The Friends Recommend: Tales in Foreign Lands

Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

 Although not among the most popular of Dickens’s works, this novel tells a thrilling story of the little-remembered anti-Catholic Gordon riots of 1780.  It is most like A Tale of Two Cities in its reliance on plot rather than characterization, and it has little of the humor of David Copperfield or Nicholas Nickleby, but is a ripping good story once it gets going.- Ron Meister

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

The moving story of a couple fleeing Syria’s civil war, this was one of the best books I read all year. Their experience makes this beautifully written book particularly relevant today. – Elinor Berlin

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

A sweeping multigenerational family saga with an amazing cast of characters that takes readers around the globe. Endlessly satisfying! It has something for everyone. I devoured this book! -– Leigh Marchant

A Burning by Megha Majumdar

The novel examines social issues in India through the lens of a terrorist attack. After Jiva, the main character, posts about the attack on Facebook the police accuse her of the crime. Her innocence hinges on the testimony of her former gym teacher who has become a politician and an actress. – Elinor Fredston

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

This unusual and thought-provoking novel tells the story of the environmental and health impact of a major oil company on a fictional African nation and the villagers’ efforts to save their homes and children. Named one of the 10 best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post and numerous other publications. – Alina Tugend

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

The evocative story of a family of Welsh miners as they grapple with industrial unrest, poverty and family values. The novel, published in 1939, was the basis of an Academy Award-winning movie two years later. – Ron Meister

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Based on the premise that death isn’t always the final chapter to someone’s life. This book describes the sequential, alternative lives of the female character, including one life in which she survives the Blitz. Really good read! – Teddi Becker

Still Life by Sarah Winman

In the chaos of World War II Italy, a young British soldier in Florence is thrown together with an English preservationist who stirs in him a love of art history. After the war, he returns to London to run a pub but is drawn back to Italy. – Teddi Becker

Children and Y.A.

Compiled by Barbara Mehlman, Friends of the Larchmont Library board member and a librarian at Milton School in Rye

Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester

Lester’s own journey in 2005 inspired this fictionalized picture book adventure of a girl accompanying her father, the captain of an icebreaker to Antarctica. Fascinating facts with appealing artwork and photographs. Ages 7-10.

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

A true classic, this story has enchanted children since it was first published in 1936. Once upon a time, there was a bull in Spain named Ferdinand who would rather sit and smell the flowers than fight. Ages 5-8.

One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul

This informational picture book tells the story of a Gambian woman, Isatou Ceesay, who in the 1980s organized her neighbors to deal with plastic-bag litter, which spread disease, killed animals and created blight. A true story of environmental activism that should inspire young readers. Ages 7-10.

Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood

This picture book tells the story of a real child, Ada, who grows up in a community of people who survive by picking through the trash of Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, and salvaging items to recycle and sell. When a man named Chavez started to offer music classes, Ada wanted to join but there weren't enough instruments to go around. Señor Chávez enlisted the gancheros (recyclers) to make cellos from oil drums, flutes out of water pipes and guitars from packing crates. The kids called themselves the Recycled Orchestra and through hard work and long hours of practice they made a name for themselves internationally. Ages 7-10.

The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale by Koko Nishizuka

Yohei is a poor boy who earns money selling fish. When his father becomes ill, Yohei struggles to earn enough for medicine. One day he shares his small meal with a stray cat and the cat repays his kindness by beckoning buyers to the boy’s home to buy fish. A beckoning cat represents good luck in Japan and children will grasp the meaning of statues they see in local shops and restaurants. Ages 5-9.

Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Shaw-Kostecki

Two boys, one from India and one from the United States, become pen pals sharing simple sentences and drawings to tell each other about their lives. They learn they are different but the same. Ages 4-6.

Me Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes

Paloma is not excited about spending her summer in Mexico and learning about her father’s native country while her mother is completing a fellowship. However once there she and some new friends try to solve the mystery of Frida Kahlo’s missing peacock ring. Grades 4-6.

Secrets of the Silver Lion by Emma Otheguy

An adventure based on the popular Netflix series Where in the World is Carmen Santiago? Carmen travels from New York City to the cobblestones of Seville and silver mines in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, to stop VILE from stealing the Silver Lion — the silver icon missing for centuries and needed to complete the magnificent Throne of Felipe. Filled with history, geography and adventure! Grades 3-6.

Adventures With Waffles by Maria Parr

Nine-year-old next-door neighbors find adventure, mischief and friendship in their small tight-knit Norwegian community. Charming, funny and heartwarming. Grades 3-6.

Alice-Miranda at School by Jacqueline Harvey

At seven and a quarter years old, Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is the youngest student at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. Alice-Miranda begins solving problems immediately, from the students’ to the groundskeeper’s to the cook’s. Grades 2-4.

Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan

Bronze and Sunflower meet on the banks of a river in rural China at the end of the Cultural Revolution, and despite their differences they are destined to become close friends. When Sunflower’s father dies in an accident, Bronze’s poor, hardworking family take her in.  This is a story of friendship, family and love. Grades 4-7.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ada is a ten-year-old  girl whose mother has barely let her leave their London flat because the girl has a club foot. When World War II begins, Ada and her younger brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside. Ada’s courage helps her overcome obstacles as she finds a new and better life with the woman who takes them in. A powerful historical fiction novel. Grades 5-8.

Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus

This historical thriller is based on the real life story of a 14-year-old boy, Espen, who joined the resistance when the Nazi’s invaded Norway. Grades 5-8.