Guilia was a smart and wealthy Jewish girl from Venice and Cenzo was a fisherman who led a simple life that only involved fishing, eating, and sleeping. Life was normal, until World War II started and the Nazis rounded up Jews. “The Girl from Venice” by Martin Cruz Smith tells a story about how Guilia and Cenzo met and their adventure to hide her away from the Nazis.

Nothing is more heartbreaking to a child than knowing her family is leaving her. This is unfortunately what happened to Galadriel (Gilly) Hopkins in the novel “The Great Gilly Hopkins” by Katherine Paterson. At a very young age, Gilly’s parents abandoned her, leaving her to live with foster families. However, Gilly was not an ordinary kid. She still clung onto the faint hope that her dear mother loved her and wanted to live with Gilly.

“Dogs are a man’s best friend.” Not everyone believes this saying. Yet, after reading the enthralling novel, “Where the Red Fern Grows,” by Wilson Rawls of the heartbreaking story of Billy Colman and his two hard-earned coonhounds- Little Ann and Old Dan, you will definitely become a believer of this quote.

World War II was a great catastrophe in the 20th century. Jews were faced with persecution and unprecedented holocaust, struggling to survive. “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry highlights the courage and wisdom of heroes who helped their Jewish friends to escape from Nazis.

After losing her beloved mother, Kira was in a devastating state of loneliness and despair in the beguiling book “Gathering Blue,” by Lois Lowry. Her father, who never knew of her existence, had supposedly passed away before Kira was born. Some villagers in her neighborhood despised Kira and regarded her as a waste of space due to her crippled leg. Kira felt her life was taking a downfall when Vandara, a ruthless villager, intended to destruct her land by complaining about Kira’s meaningless existence to the Council of Guardians, an authority in the village.