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If you have ever wondered about the gods, goddesses and heroes of ancient Greece, then Dateline: Troy by Paul Fleischman is worth checking out. The Trojan War was an event that took place during the Bronze Age; its story combines both mythological and historical components, and it is up to you to siphon through the facts to uncover the fiction.

What may surprise you about this book are the parallels that the author draws between that ancient war and the events that shape our world today. In order to illustrate these parallels, the author has used collages that contain headlines found in modern day news media. Seeing the similarities between our war-like culture and that of the ancient past makes one wonder how far we have really evolved since ancient times. Are the causes that we fight for really any different than those of our ancestors? When will humankind learn to avoid war altogether? Reading this book may give you a better idea of where we have come from, and just how far we have to go until we find peace in our time.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is one of the greatest books of poetry for kids ever put together. It’s weird, funny, clever and poignant. Eye candy at its finest: this collection of limericks, rhymes and free verse is crawling with Silverstein’s creative ink drawings.

Ever wondered what would happen if you forgot to take the garbage out for a couple of years? How about the monster rumored to live up your nose? You’ll read about giants, and lonesome kids, birds with sharp beaks and a kid who can’t find his head. Your parents might think that these poems are for weirdos, but as a kid you will certainly dig every page. Don’t miss out on this book.

Ever get tormented by a bully? We all know how terrible it feels to be laughed at, teased or even pushed around by someone who is bigger and badder than we are. Well, bullies have been around for a long, long time. In this novel, which is set in 1918 Vermont, a bully named Aden makes a boy named Mason’s otherwise peaceful existence miserable. Then one night, when Mason is in trouble, the bully risks everything to help Mason out. Baffled by this display of kindness, Mason does not thank Aden, nor does he tell anybody what happened.

Not long afterwards, Aden goes to fight in the brutal war raging in Europe. When the Armistice, or peace treaty, is announced, the people of this small Vermont town rejoice by taking turns ringing the church bell. When Mason notices Aden’s mother standing alone mourning, he discovers that Aden has been killed in action. She finds deeper sorrow in the fact that no one joins her in mourning her son’s death. Mason shares with the grieving mother that Aden had once done a good thing for him, and that her son’s death will not go unnoticed.

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The Barn by Avi takes place in 1855, when the United States were not fully formed, and life enjoyed a different pace. Ben, the main character, is attending boarding school when he receives news that his father has been felled by palsy-which we now call having a stroke. Ben is only nine, but he is smarter than most kids, and possesses a good chunk of determination.

Ben quickly surmises that his father’s dream of building the barn that he had been planning before his stroke will provide his father with a reason to live. He enlists his sister Nellie-asking her to postpone her wedding and help with the building of the barn. Everything revolves around the barn for Ben. Maybe it is becoming a little too important in the scheme of things.

This short book offers an enthralling and intense look into time where building a barn with your own two hands can become almost as important as life itself. Take a look into the past-maybe you’ll discover something about yourself at the same time.

During the beginning of his days in London, Shakespeare’s plays were performed in several theaters in London. In 1599, the Globe Theater was built and became the main performing house for Shakespeare’s plays. This new theater was the most beautiful and magnificent theater in all of London.

Shakespeare, along with some of his fellow actors, become part owner in the Globe. Almost 3000 people could watch these plays in this theater. The Puritans closed the theater in 1634, but it has recently been rebuilt and reopened to the public.

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Once upon a dung-heap, a girl awoke to find herself alone, hungry, cold and homeless. The kids in her medieval village taunt her mercilessly; the adults in town don’t care enough to adopt her. In other words, life for the skinny girl known as Brat was the pits. Soon enough, she befriends a scraggly cat and finds work with the local midwife, named Jane Sharp.

A midwife in medieval society served as the person who delivered babies and concocted herbal compounds to keep people in decent health. Brat, who eventually names herself Alyce, puts in hours working in humble service for the midwife (who actually is quite an unpleasant person.) When Alyce faces a crisis and finds herself unable to successfully carry out her task, she runs away. What happens next is a surprise.

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Don’t be afraid to turn the page. Even if you wonder why Adam is biking like mad from Vermont all the way to Massachusetts. Even if the transcribed taped interviews get you wondering what is really going on in Adam’s life. Even if you are curious as to why Adam is on medication and what it has done to his memory.

You and Adam might be afraid of the same thing– all of those gaps in his memory are haunting him. Maybe you’ll be able to figure out the mystery before Adam does…. But only if you are brave enough to turn the page in I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier.

Roald Dahl, the dazzling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, has a wonderful collection of short stories that you are sure to enjoy. This book contains seven stories certain to stay with you for many years after you’ve read them.

One story tells about a boy who goes on vacation and makes a very unusual friend. You’ll feel like you are on the island looking at the turquoise blue water when you read it. Another tells a true tale about a farmer who faces the extreme cold in his fields one day, only to uncover a very valuable surprise buried in his land. Then there’s the title story which offers a peek into the life of a wealthy man who finds that–with a little faith and a lot of discipline– the hidden mysteries of life can unfold before his very eyes.

If you are searching for a top-notch read, you have got to check out this collection of stories.

In case you’ve never heard of the mythical Fountain of Youth, legend tells of a spring from which flows water that will render the drinker forever young. In Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, Winnie discovers that this fantastic myth might actually be true when she befriends the Tuck family. The Tucks have accidentally drunk from a well whose waters freeze them in time and grant them eternal life. Sounds pretty good right?

But, if the Tucks reveal their secret to the world, it would change the face of humanity, and the natural order of things would run askew. And when Mae Tuck kills a man, their secret is in danger of being revealed. For if they attempt to execute her, they will discover that she cannot die. At the same time, if they put her in jail, they will see that she does not age. Still sound good? What should they do? What would you do?! Uncover the secret behind Tuck Everlasting — it really is a fantastic book.

Ever wonder who the heck you are? Like, “Who Am I?” You know, the big question that we all ask at one time or another while looking in the mirror. In the book I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn, Regina Leninger asks the exact same question. Except, for one thing, her story takes place in 1755, and secondly, she happened to have been captured by Indians. This tribe had killed her father and her brother, who were Pennsylvania Dutch settlers.

As she travels north with the tribe that holds her captive, she is heard repeating the phrase, “I am Regina,” over and over, trying to hold onto one scrap of her identity. She stays with the tribe for eight years, and undergoes an enormous transformation. She learns the Native way of raising and cooking corn, gathering and refining maple syrup, taking part of sweat lodge ceremony and living off the land with the ceremonious intent of the Native people. What do you think she repeats over and over when she is reunited with her family of origin eight years later? Read this adventure story and find out.

The Logan family works hard to keep their farm running smoothly during the hard times that have befallen the country. Cassie Logan and her brothers have been raised with the understanding that they must be proud, honest, hard-working members of their community. And though they are of the Black minority in Mississippi during the 1930’s, nothing should keep them from their dreams.

But Cassie’s pride is being tested as she is confronted by racism in its most frightening and humiliating forms. Men driving to their farm at night imbue her world with a danger that she hadn’t been faced with before. The mean-spirited behavior of racist classmates at school shakes her up. Moreover, people in her community have begun to suffer cruel indignities at the hands of the people in power.

Not only is Cassie’s family feeling the effects of local violence, but her very spirit is threatened. Roar of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor won a Newberry Award in 1977 for this rich and provocative look into the Logan family’s fight to maintain their land and their pride. You’ll feel like you’ve lived the molasses-thick nights and buzzing days on the Logan’s farm. Likewise, you’ll get to know the Logan family as if they were your own kin.

This book is a true gem.

The Johansen family felt that life was fairly unaffected by the war. Even though there were always soldiers around, and sometimes food was not readily available, life at home and at school seemed to go on pretty much as usual. That is, until their friends, the Rosens, began to feel the very real threat of the Nazi presence in their Danish town.

When the Rosens felt endangered by the emerging situation, they implored the Johansens to care for their daughter Ellen until they could make it safely to Sweden. There they might find refuge from the fascist regime. Suddenly, life has become more complicated for everyone: can Ellen pass as the Johansen’s daughter? Will the Nazi soldiers recognize that she is a Jew? What will happen to the rest of the Rosen family? What would the Nazi’s do if they caught the Johansens assisting a Jewish family?

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