Author Highlight - Jennifer Nielsen

 

Travel to historic Germany, Lithuania, Poland, or France in the pages of one of these books! 

 

 

In her historical fiction selections, Nielsen writes about important time periods and deals with difficult topics, but in a way that's appropriate for grades 5-8. 

 

A Night Divided - What was it like to wake up and have your family divided in two by the Berlin Wall? 

Resistance - Teens in Nazi-occupied Poland get caught up in the middle of an uprising. 

Rescue - Near Normandy during WWII, there are messages smuggled for the French resistance, families of refugees trying to flee the country, a wounded British soldier in hiding, and Nazis looking for fugitives. 

Words on Fire - In 1893, the Russians occupy Lithuania. The Lithuanian language is outlawed, along with books in their language. Yet the smuggling of books fuel a growing resistance movement. 

Lines of Courage - Follow the fates of five young people as they navigate World War I, until the war brings them together. 

 

 

Fantasy and Science Fiction

 

 

Two fantasy series, and one science fiction stand alone book for your fiction lovers to explore. 

 

Ascendance Series - 5 books. 

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point—he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together. (Goodreads.) 

Mark of the Thief Series - 3 books. 

When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved for the Gods -- magic some Romans would kill for.

Now, with the deadly power of the bulla pulsing through his veins, Nic is determined to become free. But instead, he finds himself at the center of a ruthless conspiracy to overthrow the emperor and spark the Praetor War, a battle to destroy Rome from within. Traitors and spies lurk at every turn, each more desperate than the next to use Nic's newfound powers for their own dark purposes.

In a quest to stop the rebellion, save Rome, and secure his own freedom, Nic must harness the magic within himself and defeat the empire's most powerful and savage leaders. (Goodreads.) 

The Scourge - 1 book.

As a lethal plague sweeps through the land, Ani Mells is shocked when she is unexpectedly captured by the governor’s wardens and forced to submit to a test for the deadly Scourge. She is even more surprised when the test results come back positive, and she is sent to Attic Island, a former prison turned refuge—and quarantine colony—for the ill. The Scourge’s victims, Ani now among them, can only expect to live out short, painful lives there.

However, Ani quickly discovers that she doesn’t know the whole truth about the Scourge or the Colony. She’s been caught in a devious plot, and, with the help of her best friend, Weevil, Ani means to uncover just what is actually going on. But will she and Weevil survive the Scourge—and the governor’s wardens—long enough to make their escape and expose the cruel plan? (Goodreads.) 

 

Mrs. Tricia Fraser

tfraser@icsbudapest.org