THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON by Meg Waite Clayton

THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON  by Meg Waite Clayton

Truus, a Dutch woman, works to save children from sure death in Nazi Germany in the run up to WWII.  This story is based on the real Truus Wijsmuller and the Kindertransport. Well written and researched it will live with you long after you finish reading.  While the subject is terrifying, the book itself is full of hope, love, bravery, altruism and redemption.

The fiction part of the book details life in Nazi Germany for two young people, one Christian and one Jewish.  Fifteen year old Stephan works hard on writing plays, stories and poems. He idolizes the author Stefan Zweig, whom his very wealthy Jewish family has actually met. Zophie-Helene’s mother is a well-known newspaper journalist who fearlessly writes columns disparaging Hitler.  

When these two stories collide, the tension rises palpably.  Both families struggle to get their children out of Germany and to relative safety in England as the Nazi web comes ever closer to the families. Meanwhile Truus takes ever more daring risks to save the children of Germany.

Book groups will find much to discuss. This would be a good book for a parent child book group, a group interested in WWII and one devoted to learning more of ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

5 of 5 stars 

TH1RT3EN by Steve Cavanagh

TH1RT3EN  by Steve Cavanagh

This one will keep you up far into the night.  The plot is diabolical. So is the killer. 

Eddie Flynn is the one person who believes the actor accused of killing his wife and her body guard is innocent.   The bodies are falling fast and thick.  The plot twists are delicious.

For a mystery with lots of deaths this one is free of sex, unwarranted violence and curse words. Just a really good story.

5 of  5 stars

THE HUNDRED YEAR HOUSE by Rebecca Makkai

THE HUNDRED YEAR HOUSE by Rebecca Makkai

I made it through 150 pages before deciding I didn’t really care about these people and their foibles and meandering progress through what passed for life. A failed writer, a failed artist, a failed mother, a failed son – who cares. 

The writing is lovely, the story failed.

3 of 3 stars

A Better Man by Louise Penny

A BETTER MAN  by Louise Penny

I have only one other Armand Gamache mystery. This one convinces me I should read more!

Armand is back at work, demoted and brushed aside for another – his son-in-law!  A flood is happening and Three Pines is in the crosshairs. A woman is missing and her husband, who may be a murderer, is unconcerned. A new agent is pushing for Gamache to take over the case. The missing woman’s father is threatening to murder the husband. And then there is the dog.

Oh my – all these plot points and we are only in the first few pages.  The tension doesn’t stop until the last page in this engrossing mystery.  Penny keeps the tension alive with just enough red herrings and plot twists to compel reading far into the night.

A well written, engrossing mystery with a familiar character in a new and uncomfortable situation.

5 of 5 stars

ELLIE AND THE HARPMAKER by Hazel Prior

ELLIE AND THE HARPMAKER  by Hazel Prior

This is a lovely book.  Ellie, married to a controlling husband, meets Dan, who lives in solitary splendor meticulously carving exquisite harps.

The writing is detailed and engaging.  Prior uses words to describe the woods and creatures surrounding the harp barn with great charm.  Her characters grow and become clear as the story progresses.  Although she never uses any words to indicate Dan is autistic (or at least on the spectrum), it is readily apparent through her word pictures. She writes with sympathy and tenderness about her characters allowing the reader to see them change and develop with her eyes. 

As the tale unfolds danger and fear emerge, but the overriding feeling is always sympathy and gentleness.

A good book for groups interested in music, woodworking, nature, personality development, marriage, autism, forgiveness, family dynamics, and love.

5 of 5 stars

THE GRAVE ROBBER"'S SECRET by Anna Myers

THE GRAVE ROBBER’S SECRET by Anna Myers

I have read and enjoyed other books by Anna Myers. This one left me slightly off kilter. It wasn’t bad or poorly written, I was just uncertain to the point of the book.  The ending didn’t seem to have a conclusion and for a middle grader book, there was no clear right and wrong.

Robby’s Pa takes him with him to rob a grave. They sell the body to a hospital for teaching purposes, but Robby is very disconcerted by stealing the body and defiling it. He thinks about the family whose loved one is now being dissected. 

Right, wrong, the value of education, concern for others, empathy, all come into play as the book proceeds. Because the book caused such ambivalent feelings, I am hesitant to recommend it. Parents may want to read and discuss the book with their preteens.

3 of 5 stars with reservations

DUMPLIN' by Julie Murphy

DUMPLIN’  by Judy Murphy

This book is not PC.  A teenage girl is called Dumplin’ by her mother who constantly reminds her how fat she is and how pretty she would be if she just lost some weight. 

Dumplin’ and her friends decide to enter the beauty contest Dumplin’s mother runs and had won many years before. Hilarity runs rampant as the young women (one fat, one disabled, one perhaps autistic and one gay) prepare their talent acts and wardrobes. 

This could have been awful. It was not. It becomes a sensitive and empathetic tale of young women learning to love themselves and accept others.  Oh, and there is also a gentle love story. This would be great book for a mother/parent book club.

4 of 5 stars