Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balson

From the Publisher:

The gripping tale about two boys, once as close as brothers, who find themselves on opposite sides of the Holocaust.
Elliot Rosenzweig, a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist, is attending a fundraiser when he is suddenly accosted and accused of being a former Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek, "the butcher of Zamosc." Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser, Ben Solomon, is convinced he is right. Solomon persuades attorney Catherine Lockhart to take his case, revealing that the true Piatek was abandoned as a child and raised by Solomon's family only to betray them during the Nazi occupation. But has he accused the right man?

Once We Were Brothers is Ronald H. Balson's compelling tale of two boys and a family who struggle to survive in war-torn Poland and a young love that incredibly endures through the unspeakable cruelty of the Holocaust. Two lives, two worlds, and sixty years converge in an explosive race to redemption that makes for an enthralling tale of love, survival, and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit.

Ms. Mangurtens thoughts
I LOVED this book. It took me a few pages to get hooked by Ben Solomons story but once I was I couldn't put the book down. I have read many Holocaust books over the years and this was certainly one of my favorites. What an interesting premise to have someone so close to you and have them turn on you because of the war and circumastances. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick (Abe Book)

From the Publisher: When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital, he's haunted by an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he is somehow involved in the boy's death, but because of his own head injury, he struggles to put all the pieces together.'

Ms. Mangurtens thoughts
I gave this book a 3 out of 5. I liked it but it was not one of my favorite books. The topic is very interesting covering war and an injured soldier struggling to remember how he ended up in the hospital. His friends told him what happened, his sergeant told him what happened, but he seems to recall something else. What really happened the day that put him in the hospital and who is telling the truth?

Stupid fast by Geoff Herbach (Abe Book)

It took me a while to get invested in this story. Once I got into the story I couldn't put it down and wanted to see what was going to happen with Felton, Andrew and Jerri. Felton is 15 and having a big growth spurt. All of a sudden he is over 6ft tall, hairy, smelly and STARVING. His mom, Jerri, is acting weird ( weirder than normal) and his one and only friend Gus is off to Venezuela for the summer.