Author: Ann Howard Creel

Publisher: Lake Union Press

Release Date: August 23, 2016

Reviewer: Jennifer S. Roman

Frieda Hope and her sister Bea are orphaned at a young age after their mother, the town whore, dies.  They are fortunate to be taken in by a local fisherman, Silver, who cares for them as if they were his own.  Bea is pretty and sociable and inclined to academics, whereas Frieda just wants to get through high school and then help Silver fish on his boat.  She hates being constantly judged based on her mother’s choices, so she prefers the solitude of the sea to people.  As her high school graduation nears, she learns that Silver has sold his boat to a local boat engine repairman, Hicks, because he doesn’t want her living the harsh life of a fisherman.  Devastated, Frieda begs Hicks to teach her to repair engines, too, so she will still have some connection to the sea.  This is all during the time of Prohibition, and their small fishing town off the Jersey Shore is the perfect place for rumrunning.  One of Frieda’s customers offers her a permanent position on his rumrunning boat as engineer, and the money is so good that she can’t refuse.  She wants to send Bea to college and provide nursing care for Silver, who has recently suffered a debilitating stroke.  Silver and Hicks don’t approve of her choice, but she is so headstrong that they can’t stop her.

As Frieda becomes successful at her illegal job, she meets a gorgeous Princeton grad student who joins their operation on a lark.  He doesn’t need the money and will be going to law school in the fall, so this is his way to escape what he calls his oppressive family and its obligations.  Frieda has never fallen for a man before, mostly as a way to avoid her mother’s legacy, so she is absolutely enchanted.  At the same time, though, she is furious with herself for feeling so insecure around Princeton (as the crew calls him). She believes that she is giving up her independence and autonomy, especially since he won’t commit to her.  Just when she is ready to force his hand, he acts in a way that shows his true colors and his honest feelings about her.

I am an avid reader of historical fiction, but the topic of rumrunning during Prohibition is a new one for me.  I was not disappointed, as I loved the characters, the setting, and the adventure.  Despite Frieda’s prickly exterior, she has a warm and loving character that is demonstrated in how she sacrifices her happiness for her family.  Her rumrunning companions are brought to life through their own personal stories, and Princeton’s life of privilege is demonstrated through his shallow and often frivolous behavior.  The history of the time and the area are brought to life through the many runs they make, and how they manage to avoid the law is always thrilling.

This story takes place in the time of Prohibition off the Jersey Shore, where rumrunning (or bootlegging) was successful and very common.  The local shoremen who participated in this illegal activity quickly became rich, often at the risk of their health and lives.  Frieda frequently experiences this too, as their boat is often chased by Coast Guard vessels looking to stop their activities.  More often than not, however, rumrunners faced pirates who would rob them and even kill over the cash they carried.  Frieda learns to keep an eye out, but sometimes the pirates are too much.  Much of this is illustrated throughout the book, which means that there is some violence and a penchant for harsh reality.  Additionally, there is strong profanity used for effect.  While it is not in every sentence, it is definitely noticeable.  For these reasons, I recommend the book for mature readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and thorough review.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Jane Kirkpatrick

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 6, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An exciting and detailed account along the Oregon Trail!

The Road We Traveled provides a detailed account of the journey of Tabitha Moffat Brown, also known as the mother of Oregon.  The book begins the account when Tabitha’s son Orus returns to Missouri from his scouting trip to Oregon and convinces the family that there is a better life for them in Oregon.  However, Orus believes that Tabitha will not be able to sustain the trip to Oregon and encourages her to stay in Missouri.  Even though she has a club foot from childhood and she knows she would be a burden, Tabitha cannot fathom watching her all of her children and grandchildren travel to Oregon and leaving her alone.  When her late husband’s brother John Brown suddenly arrives, she convinces John that they can make the trip together.  What unfolds is a tale of fun, fear, sadness, separation, starvation, and most importantly faith as the family makes the trek to Oregon.

The journey continues once the family arrives in Oregon. Orus has already claimed his place in the forest grove.  Her daughter and son-in-law decided to stay in Salem.  Not wanting to be a burden to anyone, Tabitha and her changeling Nellie, who was left behind by her family on the trail, end up staying with a pastor and his wife.  Eventually, Tabitha begins to realize that her work is not down.  When she discovers how many children are orphaned along the Oregon trail, she feels that something must be done.  She first convinces people that a school must be set up.  Then some time later a university first known as Tualatin Academy, now known as Pacific University.  And eventually the statehood of Oregon.  It becomes clear why she is known as the mother of Oregon.

This tale was a wonderfully written story that covers a time of history that is well known, but probably not well studied. People have heard of the Oregon trail (or at least played the game), but few really understand what happened along the trail or why people made the trek.  Kirkpatrick does a great job giving a first person account of the trials and tribulations along the trail.  I had never thought about families being accidently separated, leaving children orphaned along the way.  This book definitely put the history in a different perspective.

If you’ve ever been interested in the Oregon Trail or just enjoy historical accounts, I recommend to add this book to your reading list.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Author: Heather Munn & Lydia Munn

Publisher: Kregel

Release Date: February 1, 2014

Reviewer: Jen ROman

It’s the beginning of World War II, and young teen Magali lives in France with her parents, brother, and some political refugees.  While France is still considered “safe,” at least where she lives, Magali knows things are actually quite dangerous.  Jews, even French Jews, are being rounded up and put in French concentration camps.  Her refugee friends keep a watchful eye everywhere they go.  Food is scarce, and German soldiers are starting to appear in their plateau town.

Magali wants to do something to help the war effort, and when she sees women rescuing children from the camps, she knows that’s what she is meant to do.  It takes some deft persuasion skills on her part to convince her parents to let her leave school for a year to focus full-time on this undertaking.  She travels with a woman known as Paquerette, and she enlists a group of select friends to work with them.  Together, these brave women rescue hundreds of children and take them on a lifesaving but arduous journey to a safe home, where they will be loved and given a new chance at life.

Although these women are authorized to take the children to safety, things could change at the drop of a hat, so Magali and Paquerette are constantly on edge.  Throughout these dangerous journeys, they experience all kinds of odd situations: a child runs away and bites someone; they have a sickly baby die; Magali flirts with a German soldier to draw attention away from the group; and, most importantly, Paquerette is arrested and Magali has to take the children back home on her own.  Magali starts out as a foolish, naive young girl of fifteen, but by the time her tenure is over, she is a seasoned, worldly woman of sixteen.  She sees horrors that nobody should have to face, let alone endure, and she uses her wits to save her charges on numerous occasions.

This book covers a topic that not many others do: the evacuation of thousands of Jewish and refugee children out of camps and into safe homes.  While France was not yet occupied at the time, there were definite German “rules” in place and the locals were afraid.  They didn’t know what to expect, whom to trust, or how they were going to get through, yet they did.  Many formed intricate networks to make fake papers for others, and still others used those papers to smuggle Jews and refugees out of France.  Magali was a member of just one of many groups working to get children out of the camps.  Even then, there was an age limit on who could be released; older teens had pretty much no chance of getting rescued.

While this story is fiction, it is based on true events and real people and places.  How people react to a challenging situation is often said to show their true character, and in this book, readers can see what kind of people there were.  Some went with the flow, some quietly rebelled, some openly rebelled, and others put others ahead of themselves.  Seeing how each character reacted was both interesting and heartbreaking.  The characters, while not overly developed, showed a good portion of society to see how events affect each and every one of us.  The book was informative and educational, and the topic was interesting.  I really enjoyed this book for the view into something that not many people know.

Defy the Night  is set during a time of world history that most people know about but don’t necessarily understand.  It discusses concentration camps, filthy conditions, and the heartbreaking separations of families.  People are persecuted for their religious beliefs or for their home country.  While it doesn’t contain flagrant violence, the images of how people were treated are disturbing and chilling.  There is no profanity or sex of note.  For this reason, I recommend this book for mature teens and older.