World Geography & Literature: Europe Books

Elise has read this book in the past and informed me that Erik had to read it. The main character finds herself sent from London off to a "Progressive School" located in Devon, as Europe is teetering on the edge of war. The school receives an invitation to participate in a folk dance festival in a fictional little country in Europe that is currently standing up to Germany. Tally insists that the school MUST send a dance troupe to show support for this country and it's bravery in the face of German might. They do and end up helping the crown prince of the country escape when his  father is assassinated and the Nazi's try to send him off to prison. A very sweet book overall and I'm sure he will enjoy it.

I pre-read this book at least a year ago as we were preparing to study modern world history this past year. Peter and his parents live in post-WWII West Germany near the eastern border. During the summer he discovers that the life he has always known is not the whole story. He also learns that his recurring nightmare of being handed screaming off a train has a basis in reality. Out of desperation, his mother had handed him off the train she was being loaded onto into the hands of the parents who raised him. He finds himself facing a little more of an identity crisis than the average pre-teen/teenager as he now is coming to grips with the realization that he is Jewish. Thankfully he has some good mentors in this story that help him learn about his heritage, while encouraging him not to reject the only parents he has ever known. 

Stephen is involved in Scouting, an illegal activity in Soviet controlled Hungary in 1956. He and his fellow scouts find themselves caught up in the midst of an uprising in Budapest that successfully drives the Soviets out of the capital for a few days. When they learn the Russians are on their way back, the only viable option for Stephen's family is escape. 

I especially appreciated how the author wove in an element from Hungarian legends, the white stag, into the story.

This story focuses on the Lleshi family, Muslim Kosovars, who overnight find themselves fleeing from their home into the mountains. The mountains aren't the refuge they had hoped for though, as they realize that if they stay much longer the elder son will leave them to join the KLA to fight the oppressive Serbian government under the leadership of Milosevic. Leaving the mountains, they make their way towards Macedonia to find themselves stopped at the border. They end up in a refugee camp and eventually in the United States where they face new challenges living in a new country, learning a new language and way of life. Things get even more difficult for the children in the wake of 9/11.