Independence Cake

What a fun story - a story of young girl who loves to cook and is asked to make a cake for the new president, George Washington.  In Independence Cake, our young readers will thoroughly enjoy this tale of a young girl who wants to be busy with her hands and the great honor she is given to cook for the president.  The illustrations were so fun and whimsical - just right for this story.  This would be a great read aloud and very fun for 4th of July or cooking story times.  Deborah Hopkinson has crafted a tale that you will not want to miss.

The story is not true but it is loosely based on a true female in history.

Terrorist - Graphic Novel

I am not always a history fan - so to sit down and read a non-fiction historical book, often is not my first choice.  But I was sent Terrorist:  Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin who Ignited World War I by Henrik Rehr and it made me WANT to read history!  This is a brilliant novel set in graphic novel format that captures the start of World War I and it's subsequent outcomes.  The story is about Gavrilo Princeip, a young Serbian terrorist, who ultimately sets off World War I by assassinating the archduke Franz Ferdinand.  It is a fictional account and that caught me as well - I was drawn in immediately by the storyline and action - yet another thing to love about graphic novels.  It's just a fabulous and interesting way to learn history.  I think your history buffs and graphic novel history readers will enjoy this one!



*I was sent a copy by the publisher for an honest review on my blog.

The Sound of Red Returning

I am thinking it is the month for historical fiction over here!  This is my second or third historical fiction title and I am just loving this!!  The Sound of Red Returning by Sue Duffy is another great novel full of history.  This one particularly drew me in with the music-theme - it is so well-written one can almost hear the sounds of piano as you read!  Liesl Bower is the main character in this story and she is a famous pianist that is running from the Russian and American CIA agents.  Liesl changes throughout the novel, and as the reader, you can appreciate those life challenges and struggles that grow you and make you who you are, as she encounters them.  The story is fast-paced and full of action.  All of the musical themes are wonderful and for those of you that enjoy a little love story - yep, there's that as well!  Duffy's first novel in this series is page-turner!

  *I was sent a copy by the publisher for review purposes.

Chasing Mona Lisa

Tricia Goyer and  Mike Yorkey have teamed up and written a historical novel that exposes a side of history I knew nothing about.  Chasing Mona Lisa is a fascinating story set in Paris in 1944 - the soldiers of the Third Reich are coming into Paris and totally ransacking the county - which includes stealing artwork by the great masters like Leonardo da Vinci and even the famous Mona Lisa.  This is an action-packed story - with tons of history and a little romance thrown in to keep it "light".  It was a fun read and a new-to-me part of history!

If you would like to read what others in this tour are saying about the book - go HERE.

AND here's another fun opportunity!!

Win an iTouch SPY Pack in the Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway from @triciagoyer @mikeyorkey! Chasing Mona Lisa is the continuing tale of Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler (first introduced in The Swiss Courier). This time the due are on a relentless quest to save the most famous painting in the world  - the Mona Lisa. You can help Gabi and Eric with your very own spy pack when you enter The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!

One passionate protector will receive:

• iTouch (The must-have device for any spy. Camera, Maps & Music.)
• Starbucks Gift Card (For all those late nights.)
• Moleskin Notebook (For those important notes.)
• Invisible Ink Pen (Don’t want anyone reading those important notes.)
• Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (Great handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on January 31st. The winner will be announced at the Chasing Mona Lisa Facebook Party on 1/31. Tricia and Mike will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from Tricia's website) and giving away their books and a Book Club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Tricia and Mike.)

So grab your copy of Chasing Mona Lisa and join Tricia and Mike on the evening of the 31st for an author chat, spy training (do you know how to pick a lock?) and lots of giveaways. 

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!


*I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes.

Across the Wide River

Stephanie Reed has written a novel that combines history and fiction to craft a story that will capture young and old alike. Across the Wide River tells the story of Lowry Rankin - a young boy that is heavily involved with the Underground Railroad. His story is intriguing - riveting really - all he goes through to move people along the railroad to safety comes out clearly in this story. All he gives up to be a part of this dangerous but important part of history is amazing - his story is eye-opening. What I loved about this book is that it is even based on the real Rankin family - and their involvement with the Underground Railroad. This would tie in so nicely with a unit on the Underground Railroad too - keep that in mind, all of you teachers!! The story is wonderfully told and would be just as poignant for a teen or an adult. Reed has written a sequel as well, The Light Across the River, and I am anxious to read that as well. I love it that you can experience this novel while you read and then go and follow the path in real life - don't miss Reed's website to see how to trace the Rankin route and continue on your own journey!

*I was sent a copy for review purposes by the publisher.

How Huge the Night

I am quite excited about this new book, How Huge the Night, by Heather and Lydia Munn. It is set in France as it is falling to the Nazis and is based on a true story - the town of Le Chambon - the only French town honored by Israel for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust. This is a book geared at teens and helps them get excited about this time period AND also challenges them to think about the choices they make everyday based on some of the choices Julien and Nina have to make to survive. I appreciate the ethical challenges the authors portray in the novel - it really makes you think and question what you would have done.

Here is what the publisher says about the book:

Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens. Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father's dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair.

Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough-and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death.

This is a compelling read - I was glued from the first page and I know teens will be just as engrossed as I was! In fact - I am on my way to pass it along to my teen boys to read!

Here is a bit about the authors:

Heather Munn was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in southern France where her parents were missionaries like their parents before them. She has a BA in literature from Wheaton College and now lives in a Christian intentional community in rural Illinois, where she and her husband, Paul, host free spiritual retreats for the poor, especially those transitioning out of homelessness or addiction. When not writing or hosting, she works on the communal farm.

Lydia Munn, daughter of missionary parents, grew up in Brazil. She received a BA in literature from Wheaton College, and an MA in Bible from Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions. With her husband, Jim, she has worked in church planting and Bible teaching since 1983, notably in St. Etienne, near the small town in the central mountains of France which forms the background of How Huge the Night. The Munns now live in Grenoble, France.

Here's Some BIG NEWS!!!

Kregel Publications is sponsoring an $50 Amazon.com giveaway open to blog readers.

About the Giveaway!

To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using #litfuse) about How Huge the Night or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we'll capture your entry when you use the hashtag (#litfuse). If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (info@litfusegroup.com). Easy.



*I was provided a copy for review purposes by the publisher.

The Swiss Courier

My favorite type of reading used to be historical fiction - that was what I devoured. Well, since working in a library, I have broadened my reading quite extensively and hardly read historical fiction anymore. So, when I heard of the blog tour for The Swiss Courier, I wanted to join in and give myself a REASON to read hist. fiction again. AND I was so glad I did, Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey DO NOT disappoint! What a great, fast-paced read - you will be hooked from the start and learn something along the way. World War Two history always intrigues me.


About the Book:
It is August 1944 and the Gestapo is mercilessly rounding up suspected enemies of the Third Reich. When Joseph Engel, a German physicist working on the atomic bomb, finds that he is actually a Jew, adopted by Christian parents, he must flee for his life to neutral Switzerland. Gabi Mueller is a young Swiss-American woman working for the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) close to Nazi Germany. When she is asked to risk her life to safely "courier" Engel out of Germany, the fate of the world rests in her hands. If she can lead him to safety, she can keep the Germans from developing nuclear capabilities. But in a time of traitors and uncertainty, whom can she trust along the way? This fast-paced, suspenseful novel takes readers along treacherous twists and turns during a fascinating--and deadly--time in history.

About the authors:
Tricia Goyer is the author of several books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the ACFW's Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Goyer lives with her family in Montana. To find out more visit her website: www.triciagoyer.com
Mike Yorkey is the author or coauthor of dozens of books, including the bestselling Every Man's Battle series. Married to a Swiss native, Yorkey lived in Switzerland for 18 months. He and his family currently reside in California.To find out more visit his website: www.MikeYorkey.com. Would you like to hear an interview with the authors? Then go HERE.

Thank you, LitFuse, for providing a copy of The Swiss Courier for me to review.