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Words on Fire

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Words on Fire
By Jennifer A. Nielsen
New York: Scholastic Press, 2019. Historical fiction.

12-year-old Audra is mostly content to spend her life on her parents' quiet farm. It is the 1890s and her father is a traveling magician who often leaves Audra and her mother behind when he travels to perform. Though Audra knows her parents are secretly doing something illegal, she isn't sure what it is until Cossack soldiers come to burn down her farm and arrest her mom and dad. Audra's family lives in what used to be the country of Lithuania but has been invaded by Russian soldiers who have made it illegal to read, speak, or really be Lithuanian. Audra soon learns that her parents are part of a group of Lithuanians who smuggle Lithuanian books throughout the country to keep their culture alive. With her parents arrested and the terrifying Officer Rusakov on her tail, Audra becomes involved with the smugglers as she begins to understand the importance of books.

This is an interesting and adventurous historical fiction novel set in a period of history that most readers will know little about. Audra is a fierce main character who is both realistic and galvanizing, she propels this story forward with her dogged determination to save her parents but is well balanced by an interesting cast of side characters. This is a great choice for fans of historical fiction of Jennifer A. Nielsen's other books.

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