Last two Golden Sowers!!! Historical fiction stories of two strong girls!

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  Ada and her brother live in London with their awful mother at the very start of WWII. Ada was born with a club foot and her mother has NEVER let her out of the house.  (SHE IS AWFUL) When Londoners become worried about bombing, they send their children off to live with others to be safe. Ada and Jamie go to live with Susan.  This was a heartwarming story of what family can be.  Sometimes families are MADE by choices not always by blood.  Ada is a fantastic character...she is strong and determined.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper.  This book takes place in the segregated south of North Carolina in the 30's.  Stella and her family are African American, so in Bumblebee, NC, she can go into some of the stores but not all of them.  Stella and her brother JoJo witness a secret Ku Klux Klan meeting one night.  It brings their community together. This is just Stella's story. Stella wants so badly to be a good writer and she works hard to practice that as she tells her story of what's happening in her little corner of the world during this tumultuous time. Stella, like Ada, is strong and brave.  She asks great questions (which all of you know I LOVE).

4 Golden Sowers I read earlier in the year.....

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm: this was NOT what I was expecting.  This little story had the unexpected surprise of some science fiction.  11 year old Ellie hates change, that is why her parents kept replacing her goldfish when they died.  She is definitely NOT ready for the change that shows up in the form of a crabby, bossy teenage boy, ESPECIALLY when that boy turns out to be her grandfather!!  This was a very funny, entertaining story.

Beneath by Roland Smith is fantastic! Smith is the author of another of my favorite books, Peak. Pat's brother has gone missing.  Pat misses him, but hasn't been worried about him because that is just how Cooper (Coop) is. That is, until, Coop begins sending Pat recordings about what he is finding UNDER the streets of New York City.  I love reading about "counter cultures." A "counter culture" is one that exists outside what is considered "normal." Obviously, living UNDER the streets of a major city is not the norm.  This book was intriguing and exciting and I just couldn't put it down.

Loot: How to Steal a Fortune by Jude Watson is an exciting mystery.  Alfie McQuinn's father is a master cat burglar. Unfortunately, he has fallen from a roof top after his latest job.  His last words to Alfie are "find Jewels." Alfie is determined to find out what "jewels" his dad was talking about and whether or not his dad's "accident" was an accident or MURDER!!

This is a supernatural thriller that I think many of you will enjoy.  Do not read this if you don't like murder mysteries, and a little bit of gore.  Willa can communicate with the "beyond." He new house in L.A. is haunted and she is pretty sure the ghost is the victim of a serial killer that is plaguing the city.