"The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is set in the 1930's and 1940's during World War II. Helmuth is a young boy living in Germany when Hitler comes to power. At first, people are wary about Hitler and doubt that he is good for Germany, but Hitler soon controls the country with fear and the Gestapo. Young boys in Germany at this time were put into "Hitler Youth Groups" to learn how to be a "good German" and to prepare them for the military. Helmuth is placed in one of these groups but knows deep down what he is learning is wrong....very wrong...

We study WWII in 4th grade and read "Number the Stars" and "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes".

"The Boy Who Dared" is an amazing book about World War II but I'm not sure it is appropriate for 4th graders to read - the book's plot makes it more appropriate for 5th or 6th graders.

I really enjoyed this book and reading about another viewpoint on World War II.

This book might be the Caudill Winner...

"The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flannel" by Michael Scott was recommended to me by Dylan, one of my 4th grade students from last school year. I just finished reading this awesome book, which is also on the 2010-2011 Rebecca Caudill List. Sophie and Nick are two tennage twins whose lives change in the blink of an eye. They find themselves on the run with an strange man named Nicholas Flannel. They discover that Nicholas Flannel is an Alchemyst and holds pages to a coveted book.

I really don't want to give too many details away but the thing I loved most about this book is the incorporation of characters from myths, stories, fables, and religions of many cultures. My favorite character is Bastet, the Egyptian Cat Goddess!

If you liked "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief", you'll love "The Alchemyst"!!!!!

It's summer and you know what that means...Mrs. Kanas is busy reading the books on the new Rebecca Caudill list. Here is the list so you can read them too!

Happy Reading!