Simon's Escape by Bonnie Pryor

     I recently received a complimentary copy of Simon’s Escape:  A Story of the Holocaust from Enslow Publishers. 

Simon is a young Jewish boy whose life changes forever one day in September 1939.  

     This historical fiction book is told through the eyes of Simon, a young teenager.  

     He and his family are forced by the Nazis to leave the comfort of their home and live in the Warsaw ghetto.  While they live in the ghetto, they experience hunger, filth, and saw things that no one should ever have to see.  As time passes, his family members keep disappearing.  He eventually escapes to the forest and fights for his survival.  

     I have read many books about the Holocaust.  This is the first one that I have read that has been through the eyes of a young person.  I can't even begin to think about the evil that was experienced by the Jews during that time.  

     I finished the book in one setting.  It wasn't necessarily a book I ever want to read again, but it was one that reminded me once again of how many innocent lives were lost during the Holocaust.

Simon’s Escape:   A Story of the Holocaust

by Bonnie Pryor

ISBN #978-0-7660-3388-7

Zebra Pens...OH MY!

Don’t you just love to receive packages in the mail!!  There is something about opening my door and seeing a package in my mailbox that brings a huge smile to my face.  It’s sort of like Christmas, especially when you don’t know for sure the contents of the package!  Last week when I opened up my package, I first saw an adorable zebra.  More importantly though, I received a pen case with several different types of  Zebra pens.  A person can never have too many pens!    

The package was sent to me from an office supply store called Shoplet Office Supplies and I was asked to give my thoughts on a couple of their pens. 

The first one is called the Zebra Z-Mulsion EX Ballpoint Pen.  You can check it out by clicking here.  If you are looking for a gel pen that glides as you write, this is the pen for you. I have used many gel pens throughout the years, and most of them have a tendency to skip, but not this one!  It has a very comfortable grip and was easy to write with.    

The next pen is the Zebra F-301 Retractable Ballpoint Pen and you can check this one out by clicking here.  I love retractable pens.  Just one click after I've finish writing and I’m ready to put my pen away.  This Zebra pen has a stainless steel tip with a rubberized no slip grip which makes it relatively easy to hold.  This pen is thinner than I normally use.  After writing with it for several minutes, I realized that it was becoming uncomfortable to write with.  I like the way it writes though, so I will use it for papers that do not require a great deal of writing.

For more information about these and other office supplies head on over to Shoplet.com. I don't think you will be disappointed.   

The Brightworking - The Brightstone Saga - Book 1

The Brightworking - The Brightstone Saga – Book 1
Written by: Paul B. Thompson
ISBN#: 978-0-7660-3950-6
Genre: Children’s Fantasy

The Brightworking is an intriguingly imaginative fantasy novel. I must admit it took me a couple of chapters to get totally hooked. After that, I became engrossed in the book and finished it very quickly.
The setting is in a world of magic that is quite entertaining. The main character is Mikal who is gleaned from his home and family and taken to the capital city where his destiny is unknown to him. Mikal quickly befriends a street-wise girl named Lyra and their journey together begins. Mikal becomes the apprentice to a very powerful wizard and begins to learn more about the magical world that he now resides in. Shortly after became apprenticed , he discover a magical metal talking head which he is very intrigued by. This magical head was able to provide information to Mikal that was very informative.

The plot moves at a very quick pace which will kept me wanting to read more and more. The cliffhanger left me yearning for the next book.



Enslow Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.