Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This book was a little slow in the beginning and the only reason I kept reading it was because it is a Beehive Book Nominee for 2014 and I figured there had to be something to it. The main character rambles on and on in the beginning and it was a little hard to follow. About 20 or 30 pages in I was more engaged and by the middle I didn't want to put the book down.

It is another WWII story, but told from a completely different point of view. It follows the life of two young women during the war and how they were fighting for their country, not as nurses or struggling to survive, but as actual pilots and secret agents who are on the front lines putting their lives in danger constantly.  The plot has many twists and turns that keep you engaged wondering what is next.

I also thought the author handled the atrocities that happened in that war with great respect. She talked about what was going on, but didn't not go into such detail that it made the book inappropiate for young adutls. Although, because of the touchy subject matter, I don't think I would want my young teenagers to read the book.

Overall, I thought it was a good read and would recommend.

One Breath Away

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

This is the story of a gunmen who takes a small school in Iowa hostage. It is told from the perspective of five different individuals; Augie, a student at the school, Holly, her mother who is in a hopsital in Arizona suffering from severe burns, Will, Augie's grandfather, Meg, a locol police officer and Mrs. Oliver, a teacher at the school. Throughout the book, as this small town is trying to rescue the children and discover who the gunman could be, we read flashbacks that bring each of the characters to where they are today. Overall, I thought it was a good book and would definitely try another book by this author.

Great Reads For Girls - July

For July, our bookclub for girls are reading "The Midwife's Apprentice".  They are meeting on Wednesday, July 3and right now, there are 11 tickets still available, so come join us for a discussion, activities, friendship and fun!

Etiquette and Espionage  By Gail Carriger

The idea behind this book has a lot of potential. It is the story of a spy school that is designed as a finishing school and as such, it would seem to have all kinds of fun and exciting angles to explore.  It is also a “steam punk” novel. I had never heard of this style of writing until I read this book, in fact, I had to look up the term to find out what it was. As it turns out, steampunk is a type of science fiction that usually features steam-powered machinery and takes place during the 19th century.

Sophronia is the main character in this novel. She is fourteen years old and the youngest daughter of a middle class Victorian family. Because she is always exploring and into mischief, her mother sends her to a finishing school to help her become more “ladylike”. Unbeknownst to her family, the finishing school she is sent to is also a school of espionage.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I like Sophronia as the main character, but most of the characters seemed just a little flat. The story line was also lacking as well, it just never got me super involved. Part of the problem may have been the “steam  punk” theme. You may want to give it a try and see if you agree or disagree.

Deadly...how do you catch an invisible killer?

deadly...how do you catch an invisible killer? by Julie Chibbaro

It is 1906 in New York City and Prudence Galewski is a student at Mrs. Browning’s esteemed School for Girls. The only problem is that she doesn't want to be there. Prudence dreams of science, the human body and the mystery of deadly diseases rather than getting married and running a household. Even though it's unheard of at the time, she is able to get a job as an assistant to Mr. Soper, Head Epidemiologist for the city of New York and joins him in his effort to solve the mystery of a recent Typhoid outbreak, as well as, trying to stop the spread of the deadly disease.

It explores many issues of that time period including the suffragettes and the limited roles of women and Prudence is a great character whom you really learn to care about and root for. This book is high-quality work of historical fiction and one I would definitely recommend.