Historical Fiction

Title:  The Butterfly 

Author: Patricia Polacco 

Awards: N/A

Published: 1972

Genre: Historical Fiction Picture Book 

With this assignment I stayed with the WWII theme. The Butterfly was written from the viewpoint of an innocent French child named Monique. Monique knew of the war and heard of some of the horrible things happening but never saw any of these events for herself. She noticed her mother becoming more and more distracted but would always have time for her daughter. One night Monique wakes up to a "ghost" of a little girl at the end of her bed. Monique eventually finds out that this "ghost" is a Jewish girl named Sevrine that Monique's mother has been hiding in their basement for a while. The direness of the war becomes evident to Monique as she becomes friends with Sevrine. One day when playing in the house they are spotted by a neighbor and knew Sevrine and her family must leave for everyone's safety. Monique and her mother wait and pray for a sign to show that Sevrine and her family were safe and they got more than they imagined. 

The illustrations in this story seem more like art work than pictures in a book. Patricia Palacco uses lighting to demonstrate the hope and innocence of the children as well as the graveness of the circumstances they are in. Palacco shows how the war can affect everyone no matter the age.  

When using this book in a classroom, teachers must allow time for deep discussion. In order to respect the events and the story Patricia Palacco describes teachers need to be available to guide students through some uncomfortable discussions and deep thinking. The fact that this story is from the viewpoint of a child allows students to relate to the characters and determine what they would do if they were in such a position. 

Title:  The War that Saved my Life 

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Awards: Newbery Honor Book, New York Time's Best Seller, Scheider Family Book Award, Wall Street Journal's Best Children's Book of 2015 

Published: 2015

Genre: Historical Fiction

I did not know what to expect when I opened this book but I was not able to put it down once I did. It even got to the point where I was telling my husband to hush so that I could concentrate. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading this book. 

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley paints us a picture of how someone can be at war even in their own home.  This story also takes place during WWII and is told from a child's viewpoint. Ada, a ten year old girl with a twisted foot, never left her apartment. Her mom would not allow the world to see this cripple who would never amount to anything. When the war threatens their hometown Ada and her little brother Jamie run away to leave with all the other children of the town. They end up staying with a woman names Susan Smith, who isn't happy to take them in. As the war moves closer Ada learns that she is more than her foot and teaches herself many things such as riding a pony and finding a German spy who has infiltrated their land. As Ada begins to trust herself the bond between Susan and these siblings also strengthens. Everything seems to be working out for everyone until the enemy arrives, but who is the actual enemy?