"Black Radishes" -Susan Lynn Meyer

Gustave leaves home and friends behind when his parents move him out of Paris to a tiny village just before the Nazi occupation of Northern France begins. As the situation gets worse, Gustave learns how to deal with life's changes (being Jewish, smuggling across the demarcation line, trusting strangers) in order to help others.

This was a pretty good book. The solution to the problem is really simple (it's in the title) but it didn't undermine the writing of those tense scenes when going through the Nazi checkpoints. Although not often, I appreciate a hopeful ending with these kinds of stories.

Read Also:

Hero On a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes is a similar scene set in Italy.

The Auslander by Paul Dowswell is about a German boy who sees what is happening in Poland and forms his own opinions about it. Young Adult

The Traitor by Gudrun Pausewant is about a German girl who decides to help a Russian soldier rather than turn him in. Young Adult

"Adele & Simon" -Barbara McClintock

Done in the style of Gigi and Madeline, this was a fun romp through Paris. On each page, Simon loses something which is somewhere on the page (and not a big object either). You also can look for Simon and famous artists and works. There's a guide in the back for those.

Read Also:

John Skewes' "Larry Gets Lost in..." series is a picture view of Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and his latest, Washington D.C.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford.

There's a great series from the 80s and 90s, "Agent Arthur..." by Martin Oliver put out by Usborne Puzzle Adventures, that is all about seeing the right things in the pictures and solving the puzzles. Whew, blast from the past there!

"In the Tree House" -Andrew Larsen

I judge books by their covers, I openly admit it. In the Tree House is not a book I would pick up for the bland title or hem-haw artwork. However, the cover caught my attention and the story taught a wonderful lesson about community and sibling friendship.

A boy and his brother move into a new house and they build a tree house. As the brother hangs out with his friends, the boy entertains himself. When the power goes out, the brother returns to the tree house to rediscover the fun he had hanging out with his brother.

Read Also:

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, a tale of 2 brothers who become friends again after a change in their lives.