Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of events-but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. When the Germans plan to round up the Jews, the Johansens take in Annemarie's friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is their daughter later, they travel to Uncle Hendrik's house on the coast, where the Rosens and other Jews are transported by fishing boat to Sweden. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction ( Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction-a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.įive years younger than Lisa in Carol Matas' Lisa's War (1989), Annemarie Johansen has, at 10, known three years of Nazi occupation. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White) Benji is White.Ĭharming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. They resolve to find Benji’s dad-a famous comic-book artist-and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Nearly all the characters appear to be the white default.Ī useful, even soothing choice for children undergoing a common transition.Īn aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects. Juliet is a likable-enough character, and her narrative voice mostly rings true as she alternately rages against her new situation and competently navigates it, assisted a great deal by extremely nice Emma and her remarkably pleasant family (whose mostly smooth road contrasts poignantly with Juliet’s new bumpy one) and by her older sister’s kind and calming advice. Advice for children experiencing a divorce comes thick and steady, making this a useful purchase for that group, if they are willing to overlook the rather slight storyline. Someone-using the signature “Some Kid at the Beach”-responds to Juliet’s message, challenging Juliet to try to make a wish come true for someone, both setting up a minor mystery and leading to a small, touching subplot. Together, the girls cast bottles with messages into the sea. The 11-year-old is immediately befriended by same-aged Emma, whose family lives near the beach and runs an ice cream shop. She doesn’t love that she and her older sister, Miranda, have had to move away from Bakersfield to a beachfront San Diego cottage because her parents are divorcing. Juliet loves glitter, painting, cookie-dough ice cream, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and writing lists.
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