The Daughter of Auschwitz: The Girl Who Lived to Tell Her Story by Tova Friedman

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

History, Middle-Grade, Non-Fiction, Memoir

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. No matter how many holocaust stories I read, I will always be appalled by the pain and suffering inflicted. This is a particularly hard read with Tova being so young throughout her experiences but I think that makes it even more important and powerful a read. As this is a middle-grade adaptation of her book, the historical events and Tova’s experiences are adapted in age appropriate ways without watering down or minimising the reality.

Favourite Quote:

“We should have had a happy life there, and maybe I would have had brothers and sisters too. But history had other plans for us.”

With thanks to Hachette Children's Group and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

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Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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