Anna and the Swallow Man

High School/Adult Fiction

VG/M  Savit, Gavriel.  Anna and the Swallow Man.  Knopf, 2016.  240p.  978-0-553-51334-9.  17.99

Anna is only 7 years old in late 1939 Poland, when her father, a professor of linguistics, is taken by the Germans, leaving her to fend for herself. With no one else to turn to, she befriends and follows a strange man who speaks to birds, the Swallow Man. In order to survive, they are continuously moving, but before they know it, their wandering brings them precariously close to the Russian front. While this novel is beautifully written and compelling, its teen appeal might be limited. The touch of magical realism though, will interest fans of The Book Thief. Loren Spector, LAPL, Memorial Branch

Summer of the Mariposas

General YA Fiction


VG/A. McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. Summer of the Mariposas. Lee and Low, 2012. 352 p. 9781600609008 $19.95



Odilia and her four sisters have been struggling since their father left to pursue his music career. Their mom works long hours at a restaurant to support them. When they find a dead man by the creek with a photo of his family in his wallet, they are determined to reunite them in Mexico. With La Llorona serving as Odilia’s guide, the girls set off on an adventure that combines elements of Aztec mythology with Homer’s Odyssey.

Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew