I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached

This book was a graphic novel about a little girl growing up in Lebanon. It goes through her whole childhood while the war is going on. She talks about her house, and how the buses wouldn’t go where she lived because it was too dangerous, so she had to take a taxi cab to school every day. She talks about having to spend nights at school with all the other students for fear of the war. She kept a bag packed unless she and her family had to escape. She also talks about the war being over and moving to France. I liked this book because you really get to know the character. It was a really quick read, and was a really cool graphic novel because it was in black and white. I would definitely recommend this book for a quick read or getting to know more about other countries!

Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

This book is about a teenage boy named Brent Bishop. On his way home from a party, he decides to try to kill himself, but ends up killing another girl named Lea Zamora. He doesn't go to jail, but the parents send him for repentance. Lea Zamora loved whirligigs, so Brent will build four across the country. In four corners- Maine, Washington, California, and Florida. Each Whirligig looks like Lea to remember her. In Maine a young girl looking for love sees the whirligig. In Washington an adopted little boy learning to play the piano, in Florida a street sweeper and father, and in California a teenage girl named Jenny spending her last days with her Grandma. This book was really good because you could really tell who Brent was. It was a little sad and hard, but its a quick read and I would recommend it.