A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen

 The day before the Berlin Wall goes up, Gerta's father takes a trip to West Geramy with Gerta's younger brother.  The wall ends up separating father and mother, brother and sister. Once the wall is up, East Germany exercises great control over the citizens, watching their every move and controling their opportunities to get ahead. At first Gerta thinks her dad will be able to return, but as time goes on, she begins to feel that they only way for her family to be reunited is to find some way to escape to the West. Together with her brother Fritz, Gerta undertakes a daring and desparate plan that will either lead them to freedom, or mean their death.

It is interesting for me to read books about the Berlin Wall because I remember when it was up and I remember when it came down.  This is a good introduction to what life might have been like in East Germany.  Gerta is a sympathetic character and the conditions Nielsen portrays are probably pretty authentic.  That said, I found it a little difficult to get through the book.  I thought the pacing was a little off.  It dragged in the middle, and Nielsen is not able to do what a lot of great historical fiction authors manage, that is finding grains of humor in the sea of trial.  If Nielsen could have added just a little bit of humor to releave the tension of the plot, it would have helped the pacing.  That said, this is a good introduction to the cold war and the separation of Berlin and I won't hesitate to recommend it to young (or older) historical fiction readers. (336 p. 2015)

One Good Deed by David Baldacci

 Aloysious Archer is released after serving time in a state prison.  He meets with his female parole officer, who gives him rules he will need to follow to keep from breaking parole. One of the rules is that he is supposed to find a job.  This he does, but it isn't the most respectable job.  He is hired to collect a debt for a local loan shark.  When, later, the loan shark ends up dead, Archer is the prime suspect.  He knows that he must find out who really killed the guy or he will go back to prison. 

Archer is an interesting character.  He is fundamentally ethical, but isn't always saintly.  The plot is interesting, and doesn't end as predicably as I had feared.  The characters are what make the book fun to read.  Some start out stereotypical, but as the story goes on Baldacci adds detail and insight, and soon the characters are not as flat as they first seemed.  This book is probably targeted at men, but is isn't as gory or racy as many men's action mysteries, so it could be shared by a husband/wife who were on vacation.  I can see why Baldacci is hugely popular.  (433 p. 2019)

The Date to Save by Stephanie Kate Strohm

 Angela wants to be a writer in the worst way, and the only student publication at her school is the newpaper, the Prepster.  Unfortunately the Prepster is ruled by a dictatorial editor named Colin. Desparate to get an article in the homecoming edition, Angela agrees to write a 250 word article about Academic Battle.  As she starts to investigate the story, she discovers that Academic Battle, school elections, and the homecomig game are all scheduled at the same time and that the conflict was not an accident.

This book is written as a collection of interviews with different people at the school.  The recorded version is performed nicely by a full cast.  It is very silly, and in a few places, quite funny.  I actually laughed outloud.  The writer has a good grasp of what counts as high drama in a high school.  To the characters, the election of school student rep, the winner of Academic Battle, and the success of the halftime show at homecoming are the most important things in the world.  I especially appreciated the snarky comments from the few school administrators. Even though this book it set in highschool, it is really targeted at junior high age readers.  It would be a great way for an eighth grader to relax after finished some super dry required reading. (201, 288 p.)
  

Virga and Bone by Craid Childs

 Craig Childs is a desert researcher, educator and lover.  In this book he waxes eloquent on many aspects of the American western desert regions. Each chapter is an essay on a different theme.  One is about finding water, and one is about all the garbage people have dumped in the desert.  He talks about the ties between ancient and modern desert dwellers, and both the beauty and violence of the desert landscapes. 

I read this short book because it was the first of two "Thrive 125, Utah Reads" titles.  (The second, Summerlost, I read coincidentally just a few months ago).  It was worth reading.  I liked the fact that Child's embraces both the good and the bad of the desert. The abandoned and shot up old refridgerators are as much a part of the landscape for him as the sequaro cacti.  The writing is good, and the length is good.  I don't think I would have been able to finish it if it were 100 pages longer.  For someone who has lived most of her life in desert areas, it spoke to my heart.  I don't know how much appeal it would have for someone from the East coast.  They would probably just think Child's was crazy.  (120 p. 2019)

p.s.  In case you, like I, didn't know what virga is, it is when clouds over the desert start to rain, but the rain evaporates before it hits the ground.  We experienced it just this past week in Utah County.

All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker

Olympia lives in SoHo New York in the 1980's.  Her mom is an artist and her dad, an art conservator, and Olympia carries a sketch pad wherever she goes.  One day her dad disappears, and her mom, who has struggled with depression in the past, goes to bed and refuses to get up.  Olympia tries to go on, as if her life isn't falling apart at home, but as time goes on, her father doesn't return, and her mother doesn't rally, it becomes harder to maintain appearances. Her best friends Richard and Alex sense what is happening, but Olympia swears them to secrecy. The secret stretched their friendship to the breaking point until the three pre-teens don't know what to do or where to turn.

This is a book about both art, loyalty, and mental illness. Tucker does a good job of portraying the isolation and conflict of living with a person with severe depression. Olympia's reaction to her mother's withdrawl is believable and sympathetic. As an amature artist I was interested in the discussion of color, drawing and art history the character, Apollo shares.  I also enjoyed the setting.  SoHo in the 80's was just on the cusp of becoming the artistic center of Manhatten it is today.  I don't see this book as having universal appeal, but it would be good to recommend to either young artists, or kids dealing with family members with mental illness at home. (320 p. 2019)

A Ceiling Made of Eggshells by Gail Carson Levine

Paloma lives with her family in Spain in the 1480's.  Her father and grandfather are wealthy Jewish tax collectors who fight to keep Jews safe and in favor with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. When Paloma's grandfather discovers that Paloma has a quick mind and a skill with numbers, he trains her to be his traveling companion in his diplomatic missions.  Paloma meets traiders, cardinals and the King, himself, but what she really wants to do is to go home, get married, and have children.  She also worries about the future as the Christian rulers of her country ask more and more of the Jews, even as they become less tollerant of their religious practice. As Paloma watchs her younger siblings come of age and get betrothed, her loyalty to her grandfather and her people battles with the deepest desires of her heart. 

Gail Carson Levine is most famous as the author of Ella Enchanted which won a Newbery Honor and was made into a movie.  Most of her books are fantasy, but she has written a different historical fiction, Dave at Night, which is one of my favorites of her books.  This one was interesting, and I was fascinated by the historical and cultural aspects of the story, but I thought, overall, it lacked the sparkle of her earlier books.  It seemed more plot driven rather than character driven.  That is the challenge in Historical fiction.  You have to fit your characters into the story, instead of letting the characters create the story.  Still, I enjoyed the book and I am glad I read it because I learned a lot about a period of history I didn't know about before.  (2020, 400 p)