Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on 27 January and we marked this year with our display in the Library and talked about it with our S1 and S2 Library classes. We also discussed Tom Palmer's book, After the War, which is available to borrow in the Library.

Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January

Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Na…

Go to this Sway

Advent Count Down - Book 24 white bird

You may know Auggie (real name Julian) from the wonderful story of “Wonder”. In this graphic novel we meet Julian again as he learns the story of his grandmother who was a young Jewish girl in occupied France during the Second Word War. We move from a fairy tale life to the horror, the terror, the brutality of Nazi occupation. But there is also the heroism of those who helped. It is a book about a historical event yet it somehow feels more relevant than ever to what is happening in the world today.  Highly recommended.

Advent Count Down - Books 13-15

Ok I am cheating a bit taking a series- to go over the weekend. But I'll Count two as one. I may have read most of these a few years ago but every so often I will pick one of them out and start re-reading.    War is awful and terrible things happen in these books but the resilience of the young people is remarkable.  Beautifully and simply told with a wonderful light humorous touch.

"Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.

Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.

Once I made a Nazi with a toothache laugh.

My name is Felix. This is my story."

Advent Count Down - Book 7 and 8

It's the weekend so I am allowed to choose two books.

I have always enjoyed Elizabeth Wein's stories.as they feature strong female characters, often set at a time in history when the role of women was changing dramatically.This is true of  both "White Eagles" and "Firebird".  Both are published by Barrington Stoke, are in the "super readable" format and are set in the past with female aviator pioneers. The main character in both books is based on a real life story.

The hero of "White Eagles" is Kristina who at just 18 joins Poland's air force when the country is on the brink of war (1939). There is plenty of tension and as Kristina  navigates her most challenging flight, only to find she has a stowaway on board.

Nastia is the lead fictional character,  the daughter of Russian revolutionaries. She starts as an idealist, serving "the Motherland" but as events unfolds, Nastia begins to question everything she has always believed in.   We learn about  the Romanovs, the  former Russian Royal Family and of one of Russia's leading aviators Marina Raskova and the regiments she trains to fly during the war.  Nastia is a fighter pilot and the description of the flights is my favourite part of the story. The book leaves us to ponder her future after landing behind enemy lines. Does returning home make her a traitor? And what happens to traitors?