Knockin' On Wood

This book is by Lynne Barasch. It is about a young child who loves to dance but his leg got caught in a machine. The poor boy's leg got cut off but he got a peg leg. Learning how to dance was his goal but it was hard to do. He finally learned how to dance. Now he is very famous for putting on shows. He overcame his problem. Reviewers' tips: You should try to persevere. Never be down - stick up. Try things that are new - you might like them. Work hard and believe.

Reviewed by: N.G. and A.K.

America's Champion Swimmer

By David A. Adler. This book is an amazing story about Gertrude Ederle. Trudy tried to swim the English Channel. But she failed! Another year later she tried again and succeeded. She was the first woman to swim it and beat the men's record by almost two hours. She had proved that women weren't the weaker sex.
Reviewed by: J.M. and H.R.

The Librarian of Basra

This book is by Jeanette Winter. A true story from Iraq. There was a librarian working at Basra and there was a war going on. The librarian wanted to save the books from being destroyed so she worked through the night to put the books into her friend's restaurant. Then her library burned down. She brought her books home and there was no room for anything else. After the war she wants to build a new library.
Reviewed by: A.K. and K.C.

Joe Louis

This book is by David A. Adler. Joe Louis was born on May 13, 1914. When he was 12 his mom got remarried and moved to Detroit. Joe quit school in 1932. Later that year he boxed a three round match with Johnny Miller. On July 4, 1934 Joe had his first professional fight. Joe won all twelve of his fights in 1934. On June 25, 1935 he fought against a white man and won. Three months later he got married. In June of 1936 he went against a German Nazi champion and lost. On June 22, 1938 he fought another Nazi and kept trying and won. Joe knew that he could fight and he fought in the army.
Reviewed by: J.S. and M.M.

The Harmonica

The book is by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Ron Mazellan. A boy who lives in Poland is very poor. His dad worked in the mines and one day came home with a harmonica. He and his mother and father loved music. They played all night until one night the German Nazis found them and split them apart. The boy went to one concentration camp and his parents to another. The hope of surviving stays alive because the boy plays Schubert on his harmonica all night.
Reviewed by: D.J.G. and C.P.P.

By My Brother's Side

By the NFL Super Stars Tiki and Ronde Barber. In this book Ronde had to face playing no sports with Tiki. One day Tiki was riding a bike up a steep edge of a dirt pile and fell off his bike. He couldn't move his leg. But Tiki kept on trying to work his leg and he overcame his challenge.
Reviewed by: J.B.

The Librarian of Basra

The author is Jeanette Winter. It is a nonfiction, true story from Iraq. This lady risked her life for these books. The war was raging harder and harder and she wanted to save the books. She put books over a seven-foot-wall - what a challenge for her! She overcame this challenge with these books.
Reviewed by: N.G. and A.K.