Swallowing Stones by Joyce MacDonald (245 pages)
It’s a perfect Fourth of July for Michael MacKenzie. He is celebrating his 17th birthday with a huge party, full of family and friends. Firecrackers are being lit, and everyone is having a great time. Michael’s grandfather gives him a rifle for his birthday and Michael takes his best friend into the woods behind his house to show it off. He shoots once into the air, loving this amazing gift. One mile away, Jenna Ward is telling her father it’s time to come in for lunch. He’s on the roof patching a leak. Suddenly, a bullet rips through Charlie Ward’s body, killing him. Michael, just having a good time on his birthday, is now a murderer. This book takes you inside both Michael’s and Jenna’s minds as they attempt to deal with the tragedy of this day. Michael promises himself he won’t tell anyone because he really doesn’t want to get into trouble, and Jenna promises herself she won’t rest until she finds the person responsible.
Miss Simer’s Rating: ***
This story takes place in Denmark in a city called Copenhagen. The year is 1943 during World War II. The Nazis, German soldiers, have taken over the city and are arresting and killing the Jews. The Johansen family is friends with the Rosen family. The Johansens are not Jewish, but the Rosens are, so they are in danger. They must leave for work, but they are really running away. The Johansens let Ellen Rosen stay with them while her parents were finding a safe place. They pretended that Ellen was their daughter. One night the Nazis came banging on the Johansens’ door. Ellen had her Star of David necklace on. Annemarie, the Johansen’s daughter and Ellen’s best friend, yanked it off and hid it to keep the Nazis from discovering that Ellen was Jewish. Annemarie saved Ellen’s life! Ellen’s parents crossed the water over to Sweden, which is a free country. Then the Johansens sent Ellen to live and be free with her parents. The Johansen family did a great thing by helping the Rosens. Now, the Rosen family lives happily in Denmark where they can be safe and free. I think this is a GREAT book that is filled with excitement, mystery, and fun! I recommend this book because it is so exciting and I really learned a lot when I read it.
