For Freedom

This historical fiction novel tells the true story of Suzanne David Hall, an opera singer and spy for France during World War II.  The story begins May 29th, 1940 in Cherbourg when 13 year old Suzanne and friend Yvette go to the beach to enjoy a beautiful sunny day near the Place Napoleon, near the Gare Maritime where trains can unload directly to ships in the harbor.  Suddenly the skies fill with aircraft dropping bombs. The beach, the square explode with craters everywhere.  Soon the Nazis move into Cherbourg.  Suzanne's family must move out so troops can use their house.
Life is hard. Suzanne continues her music and voice lessons striving to become an opera singer.  She travels for lessons, costume fittings, rehearsals with her voice teacher and a French Resistance organizer notices and recruits her.  This is very dangerous and once committed she can never go back.  She becomes #22 spy passing coded messages all over.  The authenticity, excitement, suspense and bravery of this tale are real and a great addition to any book club or history unit about WW II, Nazis, or the Resistance efforts.
Reviews:
LibrisNotes
http://librisnotes.blogspot.com/2011/04/for-freedom-story-of-french-spy-by.html
Semicolon
http://www.semicolonblog.com/?p=16324
Google Books
http://books.google.com/books/about/For_Freedom.html?id=1tgqTEaym_UC

As the Nazi war machine devours Europe, young Jacob Weisz must flee Germany and join the underground Resistance in Belgium.  Meanwhile in occupied France, assistant pastor Jean-Luc Leclerc and his wife find themselves organizing a relief movement that involves the entire town (characters are from true stories and events) and must operate in secret.  All characters are pushed to their limits of human endurance.  Jacob and Jean-Luc will come together to risk one of the most daring and dangerous acts possible...escape from Auschwitz.  This will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading excellent historical fiction based on real events.  I recommend this book for both teens and adults; this is a great addition to any WWII unit. Published in 2014 there are no study guides yet.

New York Times best selling author uses real historical information in a spellbinding novel about what happened to those who were captured, sent to the death camps and actually escaped.  Inspired by true stories, Joel Rosenberg gives the reader a realistic glimpse of the events that happened behind those prison walls and the courage needed to survive, escape and tell the world the truth.  Rosenberg has worked with some of the world's most influential leaders including Benjamine Netanyahu.

Reviews:
The Blackfive: The Auschwitz Escape
Barnes&Noble

 These are excellent thrillers by a master writer who can set the stage, use the details of characterization, theme, mood, etc. for realistic portrayals of World War II and the Cold War. The suspense will grab you and the atmosphere is well created. These are great books not just for adults but teens also. This is character driven drama by an expert who shows you how people act, psychologically think and respond with out all the high tech gadgets. These books will go well with history and social studies classes.

The Salzburg Connection  begins in 1945 with the Allies invading Germany.  The Nazis hide a sealed chest in the deep dark lake of Finstersee, surrounded by the high Austrian Alps. A British agent decides to try to find it. Bill Mathison, a New york attorney looking for a missing colleague, finds himself drawn into the shadow world of intrigue and international espionage. Two beautiful women enter the scene. Which one           can he trust? If you like mysteries and suspense these books are for you.

Reviews:
Macolm Noble on fiction classics discusses The Salzburg Connection
Good Reads: The Salzburg Connection
Google Books: The Salzburg Connection

Study Guide:
eNotes: The Salzburg Connection

Film:
Wikipedia: review of the film
You Tube movie clip of the film with Barry Newman and Anna Karina

This is the first of a science fiction series of books dealing with gaming and the future.  Intense is a word for this world of gaming. The population of this future world is controlled and to have more than two children parents must get permission. With permission Ender is the last of three children, bred to be a genius.  His brother and sister are also very smart.  Ender Wiggin is over the top and must learn how to survive is a school of geniuses.  He is selected for a special military training school, leaving his family behind.  He is close to his sister Valentine, who is a genius in other ways such as knowing how people think and plan before they do.   Peter is a bully and can be dangerous.   The Battle school takes up all of Ender's time once he moves there with no vacations.  Will he learn enough skills to save the planet from the next encounter with the aliens?  This is a great read for boys in middle school.
Reviews:
Spark Notes
RealDetroitWeekly
Good Reads
Study Guide for Ender's Game

This is the world of nano technology a young adult novel of twenty-first century warfare in the human ecosystem, a fight for control.  Michael Grant has begun a new series in the computer game world on a micro scale where the human body is the battle ground.  There are also conflicts on the macro level, the regular life.
Vincent is the greatest nano warrior alive.  Noah and Sadie are recruited into this world into a secret cell not knowing what they are getting into.  Trained for a war they have no idea existed and can barely grasp the technology because it is so new.  Sadie's father pioneered much of it to aid medicine in healing severe conditions such as cancer and to fix the aneurysm Sadie has in her brain.  However when others weaponize the new technology a dark conspiracy emerges.  It is just a group of teen hackers who call themselves BZRK who are trying to save world leaders.  It is victory or madness.  This is a suitable fiction read for science units on robotics, nano technology and computer science.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is book one of a series of fantasy books that makes a good follow up to the Twilight series.  Everything is in it...vampires, werewolves, the fair folk, angels, fallen angels or demons, the Nephilim or Shadowhunters as they are called along with ordinary humans. You are introduced to each creature and it's kind as the plot unfolds.  Nothing is as it seems.  The plot twists and turns with unexpected surprises.  It all begins with the Pandemonium Club in New York City where the main character Clary Fray just is not expecting to witness a murder.  Nor does she expect to see three teenagers covered in odd markings, one of whom is called Jace (very handsome).  These are the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding planet Earth of demons while policing the werewolves and vampires.  Suddenly Clary's mother disappears and she is attacked.  How suddenly did she get the "sight"?  She is not supposed to be able to see in to the unseen world unless she is more than just human.  Questions abound that need answering as one thing leads to another.  If you like fantasy with a love triangle plus a mystery, it is suitable for older teens.

Reading Guide:

Discussion Guide: Cassandra Clare

Lit Lovers: City of Bones Discussion Questions

Reviews:

Book One: City of Bones

Good Reads on City of Bones

The Guardian: City of Bones

Film Trailer for the City of Bones

Film Review

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

This sequel to Under a War-torn Sky by L. M. Elliott is a historical novel that will bring reality of what it was like in France after World War II to the reader.  Henry Forester, nineteen years old can not forget the horrors of the Gestapo, fighting battles against the Luftwaffe and a small boy named Pierre who saved him.

Home in Virginia nightmares wake him up and he decides to face his unresolved memories by going back to France to find and aid Pierre, if he can find him.  Pierre lost all of his family in the war.  Henry is unprepared for the aftermath of war that involves starvation, shattered cities, the return of concentration camp survivors and the internal strife among the various political groups.  The last chapter, Afterword, gives real history and newer findings about the aftermath of World War II making this novel a worth while addition to any unit on World War II.

Reviews and Guides:
Reading Group Guide: 
http://www.adlit.org/pdfs/WWII/Troubled-Peace_reading-guide.pdf
Harper Collins Kids: a review
http://harpercollinschildrens.com/books/Troubled-Peace-L-M-Elliott/?isbn13=9780060744274&tctid=100
L. M. Elliot web site:
http://www.lmelliott.com/about_troubledpeace.php
Scholastic:
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753106