Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Title: The Hired Girl Author: Laura Amy Schlitz; read by Rachel Botchan Publication Info: 2015 by Recorded Books; hardback 2015 by Candlewick Press Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: Ever since the untimely death of her mother, 14-year-old Joan Skraggs has been desperately unhappy. Under the thumb of her cruel father and three sullen brothers, Joan lives like a servant on their farm just outside of Lancaster, forever cooking, cleaning, and attending to the many demands of the home. But she has little freedom and less support from her family for her love of reading and blossoming interest in education. But when her father tells Joan she can't go to school anymore, it sets off a journey that will see her become first a runaway, then a hired girl on $6 a week, and finally her very own young woman. Set in America during the optimistic years before the First World War, and told through a series of journal entries, The Hired Girl is the story of a young g...

  Title: Refugee Author: Alan Gratz Publication Info: Scholastic, 2017. 352 pages, Kindle version Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: Three different kids. One mission in common: ESCAPE. Josef is a Jewish boy in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world… Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety and freedom in America… Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe… All three young people will go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers–from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But for each of them, there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprising connections w...

Title: Tempests and Slaughter Author: Tamora Pierce Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2018. 464 pages.  Audio: Listening Library, 2018. Read by Ariadne Meyers. Source: Library. Publisher's Summary:   Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble. Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties tr...

  Title: Salt to the Sea Author: Ruta Sepetys Publisher:  Philomel Books, 2017. 391 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets. Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war. As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff , a ship that promises safety and freedom. Yet not all promises can be kept. Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys ( Between Shades of Gray ) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.     My Review: As I noticed when I read and reviewed Sepetys' Between Shades of Gray ,  the author is very good at writing about the truly horrific times in human history without losing sight of the humanity...

I'm late. I know I'm late. Sometimes, that's just the way I am. I had to finish the book this morning! Title: Bone Gap Author: Laura Ruby Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2015. 345 pages Publisher's Summary: Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame? Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone,...