From the library

“The Secret Book of Flora Lea” By Patti Callahan Henry Hazel, 14 and her little sister Flora, 5, have been evacuated from their home in England during World War II to live with a foster family until the bombings stop. Bridie and her 14-year-old son Harry are kind to Hazel and Flora, and they all quickly become close. When Flora gets homesick, Hazel tells her the story of a magical land, Whisperwood, that she invented to calm Flora’s worried heart. When Flora goes missing by the river, police determine that she must have drowned, but Hazel and her mother never accepted it. Fast forward to 1960 to find Hazel working at a rare book shop and open a parcel containing a book with her story in it, “Whisperwood and the River of Stars.” Hazel thinks this must mean that Flora survived and shared her story with someone. This sets her on a mission to find her long-lost sister.

“Refugee” By Alan Gratz From popular juvenile historical fiction author Alan Gratz comes a book about three children who are fleeing oppressive countries. In 1938, Josef is a German Jew fighting to escape the expanding control of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. In 1994, Isabel is trying to use a makeshift raft to escape the dictatorship of Fidel Castro in Cuba. In 2015, Mahmoud and his family are making their way to Germany from Syria because of the Syrian Civil War. The journeys these children take make them see the world. They no longer see the world thorugh the eyes of children.

This historical fiction is a great read for young readers who want to learn more about the world they live in and how the world used to be. You can find this book in the library on Libby and on Hoopla.