Gonzalez, Christina Day A Thunderous Whisper, 298 p. Random House, 2012. $17. Violence: PG (war, not too graphic).
Ari, 12, is known as the Sardine Girl, because her mother sells the tiny smelly fish in order to eek out an existence in the village of Guernica in the Basque part of Spain. Mathias, 14, may only be a visitor to the small town, but he has no friends, until he meets Ari and they bond over the family movie house. The children are sure that something going on, and involve themselves in a little spying, as their village is an important part in the fight between Basque separatists and the Spanish government. Hitler, however, has other plans, as he is working to perfect his blitzkrieg tactics that he used during WWII.
Ari is a young main character, but the bombing and its aftermath make for a slightly older book. The writing is good, the action helps carry the plot, but the subject is a bit obscure, so unless you have a hardcore historical fiction audience, it may go unnoticed. I would actually suggest this one to some of my teachers, who love historical fiction.
EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
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