What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a coming of age novel set right after WWII. The tone of the book is very much of the time period. It frequently reminded me of those old movies I watched as a kid. Evie spent the war living with her mother (Bev) and her step grandmother (Glad). Her stepfather (Joe) returns and life resumes a semi-nice rhythm. When Joe starts receiving mysterious phone calls, the family (minus Glad) take off for Florida. Not to sound terribly trite, but Evie learns that people are not always what they seem, that war makes some otherwise good people do terrible things, and that somethings in life just flat out remain a mystery. Hard lessons for us all. View all my reviews

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti My rating: 4 of 5 stars Excellent but difficult little book based on the true story of Helmuth. Through flashbacks, we learn about Helmuth's upbringing, his family, his friends. We learn he is extremely intelligent and compassionate. We learn all of this on a Tuesday, the same day that the executioner works. View all my reviews

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson My rating: 2 of 5 stars nothing spectacular about it. Disappoint read. View all my reviews

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo My rating: 4 of 5 stars Good little book. Story is compelling and it has a nice ending. I liked how all the parts came together throughout. Sections were depressing, but there was always a thread of hope flowing through the story. View all my reviews