Posts by Amy

When the War is Over by martha attema

Posted by on Aug 13, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: Living in the Netherlands during World War II, Janke and her community face a five year-long Nazi occupation. Working to protect the Jews divers being hidden by the Dutch, Janke is part of the resistance movement against the Nazis, trying her best to help her country survive until the Allies come and liberate them. She and her best friend Alie practice their dancing on a regular basis, preparing themselves for the day when the Nazis will be gone and the celebration that will follow. But after Janke meets Helmut, a reluctant Nazi soldier, previously clear lines become blurred, and...

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The Kayak by Debbie Spring

Posted by on Aug 12, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: In the year after a hit and run accident that leaves Teresa paralysed from the waist down, she finds herself trying to regain her sense of self in the face of her new limitations. Feeling most in control and independent in the water, swimming and kayaking, it’s no surprise her confidence there leads her to meet not one but two potential summer loves. One is older, and the other has a nasty ex-girlfriend determined to make Teresa’s life miserable. Through her experiences juggling two relationships, Teresa’s confidence grows, revealing that though the accident may...

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The Courtesan’s Daughter by Priscilla Galloway

Posted by on Aug 11, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: Thirteen year-old Phano has had a complicated life. With a step-mother who is a Courtesan and a father who has mismanaged the money of relatives and friends, it seems her hopes of marrying well are slim. When Phano and her step-mother finally escape the clutches of Phrynion who claims to own them both, a journey begins that will see Phano in love with a man who is shortly to become the most powerful man in Greece. But will her claims to Athenian citizenship hold up under scruntiny Phrynion keeps raising? In a city facing likely invasion, the favour of the gods is not something to...

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The Apprentice’s Masterpiece by Melanie Little

Posted by on Aug 10, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: The son of a Jewish scribe, Ramon and his family are converts in the face of the Spanish Inquisition during the 1400s. But while Jews and Muslims are openly despised, conversos as they are known are not far behind. Under the ‘Edicts of Faith’ a mistrustful society is fostered as everyone is encouraged to watch and inform on other’s contact with the undesirables. When Ramon’s family takes in Amir, a Muslim teen, Ramon sees himself as being above him and seeks to show him up especially when he notices Amir is becoming close with his father. But what seems like...

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Trial by Fire by Sheila Dalton

Posted by on Aug 9, 2014 in Book Reviews, Ontario | 0 comments

Summary: Seventeen year-old Nathan is half-Native, half-white, living with a foster family called the Whitmans because his mother has kicked him out. With his outsider status Nathan finds himself constantly struggling to be heard and believed, but a relationship with a classmate named Sally changes everything as she is also considered an outsider. When someone sets fire to Sally’s house and Nathan witnesses it, the police don’t believe he didn’t do it himself. No proof means they can’t arrest him though, but Nathan is motivated to find out who really did it so they...

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