads:

In this gripping and poignant companion to Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner Black Radishes (my review), Gustave faces racism and anti-Semitism in New York City during World War II, but ultimately finds friendship and hope.

It is January 1942, and Gustave, a twelve-year-old Jewish boy, has made it to America at last. After escaping with his family from Nazi-occupied France, after traveling through Spain and Portugal and across the Atlantic Ocean, he no longer has to worry about being captured by the Germans. But life is not easy in America, either.

Gustave feels out of place in New York. His clothes are all wrong, he can barely speak English, and he is worried about his best friend, Marcel, who is in grave danger back in France. Then there is September Rose, the most interesting girl in school, who for some reason doesn’t seem to want to be friends with him. Gustave is starting to notice that not everyone in America is treated equally, and his new country isn’t everything he’d expected. But he isn’t giving up.

Skating with the Statue of Liberty, the brilliant companion to Susan Lynn Meyer’s debut novel, Black Radishes, was inspired by her father’s stories about his first months in America. It is a gripping look at one boy’s life that is at once honest and hopeful. 

I knew there was going to be a companion to Black Radishes, and I am excited to read Skating with the Statue of Liberty to see how Gustave and his family are getting on in America.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

This week I am waiting for two books, both of which are the last volumes in a trilogy:

The FitzOsbornes at War finishes the tale of Sophie FitzOsborne and the Royal family of Montmaray exiled to England after the Nazis attacked their island and bombed their castle.  Told through journal entries, Sophie is a keen, witty observer of what goes on around her and there is plenty of social, political and familial intrigue to record.

The Australian edition of The FitzOsbornes at War was available as of April 2, 2012.  The American edition will be available October 9, 2012.

Oh well, this will give me time to reread
The Brief History of Montmaray and The FitzOsbornes in Exile (my reviews)

If you like novels like I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, the FitzOsbornes are sure to please you.

The second book I am waiting for is Becoming Clementine by Jennifer Niven.  This continues the adventures of Velva Jean Hart.   Growing up Appalachian-born Velva Jean Hart faced all kinds of hardships and sorrows with the help of singing, the thing she loves to do best.  Her teenage marriage to a revival preacher didn't work out,  but Velva Jean gained some freedom when she learned to drive.  She decided to follow her dream of singing at the Grand Ole Opry and  drives herself to Tennessee and the next thing she knows, she is flying for her country at war.

Becoming Clementine will be available on September 25, 2012.

Find my review of Velva Jean Learns to Fly here.