Europe

Materials from Europe

The Blessing Cup

A single china cup from a tea set left behind when Jews were forced to leave Russia helps hold a family together through generations of living in America, reminding them of the most important things in life.

Welcome to Mamoko

Trouble abounds in Mamoko: artwork has been stolen, Vincent Brisk is late for his date, and Miss Chubb has lost a prized possession. Will everything be put right in time for the town carnival? Readers are prompted to follow the adventures of Mamoko’s quirky cast of characters, sharing their discoveries aloud and using their eyes to uncover the kaleidoscope of stories packed into every page!

The Story Of King Lion

King Lion is having a feast. All his animal subjects bring their favorite meal — saltwater lemonade from the fish, snail sausages from the hedgehog and thistle salad from the donkey. But which dish will King Lion like the best? From the author of The Story of the Root Children, this tale from the animal kingdom is told in lively rhyming verses, and beautifully illustrated in classic art nouveau style.

Blue Is The Warmest Color

Blue is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel about growing up, falling in love and coming out. Clementine, a high school student, has an average life: she has friends, family, and the romantic attention of the boys in her school. When her openly gay best friend takes her out on the town, she wanders into a lesbian bar where she encounters Emma: a punkish, confident girl with blue hair. Their attraction is instant and electric, and Clementine finds herself in a relationship that will test her friends, parents and her own ideas about herself and her identity.

The Bathing Costume: Or The Worst Vacation Of My Life

The book’s protagonist is Michel, an eight-year-old Parisian boy. His brother Martin, who’s twelve, detests him, and he detests Martin right back. This summer, Michel will go away alone, which really means without his mom, to stay with his grandparents while his parents move apartments. To add to the horror, Michel’s older boy cousins will be going, too. As Michel says, “To put it simply, they are big, strong, and pals with Martin. I am their scapegoat.” Recounted by Michel himself, his vacation doesn’t turn out to be such a complete zero after all. Between a competition to see who can shower the least, wild bike rides without gear, and a tooth that finally falls out, Michel discovers both independence and real moments of happiness.

The War Within These Walls

Misha and his family do their best to survive in the appalling conditions of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, and ultimately make a final, desperate stand against the Nazis.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume VI, Issue 3

Touched By Fire

Touched by Fire, Irene N. Watt’s exquisite new novel, explores one family’s journey as they flee from the pogroms of Russia in 1905, where the Cossacks burn villages to the ground, to Berlin, Germany, where Jews have a hard time living and working in peace, to the streets of the Lower East Side in New York. Teenage Miriam gives a first-hand account of the excitement everyone feels about going to America, the “Golden Land,” the journey in steerage, the arrival at Ellis Island, and the discrimination the immigrants feel while seeking employment. When Miriam finally lands a job at the Triangle Shirt Waist Company as a cuff setter, she believes her future in the New World is finally secure. But on March 25, 1911, the fire that starts from overflowing bins of material scraps rages into what becomes known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and Miriam’s life is forever changed.

 

See the review at WOW Review, Volume VII, Issue 4