We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman

I chose to read We Will Not Be Silent because it is written by renowned nonfiction author Russell Freedman and because it won the Robert F. Sibert Honor for nonfiction this year. Thanks to Mr. Freedman and the many historic photographs he included in this book, I learned a great deal about an aspect of WWII that I can never remember being taught.

Have you ever stopped to wonder if all Germans agreed with Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime?  They most certainly did not! This is the true story of a group of German students who were brave enough to organize an effective movement against Hitler. Theirs is a fascinating story.

Because the subject matter of this book is intense and includes real violence, I only recommend this book to mature 5th or 6th graders with background knowledge of WWII. It is most definitely a disturbing, albeit important, read.

Mrs. N.

Giant Squid by Candace Fleming

What is as big as a bus yet has rarely ever been seen? The Giant Squid! Despite the fact that this creature is largely unknown, author Candace Fleming does a magnificent job of describing fascinating facts about the Giant Squid. For example, I never knew that the squid's tentacle suckers are lined with teeth or that the squid has a beak like a parrot in between all those tentacles! This book peaked my desire to find out more about these mysterious creatures of the deep, and I hungrily read the extra information provided at the end of the book. Website recommendations are included!

Artist Eric Rohman does a great job with the book's illustrations, giving close-ups of the parts of the squid that Fleming is describing while maintaining a dark velvety blue background that communicates its deep water home.

I highly recommend this award winning picture book to students of all ages, especially those with an interest in ocean life.

Mrs. N.