Category Archives: Historical

Review: Pirate Queens by Leigh Lewis

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Pirate Queens by Leigh Lewis

Pirate Queens
Leigh Lewis
Illustrated by
National Geographic Kids
Published January 11, 2022

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About Pirate Queens

This wow-worthy book proves that women have been making their mark in all aspects of history―even the high seas!

Meet Ching Shih, a Chinese pirate who presided over a fleet of 80,000 men (by contrast, Blackbeard had some 300). Get the scoop on Anne Bonny who famously ran away from an arranged marriage to don trousers and brandish a pistol in the Bahamas. And there are more!

Each pirate profile includes a dramatic original poem presented against a backdrop of gorgeous full-color art by award-winning illustrator Sara Gómez Woolley. Each profile is followed by fascinating … Continue reading →

Review: This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke

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This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke

This Rebel Heart
Katherine Locke
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published April 5, 2022

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About This Rebel Heart

A tale set amid the 1956 Hungarian revolution in post-WWII Communist Budapest.

In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it most–safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things about her father’s legacy that she wishes she could forget.

Now Csilla keeps her head down, planning her escape from this country that … Continue reading →

Review: The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina

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The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina

The Silent Unseen
Amanda McCrina
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published April 5, 2022

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About The Silent Unseen

A mesmerizing historical novel of suspense and intrigue about a teenage girl who risks everything to save her missing brother.

Poland, July 1944. Sixteen-year-old Maria is making her way home after years of forced labor in Nazi Germany, only to find her village destroyed and her parents killed in a war between the Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationalists. To Maria’s shock, the local Resistance unit is commanded by her older brother, Tomek―who she thought was dead. He is now a “Silent Unseen,” a special-operations agent with an audacious plan to resist a … Continue reading →

Review: Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood

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Great or Nothing by McCullough, Richmond, Sharpe, and Spotswood

Great or Nothing
Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood
Delacorte Press
Published March 8, 2022

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About Great or Nothing

In the spring of 1942, the United States is reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the US starts sending troops to the front, the March family of Concord, Massachusetts grieves their own enormous loss: the death of their daughter, Beth.

Under the strain of their grief, Beth’s remaining sisters fracture, each going their own way with Jo nursing her wounds and building planes in Boston, Meg holding down the home front with Marmee, and Amy living a … Continue reading →

Review: Destiny at Dolphin Bay by Diane Delacruz

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Destiny at Dolphin Bay by Diana Delacruz

Destiny at Dolphin Bay (Desert Island Diaries #1)
Diana Delacruz
Heart Ally Books
August 3, 2021

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About Destiny at Dolphin Bay

God always has a purpose. We always have a choice.

In this compelling Genesis Award finalist, fifteen-year-old Melissa Travis finds herself floundering into uncharted waters when she is exiled from her Christian high school. Dreading a month of “mom talks” over endless cups of tea, she accepts her missionary sister’s invitation to visit the remote Chiloé Islands of southern Chile. There she discovers a world utterly unlike the South Pacific paradise she imagined, where dire poverty dwells with enchanting beauty, and ancient customs conspire with modern corruption. … Continue reading →

Review: The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs

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Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs

The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna
Alda P. Dobbs
Sourcebooks
Published September 14, 2021

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About The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna’s mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left―her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito―until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her … Continue reading →