Nose in a Book

Author: Jan Terlouw

Publisher: Lemniscaat USA

Publication Date: 1972

Genre: Junior Fiction, Historical Fiction

Michiel is a fifteen-year-old boy living in a small village in the Netherlands in the winter of 1944. When the war began, Michiel thought that it would be exciting and full of heroic deeds, but the reality has been something very different. After the Germans occupied Holland, Michiel’s childhood ended much earlier than it should have. Now, Michiel isn’t able to go to school due to the distance, and each night his home welcomes in various starving obscure relatives and acquaintances, traveling to find food. Quiet and observant, Michiel knows that his neighbour Dirk is a member of the Dutch resistance, and one of his neighbors is a Nazi sympathizer. But suddenly a lot of things happen all at once: Dirk is arrested, Michiel becomes a part of the resistance himself by helping a British soldier and Michiel’s father is executed for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, Michiel is the man of his family and he will have to be smart if he wants to help others without putting his life, or theirs, on the line.

I read this book while in Amsterdam, since I was looking for a Dutch book to read on my vacation there. I enjoyed how this book portrayed the complexities of war, from the eyes of a fifteen-year-old boy. Winter in Wartime did a good job at showing that no side is purely heroic or villainous in any war. Michiel is often faced with difficult decisions and when things go wrong it’s not because he did anything wrong, but because often things are beyond his control. For pre-teens or anyone interested in learning more about WWII, particularly from the Dutch perspective, this book is a good choice. It gives you a well-rounded look at life during the war, looking at the resistance, the many starving people, the people in hiding and the lives of children. The plot was engaging and fast paced, and while the characters weren’t that original, it was a great story. Poignant and thoughtful, Winter in Wartime shows us that that war is never exciting in heroic, but ugly and tragic.

4/5

Author: Jonas Jonasson

Publisher: Harper Collins 


Publication Date: January 1st, 2009

Genre: Fiction

Allan Karlsson has just turned 100 years old when he decides to walk out of the window of his nursing home and proceed to the nearest train station, buying a ticket to as far as his money will take him. But an impulsive decision to take a young man’s suitcase complicates matters for Allan, and soon he finds his path crossed with dangerous gangsters. Along the way, Allan joins forces with a petty thief, a man who is nearly a professional in many fields and a woman who owns an elephant. Together they become wanted criminals. This last extraordinary adventure for Allan is only to be expected, after having lived a life of impossible excitement. Allan’s mark is permanently imprinted on the world’s history, and even at 100 he isn’t too old for some more adventure.

This Swedish novel was recently translated into English and has been getting a fair bit of buzz. While the main plotline takes place in 2005, the main character was born 100 years earlier in Sweden, and traveled extensively throughout the twentieth century, finding himself in the middle of history on many occasions. This was a really entertaining and original story with engaging characters. It was filled with dark humour and a lot of history in an interesting way. If a book about a 100-year-old man doesn’t sound appealing, I think that Allan, an explosives expert who loves a stiff drink, will surprise you. The title aptly sums up the whole book, although it doesn’t quite capture how smart, quirky and entertaining this book is. One of my favourites of the year, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a book I would definitely recommend.

4.5/5

Author: R.J. Palacio

Publisher: Knopf

Publication Date: February 14^th, 2012

Genre: Junior Fiction, Contemporary

Ten-year-old August Pullman is about to start his first year of middle school after being home schooled all of his life. Going to regular school would have been difficult for August until now, since he’s had to under go so many surgeries. But the fact that Auggie has a severe facial deformity makes going to school terrifying, since his face scares children, disgusts his peers and makes adults uncomfortable. The thing is, Auggie really is an ordinary kid. He likes Star Wars, his best subject is science, he plays video games and he is smart and funny. But with a face that no one can help taking notice of, it’s difficult to make friends when people don’t want to even look at you. When Auggie first heard about his parents wanting to enroll him at a private school, he imagined himself being bullied and constantly stared at. While a lot of the things he dreaded do occur, throughout his first year of middle school Auggie finds bravery in himself and learns about true friendship.

This touching novel is from the perspective of the main character, Auggie, as well as other kids and teens in his life. When I first saw that the narration was going to change throughout the novel I was apprehensive, but the author handled it perfectly. Wonder is a beautiful book that everyone should read. It was real and well written, with realistic and wonderful characters. I can imagine this book being read in classrooms, since I think it touches on important issues for younger readers, such as being different and the importance of kindness. While Auggie is the main character, we get to see him through the eyes of other people in his life, such as his sister and his friends. All of the characters were engaging and felt realistic and each had their own distinct voice. The plot sounds simple but it worked well and made Wonder an amazing story that I couldn’t put down and won’t soon forget. It was inspiring, thought-provoking and a worthwhile read even if you think you’re too old for children’s books.

5/5

“The things we do outlast our mortality. The things we do are like monuments that people build to honor heroes after they’ve died. They’re like the pyramids that the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Only instead of being made of stone, they’re made out of the memories people have of you.”

Author: Michael Lawrence

Publisher: Orchard Books

Publication Date: September 25^th, 2003

Genre: YA, Science Fiction

Alaric and Naia Underwood both live in an old Victorian house in a small village. They both have dark hair and the same nose and the same parents. They even have the same bedroom. But Alaric and Naia have never met; they don’t even live in the same world. Things have been difficult for Alaric since his mother died in a train accident two years ago, after being given a fifty/fifty chance of survival. When Alaric travels to an alternate timeline, he meets Naia, who is the female version of himself. But the bigger difference between Naia’s world and his own is that Naia’s mother lived and his didn’t. Naia has been living the perfect life that Alaric could only dream of until he saw it for himself. Together, Alaric and Naia try to understand how they could both exist and meet one another. But things become even more complicated when Alaric discovers that there are other alternate realities.

The first book in the Aldous Lexicon trilogy follows two different versions of the same person, one female and one male. This book provides an in depth look into how one variable can alter so much and how one decision can change your life. This isn’t the first story I’ve read or watched that deals with alternate realities, but it’s how the author handles it that makes this book so special. Everything was thought out perfectly and the idea that started the story is expanded on throughout the novel. There is a reasonable (although complicated) reason for Alaric and Naia being able to visit the alternate worlds, which some stories with similar plots lack. I was a bit worried about reading a book where the two main characters are practically the same person, but there are so many differences between Naia and Alaric, not only from their different sexes but also from Alaric losing his mother while Naia did not. For this reason, Naia is much more well adjusted and happier, and also had more time and energy to put into her schoolwork, making her smarter than Alaric. The one flaw that comes to mind is that at times the story was slow moving, but the twist ending made me want to pick up the sequel right away. If you live outside of the U.K this book might be difficult to find, but I ordered mine from The Book Depository, where there’s no charge for shipping worldwide. A Crack in the Line was an intelligent and unique story that took a great concept and expanded on it enough to make something amazing.

4.5/5

Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Publisher: Dial

Publication Date: August 29th, 2013

Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius that is about to start middle school. Willow doesn’t have any friends but she does have her passion for plants and medicine. When her extensive research on teenagers doesn’t quite prepare her for her new school, Willow is sent to see a counsellor for cheating on a standardized test that she received a perfect score on, without cheating. Willow’s counsellor isn’t exactly a natural at his job, and until Willow he thought that all of the kids he saw fit into simple categories. Through her counselling sessions, Willow meets Mai and she just might make a friend. But then everything changes when Willow’s parents die and Willow is left alone. When Mai steps in and tells a few lies, Willow is taken home with her new friend until she will be put into the foster system. Willow knows it isn’t permanent, but sometimes it’s hard not to plant some roots. And even though things will never be the same, Willow finds that sometimes if you take the shattered glass of your life and hold it up to the light, you might make something beautiful.

At first, Counting by 7s seems like it will be about an eccentric girl trying to fit in, perhaps with some help from her inspired counsellor. That is not anything close to what happens. Willow’s story is about putting the pieces together after tragedy, and making your own family. It’s a story about tragedy but it’s not a tragedy: it’s a beautiful story about moving on after the tragic. Willow is an amazing narrator and an amazing person, and reading a story about her life is a great and memorable experience. I loved everything about this book: the plot, the writing, the characters, the message and the way Willow’s love for gardening tied in with the plot and the themes. The one thing that bothered me was I was a bit confused about the ending and thought it was a bit too neat. Willow is almost like magic, and just by being Willow she brings together a group of seemingly different people. A book about passion, friendship, family and a little genius, Counting by 7s will break your heart than slowly put it back together again before the last page.

 5/5

“A second can feel like forever if what follows is heartbreak.”

Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: January 8th, 2013
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

Alyson is just finishing up a tour of Europe with a parent-approved group catering to teens. While Alyson’s long time best friend Melanie is using this summer away before starting college to reinvent herself, Alyson feels like the same old girl she’s always been. For her part, Alyson has always done exactly what has been expected of her. The trip is no exception, and Alyson can’t help but feel that she’s not getting what she should be out of Europe. On the last night of the tour, Alyson and Melanie are going to see Hamlet in Stratford upon Avon, before going to London the next morning to visit a cousin of Melanie’s. But an unexpected impulse leads Alyson to skip Hamlet to see a free production of Twelfth Night by the Guerrilla Will theatre group. Alyson falls fast for Willem, a Dutch boy playing Sebastian. In the spirit of the moment, Willem and Alyson take off for Paris. With Willem, Alyson isn’t a predictable, pre-med, good girl: she’s LuLu, the nickname Willem gave her. Together, they take on the city of lights as quickly as possible. But in the morning, Willem is gone, and Alyson is left doubting everything. The path that was long ago chosen for her no longer is what she wants. Alyson can’t let go of that one day and it’s just because she wants to find what happened to Willem: she also wants to find what happened to the person she was for that one day.

From the writer of If I Stay, Just One Day is a story about romance, travel, coming of age and finding who you are. Many reviews and synopsises I’ve read focus a lot on the romantic aspects of this book and whether or not it’s possible to fall in love in a day. While there were a lot of other important aspects of this book, the romance was well written and engaging, and it was easy to get swept away, just like Alyson. While falling in love in Paris is a cliché, what happens after helps this book stray away from the typical romance. I didn’t love Paris like Alyson does, but this book made me want to go back. While the romance was well written, I was more drawn to the themes about people pretending to be someone else. Shakespeare and different themes from his plays (specifically Twelfth Night, As Your Like It and even Romeo and Juliet) intertwined with the story perfectly and added so much. While If I Stay featured the coolest family ever, Alyson’s family is far from perfect and her mother was frustrating and even infuriating at times. Alyson is what you would expect from someone who is raised by domineering parents: she’s spoilt, and lives a predictable life, just as she should. Alyson grows as a person throughout the novel and even when she was acted particularly sheltered, I liked and connected with her. As a twenty-something, I could relate to Alyson’s confusion over who she is and what she wants. I loved the travel aspects of the plot, although they just fuelled my ever-present wanderlust. This book could open a lot of discussions and would be a good choice for a teen book club. While there a bit too many coincidences towards the end, I thought this book was beautifully written, with a plot that was easy to get caught up in.

4.5/5

“You have to fall in love to be in love, but falling in love isn’t the same as being in love”