The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq by Jeanette Winter Harcourt, 2005 32 pages Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty Alfred A. Knopf, 2004 32 pages When the United States, Britain, and George W. Bush's "coalition of the willing" invaded Iraq in 2003, the human toll of the … Continue reading The Librarian of Basra and Alia’s Mission
Grandma’s Purple Flowers
Grandma's Purple Flowers by Adjoa J. Burrowes Lee & Low Books, 2000 32 pages I've written before about the special relationship I had with my maternal grandmother, and about how devastated I was when she died, just a few months before I graduated from college. I know I was blessed to have her as long … Continue reading Grandma’s Purple Flowers
Super Secondaries: The Ladies of Norvelt
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011 341 pages I have a thing for dark humor. I'm also a fan of period fiction (sometimes truly historical, sometimes not) and stories with a strong regional flavor. Give me a book, TV show, or movie that combines the two, and I'm in heaven. … Continue reading Super Secondaries: The Ladies of Norvelt