Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples

(Young Adult) An American woman named Elaine (Islamic name – Nusrat) marries a doctor from Afghanistan and the two move back to this war-torn country to start a school and help the Afghani people escape the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. There is also a secondary story line about a young girl named Najmah whose father and older brother are conscripted by the Taliban. After bombs and bullets murder her mother and baby brother, Najmah escapes to Pakistan, and that’s where the two narratives come together. Nusrat is longing for her missing husband who has started a clinic in a nearby town, and Najmah is searching for her lost father and brother. This story authentic and moving – a despairing picture of life in the Middle East. Favorite Quote: “The Taliban have said the only thing people can do to enjoy themselves is to walk in the garden and smell the flowers. But ever since the Taliban came to power five years ago, there has been drought.”

Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo

This is a non-fiction piece about shark attacks along the Jersey shore in 1916. While the descriptive attacks by these flesh-eating sea creatures are somewhat intriguing, overall this book bites (hee hee). Interspersed between shark attacks are lengthy descriptions of American History during WWI, which for some reason just didn’t engage me. However, I did find it interesting that the American people emphatically requested that President Wilson do something to protect them from the sharks. (Wilson actually called in the coast guard and ended up declaring war on sharks – seriously, he did.) I found this kind of innocent, childish trust in the president to be rare and endearing. Favorite Quote: “The citizens of New Jersey, New York, and other coastal states had sent a torrent of telegrams and letters to the White House beseeching the President of the United States to slay a man-eating sea monster.”