Library Witch

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. Philomel Books, 2011.     ISBN 978-0399254123 Plot summary/ critical analysis 1941, Lithuania: Lina and her family are taken by the Soviets in the middle of the night. They are separated from Lina’s father and taken to train cars that will eventually take them and other Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians to Soviet labor camps. Lina takes every opportunity to draw, finding both a release and purpose; she hopes that her drawing will make their way to her father so they can be found and rescued. Lina manages to form relationships with other prisoners, even falling in love at one point. Underneath all the trauma is a story of continuing to have hope and to fight even when it’s hard. Sepetys tackles the trauma and confusion in a straightforward way. It is depressing and necessary storytelling of a time in history that was covered up and ignored for decades. The descriptions are vivid and heartbreaking; you...

Cushman, Karen. Alchemy and Meggy Swann . Read by Katherine Kellgren. Listening Library, 2010. ASIN B003H2O8S8 Plot summary/ critical analysis/ audiobook elements Stubborn and clever, Meggy Swann is sent from the country to the city of London in 1573 to live and work with her alchemist father.She arrives in a bad temper that is matched by her distant father, and she struggles to find food, and kindness. As the story progresses, Meggy begins to change, to find her place amongst the filthy city in a time of progress and invention. She works to stop a murder plot by using her wits and new found printing press friend to create a ballad to warn the target of the scheme. By the end, Meggy has found friendship in a group of players, learned to work a printing press, and to speak up for herself and for others. She grows and changes in the way her father hoped his base metals would turn into gold. This work is accurate to the era, using language and grammar of the Eliza...

Schlitz, Laura Amy. The Hired Girl . Candlewick, 2015. ISBN 978-0763678180 Plot summary/ critical analysis Written as a diary that is based on the diary of the author’s grandmother, The Hired Girl tells the tale of a 14 year old named Joan. Her mother has passed, and her father makes her leave school to do the “women’s work” on their farm. She ends up running away to Baltimore where she is hired by a wealthy Jewish family in a time of new inventions and changing social norms. Joan’s diary tells of her many ups and downs in her experience working for her own money, and being mentored by Mr. Rosenbach. Her innocence of the world is on display throughout the book, but she strives to learn,to become a better writer, and to make her teacher back home proud. Adventures abound for the country girl, and we come to find out that Joan will have an excellent education and a shot at the future her mother wanted for her. The Hired Girl does a wonderful job showing the strug...