The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Miri is Jewish. She has been living in Germany with her mother and father but then Kristallnacht happens in 1938 and so the family flee to Paris. Sadly, if you know your history, the Nazis arrive in Paris and so the terror continues. The soldiers arrive to take Miri and her family away but her father has already gone into hiding and Miris cannot find her mother. Their neighbour Madame Rosenbaum takes her hand and they leave together with young baby Nora. Madame Rosenbaum knows all their lives are in danger so as they are being unloaded from the bus she tells Miri to hide and run and take her baby Nora to keep her safe. Madame Rosenbaum tells Miri they will be reunited in Switzerland. Miri has taken off the yellow star and when some soldiers march towards her a young nun takes her hand and explains she belongs in the local orphanage. Miri has been rescued but only for now.

It is not safe for Miri to stay with the nuns and so she and Nora are loaded onto a truck and driven far away to a small town. Miri is exhausted from days of hiding and so she falls asleep and cannot stop the drivers who pass young Nora onto a local family. Miri is taken to another Convent School run by different nuns. Her name is changed and she has to hide her faith but she is desperate to find little Nora. There are two other older girls living in the convent over the summer - but can Miri trust these girls with the truth about her life in Paris and her faith?

There is a castle in this town which has been taken over by the soldiers. It has beautiful but badly neglected gardens - for vegetables and for flowers. Miri, now called Marie, befriends an elderly lady who asks her to tend the flower garden - actually she is very demanding - but is she a real person? Her clothes seem outdated and strange and it feels as though no one else can see her. 

Meanwhile several of the nuns are working for the resistance and smuggling Jewish people and wounded enemy soldiers over to the free side of France - the Vichy. One of the nuns is hurt and so it is Miri who takes over the nighttime task of guiding people through the castle grounds and over the bridge to safety. These scenes are so tense you will be on the edge of your seat. 

This was bound to happen - I wonder why it took so long. I began this blog in 2008 and every month I read so many books. I picked up The Night War in a school library last week and by the end of the first page I knew I had read this book already BUT when I checked my blog I had not talked about it - I wonder why. So, this morning when my city visit plans were cancelled, I sat down and re-read the whole book 273 pages - in one sitting and as you can see I gave this book five stars - yes it is that good. In fact it is an utterly engrossing story with some deliciously tense scenes. This book is perfect for readers aged 10+.

Publisher blurb: It’s 1942. German Nazis occupy much of France. And twelve-year-old Miriam, who is Jewish, is not safe. With help and quick thinking, Miri is saved from the roundup that takes her entire Jewish neighborhood. She escapes Paris, landing in a small French village, where the spires of the famous Chateau de Chenonceau rise high into the sky, its bridge across the River Cher like a promise, a fairy tale.  But Miri’s life is no fairy tale. Her parents are gone—maybe alive, maybe not. Taken in at the boarding school near the chateau, pretending to be Catholic to escape Nazi capture, Miri is called upon one night to undertake a deadly task, one that spans the castle grounds, its bridge, and the very border to freedom. Here is her chance to escape—hopefully to find her parents. But will she take it? One thing is certain: The person Miri meets that night will save her life. And the person Miri becomes that night could save the lives of many more.

Each of these reviews has more plot details:

This poignant story moves quickly but takes care to consider with sensitivity the excruciating choices Miri must make at every turn as she’s torn between choosing safety and honoring her heritage and her convictions. A gripping, humane tale that examines what war demands of children and what it costs them. Kirkus Star review

This is a story that will completely engage readers and have them yearning for Miri to survive. Readings

This middle-grade novel is fast-paced, suspenseful, and heart-wrenching. Miri is a sympathetic character who faces terrifying situations, forcing her to make life and death decisions. Her emotions are believable, admirable, and valiant. A fantastical element may catch some readers by surprise, but Bradley places hints along the way that may tip off those who read more closely. Historical Novel Society

I adored two previous books by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley:

The war that saved my life

The War I finally Won

Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll

Magpie, an orphan living in France, finds herself involved with the famous Montgolfier family. Does that name sound familiar? More about these two brothers in a minute. Magpie is snatched off the streets by a wealthy looking woman and offered a large sum of money to steal a large red box from the attic room of a house in a wealthy district of the town. Magpie is poor and homeless. She has no idea about her father and her mother died long ago. The woman offers her a large amount of money. Magpie's only companion is a scraggy rooster that she recently rescued. So after midnight, Magpie sets off to take this red box but as she arrives at the house, a young boy emerges from the front door with a duck. Magpie stays hidden and then, when she thinks the coast is clear, she breaks into the house, finds the red box and gets ready to escape. The boy and the duck appear again, there is a scuffle and the box is dropped. Magpie is sure Madame Delacroix does not need the box so she scoops up a bunch of the papers that lie scattered on the floor and flees. 

Magpie is wrong - Madame Delacroix does want that box. She threatens to harm Coco the young rooster so Magpie heads back to the house. On the day she arrives two men brothers - Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier are conducting a test flight with a balloon. It lifts off into the air and Magpie somehow gets a hold on the rope - and suddenly she is air born. But of course what goes up must come down. After a glorious few moments of flight Magpies plummets to the ground. 

When she wakes up the Montgolfier family have taken her into their home and so she is now well and truly caught up in these historic events of 1783.

Spoiler alert - This story is so well constructed. early on we meet Magpie and her "pet" rooster called Coco and Pierre with his duck companion Voltaire. I did wonder, as I read this book, why Emma Carroll added a rooster and duck to her story but they are so essential if you know the history of hot air balloons - not a topic a knew anything about. I am certain reading this story will raise your curiosity and the curiosity of readers aged 10+. I should mention Magpie in this story is credited with seeing how hot air lifts silk but of course in history a young, black, illiterate orphan would have been given no credit for her ideas. 

19th September, 1783 - In 1783, the first hot air balloon was set to fly over the heads of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the French court in Versailles. Like monkeys in space, this odd assortment of animals was chosen to test the effects of flight. Sheep, thought to be similar to people, would show the effects of altitude on a land dweller, while ducks and roosters, which could already fly (albeit at different heights), would act as controls in the experiment. The balloon flew on a tether for 8 minutes, rising 1500 feet into the air and traveling 2 miles before being brought safely to the ground. The animals were unharmed. Columbus Aeronaughts

There used to be a competition in the UK called The Big Idea. This book comes from an idea by Neal Jackson in 2017. When Neal won the competition his story idea was presented to Emma Carroll and she developed it into this terrific fast paced story. This is a another splendid book from Chicken House. I love the cover of this book by David Litchfield. Read the first chapter here. You can hear an audio sample here - its the night of the robbery. You could use this for a book talk with your students. Here are some book reviews by young Primary school students. 

The story is structured around the rhyme which is about magpies. I read that magpies are known for stealing shiny things, such as jewellery and deceiving others. The magpie is associated with bad luck in some cultures. In the UK, this dates back to the early parts of the 16th Century.

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told.

Historical figures are woven seamlessly with the invented characters, as are imagined events with the actual, recorded fact of the balloon demonstration. Magpie is at once suspicious and accepting, grateful and wary, a good true friend, and altogether delightful. Kirkus

The hardcover edition has a different cover:

A book of coupons by Susie Morgenstern

This is one of those really precious books (first published in French 1999, US English edition 2001) that I have been recommending for many years.  The terrific thing about internet shopping is the way you can now find copies of long out of print titles often in mint condition.  I did a little shopping the other day and found A book of Coupons and my copy arrived last week.

In just 62 pages Susie Morgestern gives us a picture of this little class of students in their last year of Primary school.  The new teacher is a disappointment - or is he?

"There he was, sitting behind his desk like some unmovable tree trunk ... Could all those wrinkles be real?"

Mr Noel (some people call him Santa) then surprises the students by presenting each of them with a book of coupons.  "I love giving presents, and I am going to give them to you every single day. I'm giving you the whole year of lessons for free. I'm giving away books. I'm giving away penmanship and spelling. I'm giving away math and science. ... I'm even throwing in the cataclysms."

Some sample coupons :

• One coupon for sleeping late
• One coupon for skipping a day of school
• One coupon for being late for school
• One coupon for getting out of trouble
• One coupon for dancing in class
• One coupon for clowning around
• One coupon for giving the teacher a kiss on the cheek

Later that day he gives the students a copy of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

"My gift to you is the story, the characters, the words, the ideas, the style, the emotions. Once you have read the book, 

all these things will be yours for life."

The angry school Principal keeps visiting the classroom at the 'wrong' times. She sees dancing the first time she calls in.  She is determined to get rid of this inappropriate teacher.  The next time she enters the room she sees a real cataclysm.  The kids have decided to use the same coupon at once. Then there is a day when all the kids stay home. Except for Charles who used his stay home coupon earlier in the year.  Charles and Monsieur Noel write a new set of coupons for the aptly named Principal - Madame Incarnation Perez.

• One coupon to tell a joke
• One coupon to take a bubble bath
• One coupon to go on a picnic
• One coupon to make up a poem
• One coupon for a spin on a merry-go-round

At the end of the year all of the students have a special coupon for Mr Noel himself.  Yes he does have to retire and sadly the Principal did not get to read or enjoy her coupons and yet somehow the ending is just perfect.

If you are looking for a little book that will warm your heart read A book of Coupons.  If you are looking for a joyous book to read aloud to a middle Primary class read A book of Coupons.  If you want to share a book about kindness with a young reader - grab hold of A book of Coupons.

You might like to read my review of Sally Morgenstern's other book Secret Letters from 0-10.  I also recommend watching the French movie To be and to Have after reading A book of Coupons.

Belle and Sebastien The child of the mountains by Cecile Aubry illustrated by Helen Stephens

I mentioned in a previous post that I loved the movie based on this book and television series.

Belle and Sebastien was first written in French in 1965.  This edition is an English translation published in 2014.  At times the writing style is a little complex so I would recommend older Primary students might watch the movie before reading this book.  Originally there were thirteen episodes of the television series.  This book introduces the little boy Sebastien who is found as a newborn baby lying with his dying mother and adopted by the kind and wise Cesar.  We are also introduced to Belle and discover why she has become 'wild'.  The movie goes further into the story exploring the heroism of the French resistance.

Here is the scene where Sebastien sees Belle for the first time :

"Sebastien wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.  There she was standing tall, motionless save for the plume of her tail as it beat the air. Vapour came our of the half-open chops with their long black outline; two more back lines made her eyes stand out in the golden whiteness of her fur. ... He called out to her very softly : 'Belle ... "

The people in the village are sure Belle has become a dangerous beast.  Sebastien seems to have few allies.  The authorities are set to destroy Belle but this little boy is determined to save his best friend.

Through kindness, perseverance and love Belle is gradually tamed. Sebastien runs through the mountains trying to find Belle because he overhears the adults who are planning setting out to capture him. Exhausted he falls into a deep snow drift.  It is Belle who rescues her new friend but there will need to be two more rescues before the authorities are convinced Belle is not dangerous.

"It was in this moment that a dog's passion for man was truly born in Belle.  In a few agile bounds she was next to him, lifting him with her muzzle, breathing her strength into the child, forcing him to hang on to the long frozen locks of her fur."

You might like to listen to the beautiful song if you have a memory of the television series.  You can read the first pages of this book here.  Dog lovers might also enjoy Shiloh by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds, A dog's life by Ann M Martin or Stone Fox.

There is also a second movie about Belle and Sebastien which I hope to see soon.

The tooth mouse by Susan Hood illustrated by Janice Nadeau

Have you ever 

lost a baby tooth,

placed it under your 

pillow and found a coin

left by the tooth fairy?

In many countries around 

the world, there is no such

thing as the Tooth Fairy.

Instead there is ...

At some point during Grade One our library literature choices usually center on teeth and the tooth fairy.  I have a number of favourites which I love to share such as Andrew's Loose tooth by Robert Munsch, The Tooth Ball by Philippa Pearce, Wibble Wobble by Miriam Moss and The Tooth Fairy by Peter Collington.  One of the most interesting books in our school library is Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions Around the World by Selby Beeler & G.Brian Karas.  This is the book where I first discovered that there are so many variations on the tooth fairy.  I like the idea of throwing a tooth up - a bottom tooth - so the new one will grow straight and strong reaching up to the old one.  I also like the idea of burying a tooth at a university where you hope you child might study in the future.  

Not everyone believes in the tooth fairy.  In some cultures teeth are collected by mice.  This little tooth mouse lives in France.  She finds herself in a grand cathedral and hears the Tooth Mouse - La Petite Souris - ready to announce her successor.  To prove worthy of this honour there are three tasks or challenges to complete.  Sophie is so excited.  She is sure she can meet the challenge.

1. Bring me the whisker of a cat
2. Bring me a silver coin
3, Make a plan for the use of all the baby teeth you collect

Sophie's solution to problem number three is sure to make you smile.  Susan Hood has created a charming story for all young children to enjoy.  Here is review in the New York Times and one in Kirkus.  You can see all the book illustrations here.

You might also enjoy April Underhill, tooth fairy by Bob Graham, Oliver Sundew Tooth Fairy by Sam McBratney (one of my most favourite books in the whole world!) and Little Big Feet by Ingrid Schubert.