THE SKY SO HEAVY

by Claire Zorn

[Blurb:  For Fin, it's just like any other day - racing for the school bus, bluffing his way through class, and trying to remain cool in front of the most sophisticated girl in his universe, Lucy. Only it's not like any other day because, on the other side of the world, nuclear missiles are being detonated. From an exciting new voice in Australian YA literature, Claire Zorn, comes a haunting novel, The Sky So Heavy - a mesmerising story inspired by the continued debate over Australia's treatment of asylum-seekers and how a line through a map can determine your fate.]

This was a great little YA fiction that had me thinking. Set in Australia, with the threat of nuclear testing going on in Asia,  most people go about their life without any thought of the impending disaster, but when the missiles testing goes wrong, Australia is suddenly thrown into an fight for survival. The sky does dark, snow is suddenly falling (which could be radioactive) as the temperature drops to freezing, families are separated and supplies are running out. Where is the army to help with food and reassurance?... there's none... and it's every man for themselves. As people start to get sick and die, Fin and his friends must try to head for the city to where his mother is more than likely heading up the Australian response team, but will they make it through without being killed and will she be able to provide them with the safety they need? It's go, go, go in this story and made me think how far I would go if my life and my family was in danger.

THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX

By Leon Leyson

[Blurb: Even in the darkest of times—especially in the darkest of times—there is room for strength and bravery. A remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list.Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s List.

This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancor, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr. Leyson’s telling. The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read]

I really enjoyed this book and was touched by Schindler's persistence to keep this family together after they were separated several times and sent back to the camps. Years later when he was reunited with some of the people still alive that were on his list, he still remembered them, and in particular Leon. 

PRISONERS IN THE PALACE

By Michaela MacColl

[Blurb] London 1838. Elizabeth Hastings knows about suffering. At seventeen, she has lost her family, her home and her future. In desperation, she takes a position at Kensington Palace working for the sixteen year old Princess Victoria. But nothing is as it seems at the palace. The heir to the throne is practically a prisoner. A mother schemes against her daughter. Sir John Conroy, a man with no power or connections, is playing for the ultimate prize. And the servants - they know everything of course!

Liza's journey will take her through the bowels of the Palace and to the deepest slums of London. She'll learn about the power of the press and the attractions of one particular newspaperman. How far will Liza have to go to restore her fortune and put the Princess Victoria on the throne? Will she find independence and romance or find herself a prisoner in the palace, too?

This was a fabulous YA fiction novel, but don't be fooled, it was entriguing and exciting and I really enjoyed it. The author Micaela MacColl has read the diaries of Queen Elizabeth and established the base of her story around her journalling. The historical facts are well researched and it makes for a fabulous read. I loved the character of Liza and her courage, to stand up for her friend, the queen in waiting, and her struggle to survive on her own in this harsh city of London, in the early 1800's. This is a great read of 'faction' (half fiction, half fact).

THE PEOPLE SMUGGLER

By Robin de Crespigny

 (Blurb on back)
At once a non-fiction thriller and a moral maze, this is one man's epic story of trying to find a safe place in the world.
When Ali Al Jenabi flees Saddam Hussein's torture chambers, he is forced to leave his family behind in Iraq. What follows is an incredible international odyssey through the shadow world of fake passports, crowded camps and illegal border crossings, living every day with excruciating uncertainty about what the next will bring.
Through betrayal, triumph, misfortune – even romance and heartbreak – Ali is sustained by his fierce love of freedom and family. Continually pushed to the limits of his endurance, eventually he must confront what he has been forced to become.
With enormous power and insight, The People Smuggler tells a story of daily heroism, bringing to life the forces that drive so many people to put their lives in unscrupulous hands. It is an utterly gripping portrait of a man cut loose from the protections of civilisation, attempting to retain his dignity and humanity while taking whatever path he can out of an impossible position.

What more can I say... This is an amazing story of survival yet complete frustration. Ali never really experienced a proper childhood, tortured from an early age, being forced to watch his younger brother tortured, being a prisoner for years, fleeing for his life, losing contact with his wife and child, only to be locked up in a detention camp for as long as the Australian Government decide. I cannot believe people can read this book and not feel for those fleeing war torn countries for their lives and their children's lives. What would you or I do to save our family? You won't be the same after reading Ali's story. Just where has our compassion gone? Not a 'must read' but a 'PLEASE READ'.

ARENA ONE (The Survival Trilogy)

by Morgan Rice

Talk about fast paced book. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games then you'll love this great new series. Another Dystopia type YA fiction which I mostly enjoyed reading. Morgan Rice is a #1 best selling author who also wrote The Vampire Journals.

Seventeen year old Brook and her younger sister, Bree, are living in the wilderness trying to survive after a civil war has broken out in New York and everyone is living in a post-apocalyptic world, with few survivors. Those who still live in the city are Slaverunners, who roam the countryside trying to find survivors on the run, or crazies who are like zombies attacking those who venture out of the city walls. There are also the bio-chem guys who have been terribly burnt and disfigured from bombs during the war.

When Bree is kidnapped, Brook must risk her life to try to find  and rescue her sister from certain death. There are plenty of chases, shooting and danger, including a battle to the death in Arena One, much like Hunger Games.

I mostly liked this book however I did find a few annoying factors. Firstly I felt it was trying to be a little too much like Hunger Games and it fell terribly short. The writing was no where near as good, and at times Brook was doing things that were quite unrealistic, and in fact completely unbelievable. I didn't think it was necessary to include very young girls becoming sex slaves in a YA fiction. The ending didn't really excite me which was disappointing, however I would probably still read the next two in the trilogy.

THE STORY OF BILLY YOUNG

By Anthony Hill

This is a wonderful biography of one of our youngest soldiers, at age 15, to be imprisoned by the Japanese in some of their notorious prisons. The story begins with Billy growing up in Sydney and Tasmania, when at an early age he became an orphan. From surviving on little food and money and selling items at Paddy's market in Sydney he decided joining up would give him a job and enough money to make him happy. Little did he know that he would be sent to Singapore, captured, and spend most of his teenage years in prison, experiencing some of the worst conditions and treatment imaginable. He was sent to Changi prison and then to Sandakan in Borneo, then after escaping he was recaptured and sent to the notorious Outram Road prison in Singapore, where he spent much of the next two years in solitary confinement.

It is a chilling account of what Billy had to endure, during some of the worst human degradation possible, and his extraordinary will to survive, along with the importance of mateship and comradship.  Billy Young had previously written about his life, but Anythony Hill has expanded and brought the story to life. It includes photos and paintings that Billy has painted himself depicting some of his memories of his time in prison. Apart from the torture that the men had to endure it was an inspirational story.

PARVANA'S PROMISE

by Deborah Ellis

This story is a sequel to Parvana and Parvana's Journey, where we find 15 yr old Parvana in a bombed out school, and taken by American troops who think she is a terrorist. When questioned she refuses to talk and this annoys the American's. They interrogate her and keep her in a cell until she tells them why she was there, but she is determined above all else to stand her ground.

Little by little we find the story unfolding as to why she was in the school. Obviously it has been bombed but each time I thought I knew the answer the story revealed something else happened. This school was a place for girls to learn to read and write along with many other useful skills, and is the passion of Parvana and her mother. It is difficult being a women in Afghanistan and there are many forces suppressing their independence and safety. 

I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed it very much. Although fiction, this story could be that of any number of girls living in this war torn country. Deborah Ellis has a beautiful way of allowing you to feel the emotion and frustration in the story. I felt I was walking in the shoes of Parvana and felt helpless to help her and her friends. A great YA novel.

KINGLAKE 350

by Adrian Hyland

When I picked this book to read over the holidays I had no idea I would be reading it during a heat wave and extreme weather conditions, similar to that day in February 2009, which was the worst bushfire disaster in Australia's history. Terrible fires are engulfing Tasmania and threatening Victoria and NSW as I read this account by Adrian Huland, who attempts to give an insight of the absolute terror that was forced on the Kinglake and surrounding districts during 'Black Saturday'. They weren't the only communities effected that day, as Bendigo and it's residents were also victims and suffered great loss.

This book focuses mainly on Sergeant Roger Wood's experience as he found himself in the middle of this unfolding disaster, not knowing if his own family were dead or alive. He, along with other Police and emergency services volunteers, helped to save many residents from death, in the most terrifying conditions known.  They were real heroes. Accounts of others caught in this horror are also included and testimonies of some amazing escapes and, of course, some terrible tragedies of those caught in the fire storm. Along with the horror of their mountain being on fire there were many fatal road accidents to contend with, as people were frantically trying to escape death.

I learned a lot from this book and how volatile Australia is to this happening again. Hyland shares how we have disregarded Indigenous wisdom in caring for the land and their respect of fire. We have made our country one of the most dangerous countries to live in, with regard to inefficient back burns and forestry care, which has created the ferocity of fires we have seen and will continue to see.

This book certainly shakes you to the bones and if nothing else it should urge you to not be complacent with fire safety. Being prepared and staying to fight in normal fire conditions would be OK but when a fire storm creates it's own weather, including wind, hail and rain, and can jump 35km in minutes, then you need to get out early, as there is nothing you can do to protect yourself. How anyone survived is just amazing, a miracle really. We know that 173 people were not so fortunate.

PENNIES FOR HITLER

by Jackie French

This book is about how hatred can be contagious but it is also about how love and kindness can be equally contagious. Through all the destruction and hatred brought about by Hitler and the Nazis during WWII there were still wonderful and courageous people helping those in need.

The story begins with Georg enjoying his life growing up in Germany with his loving family. All this changes in a split second when his father is accused of being a Jew and is thrown to his death from a university window by his students, and Georg and his mother, having just witnessed this, must flee for their lives. 

He escapes from Germany inside a suitcase and is helped to travel to London to live with his aunt, leaving his mother behind. After a while London is bombed and he is no longer safe living there so his aunt sends him to Australia to live with foster parents.

He must pretend to be an English boy named George and cover up his German identity, as Australians are at war with Germany. He eventually settles into his new life in Australia and living in the country but his thoughts are never too far away from his mother and what has become of her. When the Japanese declare war on Australia and start bombing Darwin and Sydney his life is once again in turmoil.

Jackie French has once again written a fabulous historical novel, which is very thought provoking and touching. This story is not a sequel to Hitler's daughter but it shows great insight into being a child of war. I really loved it.

AFTER

by Morris Gleitzman


I really enjoyed reading the final book in the series, telling young Felix's story. Within the first chapter I was already feeling at home feeling the pages wrap around me and take me back to where 'Then' had left off. I love the sad but sometimes humourous passages told through Felix's eyes, now 13.

Having survived the last two years hiding in a hole in the barn of a man named Gabriek, Felix is forced to leave his hiding place to protect his friend. He joins the Partisan living in the forest and becomes a doctor's assistant, attending to wounded and dying men.

He saves some Jewish children from starving to death and ends up helping a couple of children from the Hitler Youth. This book deals with his feelings towards the Nazi's and whether he could kill them after all the suffering they have caused. His heart is understandably hardened but he still has some of his childlike innocence. His life takes a few twists with an ending that was unexpected. Great book, beautifully written.

THE BOY WHO WOULDN'T DIE

by David Nyuol Vincent

This is an inspiring personal story of David, a 'Lost Boy' of Sudan and a child soldier. Having survived famine, war, and a long walk across the Sahara Desert, he still had to survive 17 years alone in in a refugee camp in Kenya. His only hope was to escape and find his family, his only passion was soccer.

This is 'his story' and tells of his amazing struggle of survival and finally his resettlement in Australia. Surviving the war between North and South Sudan and escaping from death many times, David thought he would be free and safe now living in Australia, only to experience racism here in Australia.

There are many others like him and some family members still living in inhumane conditions. David has become an advocate for refugees and the Sudanese community. He has established the Western Tigers Soccer team and is ,s a Victorian Human Rights Youth Ambassador and a People of Australia Ambassador. 

THE FORGOTTEN PEARL

by Belinda Murrell

When Chloe has a school assignment about WWII she decides to ask her grandmother, Poppy, for information of what it was like growing up in those years of war in Australia, believing Australia was too far away from the action. 
To Chloe's amazement her Grandma has many memories that have remained hidden for many, many years. Some of her grandmother's stories are wonderful and describe growing up in Darwin during the 1940's but others are still very painful to remember, as she recounts surviving the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese, and how close her and her family came to being killed. Friends and family must leave Darwin and help the war efforts and many friends are killed over the period of the war.
This story, based on historical facts, is beautifully written by Belinda and told in a very sensitive way. I must admit I was thrilled when I first saw this new YA fiction as I had recently visited Darwin and learnt a lot of the devastation to Darwin and surrounding areas during this terrible time in our history. Unfortunately at the time lots of information was covered up by the government and the rest of Australia didn't know how close we came to being invaded by the Japanese. 
Poppy tells of her time caring for wounded soldiers and civilians, her time in Sydney surviving Sydney Harbour being torpedoed, and of course her carefree days before war came to Australia. I loved reading of the different beaches Poppy would go to for a swim during the wet season as I could picture them so clearly having been there recently. A lovely read. 

THE FITZOSBORNE'S AT WAR

 by Michelle Cooper


What a fabulously captivating historical fiction, which is the last in a trilogy by Michelle Cooper. In this book Sophie and the rest of her family, the royal family of Montmaray, escape their remote island home when the Nazis attack, and flee to England, where they think they will be safe.


Written as Sophie's personal journal, the writer takes you on a ride of emotions as Sophie shares her very private secrets, her heartbreaks and fears during the six years of World War II, and what it was like living through this terrible time as a young adult. Losing family and friends, coping with the bombings and destruction in London, the rationing of food, and even the political events that were all part of this horrid time. There are so many historical facts written into this story yet it flows beautifully. I really connected with Sophie and felt her frustration and loss.


Even though I've read this trilogy out of order I think I'll seek out the other two and complete the journey.

ARTICLE 5

by Kristen Simmons


Yet another Dystopia YA fiction novel, but wow, it was great! I think this was Kristen's debut novel and she did a great job. I connected with Em and Chase and the story was exciting from start to finish.
There was fear, romance, revenge, chases, danger, death, adventure... everything you could hope for all rolled into one book. It was easy to read and really hard to put down.
Set in America after the 'Bill of Rights' has been revoked and there is a new law... 'Moral Statutes'. People are arrested and don't come back. There are no police only soldiers patrolling and arresting. Life as we knew it has changed and you can get arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark.
Ember Miller has shocked when her mother was arrested and she was sent to girls reformation school as punishment, dobbed in by her so-called friend. There starts her mission to escape and try to find her mother and save her from a trial and possible death. There will be struggles and a few surprises in stall but you'll have to read it to find out more!

TORN PAGES

by Sally Grindley


Orphaned, poor, living in Africa, and a grandmother that hates her, Lydia has the odds stacked against her as she must take on a mother's role and care for her sister and brother, trying just to survive.
This is a wonderful heart wrenching story, that is beautifully told by Sally Grindley. Things are very tough for these children as they try to come to terms with the recent death of their mother to AIDS. Lydia is forced to stay  home from school and work for her horrid grandmother, whose only desire is to cause pain to her grandchildren and take over their home. The every day chores they must undertake just to survive certainly made me realise how much we take for granted living in Australia.
I will certainly be reading more of Sally's lovely books.

RENA'S PROMISE

A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

by Heather Dune Macadam
Co-author of Rena's Promise

This is one of those book you don’t just read it….it becomes a part of you!
I was very touched by the memoirs of Rena and her story of surviving the Nazi concentration camps with her sister, Danka.

Until I read this book I wasn’t aware that this year, 26 March 2012, marks the 70^th Anniversary of the first transport to Auschwitz concentration camp. That first transport in 1942 was almost entirely young women between the ages of 16 and 22. Among those 999 young Jewish women was #1716, Rena Kornreich, a 21yr old Polish Jew hiding in Slovakia. A few days later, her sister Danka #2779 arrived. This began a trial of love and courage that would last 3 years and 41 days, from the beginning of their journey in Auschwitz, to the death march through the snow, and on to the end of the war. Her motivation to keep her and her sister alive no matter what happened came from a promise to her parents to keep her younger sister safe. Her visions of her mother helped her through the most difficult times.

I also wasn’t aware that women's accounts of the Holocaust are rare, and until ‘Rena's Promise’, there has been no other book written by a survivor from the first transport of women, mainly because not many women survived. And for that reason alone she is historically important. Her details of events are confirmed in many archival documents and plans. There are many more testimonies published from male survivors than women's accounts, yet the fact remains that the first transport was not men but girls on the verge of womanhood. They were targeted by the Nazis as they wanted to stop the continuity of Jewish life.

THE HAPPIEST REFUGEE

by Anh Do

This was a fantastic read. Anh Do, a well known comedian, tells of his life coming to Australia from a war-torn Vietnam, on a boat, along with his family. The journey was filled with danger from drifting at sea with a broken motor, to being raided by pirates, this book is sure to thrill you and at times amaze you. 


Anh has a real commitment to his family and this story tells what is was like for him and his family to arrive as refugees with nothing, to completing school, then working hard to make a new life in Australia. 


I really loved having a glimpse into his life story, through his hardships and triumphs. The photos were wonderful - I'm glad he included so many. I would recommend this great book to anyone. It just shows what you can accomplish with a lot of hard work. I loved how his mum would always say to give back to this country because it had given them so much. This book has won many awards and rightly so.

The Wrong Boy

by Suzy Zail


What a fantastic read. Although the story is fiction, some of names, places and events the author has written about are based on fact. The concentration camps were indeed real.


This story tells of Hanna Mendel who wanted more than anything else to be a concert pianist, but she wasn't to know that within days her life would be turned upside down. Forced to live in a ghetto, being rounded up into a cattle train and taken to a concentration camp, then falling in love with a German boy who had saved her life.


At times it was heart wrenching to read what Hanna and her sister went through to survive. This story was written so we will never forget what happened during WWII and how the Jews and others were treated. Everyone should read a story like this to keep their stories alive.


The author Suzy Zail's own father was an Auschwitz camp survivor and she has written another book titled "The Tattooed Flower: A Memoir" which tells of his time in the concentration camps and the Nazi occupation.

TO CALM MY DREAMS: Surviving Auschwitz

by Kazimierz Tyminski


I know... the cover looks scary and I must admit I picked this book up a couple of times before I actually decided to read it. However, it was a very easy book to read, although a slightly larger book and print, I was able to read it in one day and really enjoyed it. 


It's the story of Kazimierz, a young Polish Uni student, living in Krakow, recently married, had studied engineering, and had a love for music. Unfortunately for him he was arrested and sent to prison and then onto a concentration camp.


Kazimierz's children translated this book to fulfil his wishes of telling his story of his time in the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, along with other camps, and how he survived the Holocaust, at all odds. He wanted to make sure the events that happened in these camps during WWII will never be forgotten and that the next generation will learn from the past. 


At times it was his ability to play music that saved him from being killed or tortured and he often wondered how he survived when so many of his friends weren't as fortunate. This is a powerful true story written from camp notes he had made at the time, which Kazimierz hoped would help to rid himself of some of the memories that still haunted him many years later.

MUD, SWEAT & TEARS

MUD, SWEAT & TEARS by Bear Grylls     (Autobiography)

I'm not a huge fan of Bear Grylls (although I did watch the TV series and know I WON'T be able to survive if lost because I WONT EAT those crazy things he does!) however, I was interested in reading his autobiography to see the man behind the TV series.

 It was an interesting read. Telling of life growing up in Wales, his love of adventure from an early age, his training in the SAS and surviving an accident which broke his back and almost caused him to never walk again. Climbing Mt Everest may have been his greatest challenge but being the ambassador for Scouts is his proudest and most rewarding. This was a good read which I downloaded onto my Kindle. When my eyes got a little weary of reading I would set the Kindle to 'Text to Speech' and listened to the story. (Love the flexibility of my new Kindle!)