On The Fence

by Kasie West

   Meet Charlie, she is a young woman of 16 years old that from a young age has been raised by her Police officer father and 4 older brothers.  She is an outstanding athlete and an all american tom boy.  Until, her dad forces her to get a job and help pay for her speeding tickets and insurance premiums.  Charlie is thrust into girl world when she procures a job in a women's clothing store.  The proprietor hires her on the  spot, but insists that she buy clothing from the store to work in.  Charlie is also questioned about a parental signature and lies about her mother.  She is over people giving her sympathy because of the death of an all but forgotten mom.  Slowly, Charlie begins to enjoy the clothing and the make up and learns that being a girl is not a bad thing.  

     Meet Braden, the boy next door.  The brother from another mother, Charlie's brothers' best friend.  He is over at the house, constantly.  Braden's life is difficult, he has an abusive alcoholic dad whom Braden wants out of his life.  Charlie and Braden often will sneak out at night and meet at the fence to talk about their problems.  Their friendship grows and secretly Charlie begins to think of Braden as more than a friend.  

     As Charlie begins to enjoy being a girl, she earns girl friends and one night meets up with a boy that she is attracted to.  Charlie, the tom boy, and Charlie, the girl, go to battle.  She is convinced no boy would be attracted to her if he knew about the sports and how competitive Charlie is on and off the field.  Finally, she comes to the realization that she has to be happy with herself and true to who she is meant to be.  

     This is a wonderful coming of age story, that is very identifiable by many young women today.  The dilemma of being yourself, being accepted and how does one fit into the society.  Please only read if you are at least 7th or 8th grade, since some of the content is adult.  

Links

Female Athletes:  http://www.biography.com/people/groups/athletes-female

Raising a teenage daughter:  http://life.familyeducation.com/girls/mothers/54215.html

Kasie West:  http://www.amazon.com/Kasie-West/e/B00MCKM9CS

The Hidden Girl by Lola Rein Kaufman and Lois Metzger

The Hidden Girl 

by Lola Rein Kaufman and Lois Metzger

     This is a nice short story written in retrospect from an adult looking back to what she endured as she hid from the Germans in Poland.  Lola looks back into a childhood, which began pretty idyllic in a Polish town.  Shortly after her mother is killed she is sent to a Ukrainian women for safe keeping by her Grandmother.  She stays in the countryside for a short time until the women is threatened by her son.  He wants to hand over Lola to the German Police.  Lola is then shipped off to another family where she is kept in a hole under the cellar and fed through a door.  She is hiding with 3 other people, and they are not allowed to talk or move. They do not want Lola there and are very dismissive of her as a young child.  When Germany is liberated, Lola is forced to remain with the family, since no one is left that is able to keep her.  She is forced out to begin the march into Russia and finally meets up with somebody who recognizes her and is willing to help.  She eventually is reunited with an uncle and they make the laborious trek to the United States.  

     

     Lola grows up and looses her childhood due to World War II.  She clutches her memories to her and does not share the horrors that she endured, like the dress that she keeps.  The last thing that her mother made her before she was killed.  Finally, she is encouraged to meet up with other hidden children and begins to tell of her story.  One person, becomes very interested and the restult is "The Hidden Girl."  Lola eventually, is willing to give her beautifully embroidered dress to a museum, so that the memory will live on.  

     Although, this was a short read, it initially left me wanting more.  I wanted more detail, I wanted to smell the dirt in the barn.  Not until the end when I realized that this was a story going back in time from a memory, that I realized that over time some of the details would have faded.  I ended up enjoying the story and would encourage anyone over 4th grade to grab a copy.  

Links 

Hidden children of the Holocaust.  https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006123

The Holocaust in Poland:  http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/about/09/poland.asp

World War II:  http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii

Lois Metzger:  http://www.amazon.com/Lois-Metzger/e/B001HMLK6S