Little known WWII History

The Boys who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
Phillip Hoose
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (May 12, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0374300224
ISBN-13: 978-0374300227
Lexile: Approx. 1100

When Germany invaded Denmark in WWII, Denmark didn't resist. Their government thought to protect their people by allowing Germany to take over. It did prevent loss of life, and the Danish people were able to live their lives more-or-less normally. In neighboring Norway, it was a different story. The Norwegians resisted, tooth and nail.

Not every Dane was happy with their government's decision, and that's where this relatively unknown story comes in. Knud and Jens Pedersen, mere schoolboys, got some friends together and began actively sabotaging their German occupiers. When they were finally found, arrested, and imprisoned, the movement grew and spread. This book is the story of "The Churchill Club," those schoolboys who set off a movement in their nation.

The story is told in both the third-person, with supporting historical research, and in first-person by Knud himself, as well as a few others. There are also photographs and illustrations.

Possible objectionable material: Many, if not all, of the boys smoke. They are imprisoned and poorly treated. They set things on fire. General hooliganism, but for a purpose.

Who might like it: Anyone interested in WWII history, especially those parts that are not as well-known. Girls are minor characters in the book, but do have a presence. The book is aimed at ages 12-18.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

The lost shall be found!

Luckily, I found my accidentally-deleted review of The Help on my Librarything!

Paperback: 450 pages
Publisher: Fig Tree; Group ed edition (August 30, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0241950805
ISBN-13: 978-0241950807
Lexile: 730

I know, I know, it's only taken me four years to get around to this one. And I haven't seen the movie yet, so my view of the book isn't colored by that.

I like this book. I can't imagine how the movie could convey the emotional nuances and inner turmoil of the three point-of-view characters, but it's something Stockett managed well. Some have complained about Stockett's use of dialect and her insertion of historical anachronisms into the narrative to help make her point. The dialect wasn't a problem for me, but I think that may be in part because I've lived in the South and because I have a good ear for dialect and I can hear it spoken in that reading voice in my head. Is it "racist" to have the Black characters use dialect and the white employers not have Southern dialect? I don't know.

There are no tidy endings in this book. You end with hope, yes, but not with an assurance that all will be well for Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. It's not even guaranteed that the overall effect of their actions will be positive, though it is definitely positive for some of the supporting characters.

I did find a few of the characters, especially Hilly, to be rather flat--they were there to serve a purpose, and they served their purpose, but they were stereotypes, with certain qualities magnified in order to make the point. They were easy to hate, as the author intended. With Elizabeth, we saw her mother and got some inkling of why she might be as she is, but I'd have loved to have some insight into Hilly's character.

On the other hand, Skeeter's mother was a much rounder character. She did change some in the course of the narrative, but she also held on stubbornly to some of her flaws. That makes her a much more real character in my eyes.

Possible objectionable material: Mild cursing. Violence, Some drinking. Discussion of sex outside marriage.

Who might like it: Probably women more than men, since male characters are not prominent in the story. Anyone interested in civil rights and prejudice. By age 12-13, a good reader should be able to handle the thematic material

I'm Baaaaack!

Took me long enough, didn't it? But I've been reading a lot lately, and I figured I should share my opinions. After all, finding out what our friends have enjoyed is a good way to find new books, right?

I had a review of The Help on  here, and managed to delete it, rather than cutting and pasting it to format this review. Wouldn't you just know it? I guess I'm just starting fresh on the whole reviewing game.

Liar's Bench
Kim Michele Richardson
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Kensington (April 28, 2015)
ISBN-10: 161773733X
Lexile: approx. 770

Just finished reading my NetGalley-provided copy last night. The story was compelling enough to keep me reading lat, although, to be honest, I did predict a few of the "suprises" fairly easily.

Mudas' 17th birthday is one to remember--her mother committed suicide that day. Or did she? Mudas doesn't believe so.

This coming-of-age story is set in the early 1970s south, with a backdrop of the Vietnam war and continued civil rights struggles. While not essential to the plot, the time and place definitely provide a framework for the story.

Mudas' voice is strong and clear, and the author writes Southern dialect naturally enough that the voice in my head had a definite Southern accent (it may help that I lived in Texas for two years). Her back-and-forth emotions are believable, as are her trust issues with her father. Other characters are clearly drawn, though perhaps a little too small-town South stereotypical at times.

One small quibble is that this book may be trying to do too much--coming of age novel, civil rights novel, mystery novel. It pushes, but doesn't cross the line.

Items to note: A few curse words. Consensual sex, off-screen and brief. Threats of non-consensual sex, but nothing carried out. Mudas grabs a male character's "ball sack" and inflicts pain in order to get away from him. Violence, threatened and actual.

Who would like this book: Anyone who enjoys coming of age. Could be a good companion to study of To Kill a Mockingbird. Probably more for a girl audience, though I can see boys enjoying Mudas, also. (I'm a big fan of Shannon Hale's #Boysreadgirls, but based on my classes of high school freshmen, I'm being realistic.)