"The Girl in the Green Sweater" by Krystyna Chiger

Last week I read this amazing book which I was told about by a dear friend from church. (Thanks again, Jenny!!!) This book is an absolute jewel. As I've mentioned before, I am drawn to books that deal with the events surrounding WWII. This book deals with a different aspect of WWII than I had read before.

Krystyna is a young girl when WWII erupts in her home town of Lvov, Poland. She has a little brother that she quickly has to learn to care for and help hide while her parents are forced to work long hours each day. Eventually, the family receives word that the final liquidation of their ghetto will occur, and the family takes to the sewers under the very streets their murderers walk. Her father, having been preparing for this last resort situation, had established a contact through a Polish sewer worker to bring them daily food for a steep price. When the final liquidation happens, many Jews pour into the sewers, spoiling some carefully laid plans. Eventually the family, along with a group of other Jews, settles and fall into a "routine" of sorts. In these damp, disgusting, rat-infested conditions, Krystyna and her family live for fourteen months. Their tale is one of true courage and the human spirit's will to survive. READ THIS BOOK...one of the best memoirs I've read thus far!

"The Avion My Uncle Flew" by Cyrus Fisher

Falling behind on all of my posts here! More to come soon!

I wanted to quickly write up about this book...on my quest of reading 30 books by December 8th, 2012, and this makes book #10! ;-)   This is a Newbery Honor book that I bought a while ago and just never read. It's pretty cute - it deals with a young boy (around the age of 11, I believe?) during WWII. His father returns from war and informs his family that they are moving to Paris briefly to help with some post-war work that he is contracted to do through the government. The boy, Johnny Littlehorn, is NOT happy to be leaving their Wyoming ranch but his mother, originally from France, is thrilled. Long story short, Johnny moves with his uncle (mother's brother) to a small village in France where his mother was raised. A thickening plot ensues as Johnny finds himself being followed by a Nazi spy. At the same time, Johnny's uncle is working on an avion (type of small airplane/glider) that he developed during the war. Can his uncle be successful before the last of his money runs out? Will Johnny figure out who is following him and why? Read it to find out!

The book is peppered with French words and by the end, you actually have a half-decent understanding of basic French without it being annoying or wordy. :-) Cute read.