Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt

The Water Seeker is the tale of a young man who is born with the gift of dowsing, or water-witching.  It is also, and I think more prominently, a tale of what it was like to grow up during the early 1800s particularly those living the pioneering life.

Young Amos Kincaid doesn't know his father well since he is gone trapping for many months each year.  He learns how to work hard from his aunt and uncle and his closest neighbors, after his aunt dies.  When is father finally returns with a squaw, Blue Owl, for a wife, Amos is forced to learn new skills when he moves with them.  One of those skills is a skill that his father also has, dowsing. When an opportunity to help  guide a Wagon Train to Oregon Territory arrives, the family picks up again. Along the treacherous 2000 mile journey Amos has many adventures and makes several friends.

Amos' mother, who died during childbirth, and birds played symbolic roles in the book, but the symbolism was lost on me.  I hate it when I don't see the meaning in literary devices used by authors. Though this book came to my attention as a possible Printz award candidate I think this book is really a middle level book, not one that would interest too many high school students. The drama hinted at on the book jacket about the conflict between father and son about  being a dowser seemed quite mild.  Though the journey across the prairie and mountains on a Wagon Train was well done, it didn't have the level of suspense or fast-pacing that most YA readers crave.  Perhaps this book would be a better Newbery candidate.

Though this review isn't very strong, I really did like the story.  I think younger teens who like reading historical fiction will find a lot to like in this story.

The Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

If I have one deepest regret from my childhood it is that I didn't continue with my reading habits of childhood into my teen years and beyond. I only recall reading a few books in high school and I missed out on so much great literature. I read very few classics and hardly any of the popular books of the day. Since that time I have been playing catch-up. Today I finally read the incredible book, The Summer of My German Soldier, published in 1973 when I was in high school. Oh my, what took me so long? This book is a true treasure, one that should be read and savored by each generation. If you haven't read it, run, do not walk, to your nearest library and check it out.

The story is set in a small town in Arkansas during WWII when a young Jewish girl, Patty Bergen, comes in contact with a German soldier who is a POW at a nearby camp. Her life is altered in both good and bad ways from that point forward. Though the story is housebreaking sad, it is also poignant, sweet, and thoughtful. It addresses issues of racism and patriotism without being preachy and Greene's prose are masterful. I should warn you, have a tissue when you read it. I sat reading in the waiting room of the car dealership waiting for my car to be serviced and wept openly. Not a pretty sight, I am sure.

The Red Necklace: A Story of the French Revolution

We just completed a week of student-led conferences at our school. Students were required to stand before their adviser and parent(s) while talking about schooling experiences, goals, and challenges from the past year. Many talked about their favorite and least favorite classes. With one exception, all of the students expressed their dislike of their history class. After reading this book I was struck by the irony of that. Here is a book about a revolution where all the aristocracy had their heads lobbed off and the underclass became murderous mobs. How can anyone think that history is boring? I will hazard a guess that the problem lies in the volume of material that should be covered so that there isn't time to tarry on every really interesting tidbit from history.... or, today's students have grown up with such dramatic action movies to wow them that bloody revolutions seem tame in comparison. Either way, it is a shame because this is really interesting stuff.

Even though I was fascinated by Marie Antoinette ("Let them eat cake") and Louis the XVI as a teenager I really had no idea what the French Revolution was about. I didn't know, until I read this book, that the aristocracy and the clergy paid no taxes at all. All the taxes were paid by the middle class and the peasants. And when the aristocracy wanted to enhance their already lavish lifestyles they would just raise the rent on the already overburdened lower class. It really is delightful to learn history while reading a fictional book. It never feels like work and there is a storyline or a mystery to keep the reader moving along.

Sally Gardner admits that this book wasn't designed to be a completely accurate depiction of the French Revolution but there was certainly enough information about the lavish lifestyles of the few and the anger of the masses to pique my curiosity to learn even more. I challenge myself to read more historical fiction in the future.

Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal by Mal Peet

Two years ago a student told me that I should read this book because it is so good. I believed her and put it on my list of "must-read-books". Unfortunately I took my sweet time about getting to it. She was right, this marvelous book is very good and I feel like I should have highlighted it more often for other readers if I'd gotten to it sooner. Oh well, now it will get lots of recommendations from me.

Set in occupied Holland during WWII it deals with the lives of several people involved in the Dutch Resistance. It also jumps ahead fifty years and carries the thread of the story forward by two generations. The title tells us what to expect in the story: spying, passion, and betrayal. All of it exciting and well-written. I found the book and the information that I learned about the war in Holland to be fascinating.

On a "small world" note, the day that I finished reading the book I met a man living in Tacoma who just got out of the Dutch Army. I told him about Tamar and what I learned about the Dutch Resistance. He replied that the Dutch were just as likely to be in the resistance as they were to be collaborators with the Nazis. He also explained that people working in the resistance didn't get along or coordinate their efforts. For example, two different groups might show up to blow up the same bridge and be angry that the other group got there first.

This could possibly be my favorite read for the whole summer.

YA Lit; My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.