SIGNS OF SURVIVAL by Renee Hartman with Joshua M Greene

Signs of Survival by Renee Hartman and Joshua M Greene 122 pages Meet Renee and Herta, two sisters who faced the unimaginable -- together. This is their true story. As Jews living in 1940s Czechoslovakia, Renee, Herta, and their parents were in immediate danger when the Holocaust came to their door. As the only hearing person in her family, Renee had to alert her parents and sister whenever the sound of Nazi boots approached their home so they could hide. But soon their parents were tragically taken away, and the two sisters went on the run, desperate to find a safe place to hide. Eventually they, too, would be captured and taken to the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Communicating in sign language and relying on each other for strength in the midst of illness, death, and starvation, Renee and Herta would have to fight to survive the darkest of times. This gripping memoir, told in a vivid "oral history" format, is a testament to the power of sisterhood and love, and now more than ever a reminder of how important it is to honor the past, and keep telling our own stories. I love to read about the Holocaust. I didn't realize this was a true story when I began to read it. This is a juvenile book, and is a very quick read. I read it in one evening. It was very fact based and not much story or suspense involved. I also am very interested in sign language, but not much was addressed in the book. Overall, I would not reccommend to others, except 4-5 graders.

Hidden Figures (Young Reader's Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures (Young Reader's Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly, 231 pages

I love that the author wrote a young reader's edition of this book.  Hidden Figures is the true story of four incredible African American women who worked for NASA and helped launch our country into space.  Hidden Figures takes a look at the lives and careers of  Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christie Darden.  These women were called computers because of their awesome abilities to calculate math and engineer problems that the men could not solve without their help.  It is incredible what these woman had to endure during the 1950s and 1960s in the American workplace where not only was it a challenge to be a woman in a man's field but to also be struggling with regards to what was going on with the civil rights movement at the time.  Despite what these women experienced in their lives, they continued to persevere and achieve great success.  This book should be inspirational to all young women.

I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton

I'm Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton 40 pages

This book features a character that is terrified of spiders and is determined to overcome her fear.  It details fun facts about spiders such as their appearance, anatomy, eating habits, and different species.