Bomb: the Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Excellent book on the development of the atomic bomb. I learned so much! I had no idea so many spies were involved in the process.  I'm such an optimist I hate believing those things really happen, although I know they do. I just don't like taking off my rose-colored glasses.

This is a Newbery Honor book, and is well deserving of the award. It is also written at the precise level that I needed to be able to learn and understand about the whole event!

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm

Someone recommended this book recently. I can't remember if I read about it on another blog (I think so), or if someone recommended it on Goodreads, but I requested it from the library and it came right away.

I had a large stack of books to get to, and was going to return this one without reading it. I picked it up to glance through it and was instantly absorbed. It only took an afternoon to read and I loved it.

Turtle is sent to live with her aunt in Florida, and this book tells of her adventures there. It takes place during the depression, but is not at all depressing.

Jennifer Holm also wrote the Boston Jane series (which I also enjoyed).

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

The advantage of belonging to a book group is that you read books that you may never have discovered on your own. The advantage of being in two book groups doubles the number of those books.

Heart of a Samurai is based on the true story of a Japanese boy (Manjiro) and his fishing mates who are stranded on an island during a storm in the mid-19th century. They are found and rescued by an American whaling ship.

The rest of the book is the story of Manjiro and his life. He goes back to America with the captain of the ship that rescues him. We learn of his life there. It is thought that Manjiro was the first Japanese person to live in the United States. Some of Manjiro's art is included in the book. I don't want to give away any more of the book.

This is a thought-provoking book, examining how it feels to be a stranger in a strange land. It also explores the thought that we can become what we desire, even if it seems impossible.

I recommend it!

2011 winner of the Newbery honor award.

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

I read this book a few years ago, and loved it. I loved it again this time.

Richard Peck can certainly paint a delightful picture with words. It's well deserving of the Newbery Honor Award that it earned.

Joey and his sister Mary Alice spend a week each summer with their grandma who lived just this side of nowhere, which was a big change from Chicago, where they lived. Each chapter is about one visit and the book spans from 1929 to 1935, with an epilogue from 1942.

The language is clear and concise. The stories are witty and yet have depth. Peck is subtle as he tells his tale.

I highly recommend it.

Newbery Honor Book 1999