B. E. Beck

Throughout my reading journey, I came to one conclusion time and again. Trudy was such a resilient little girl...not so little by experience now though, as sad as that may be, nor age wise by book's end. True, she held the secrets of others when perhaps it might have been better to expose them to the light of day, but she was carrying out their wishes and in truth, they weren't hers to share. My heart broke when her Grandfather visited her for the last time, and again when she witnessed what she witnessed at the camp, and yet again when she felt so incredibly helpless to come to the aid of her new "friend". She had come such a long way and though the fence was gone she could still see the forest for the trees. She realized that not all cages have bars and sometimes those are the hardest of all to break free from. Trudy met her match as the world kept trying to knock her back and allow the fear to take control, but in the end, she found the strength she needed to knock down at least one wall...and I've no doubt if we followed her story further, she'd continue to wow us all.

As I reached the end, I couldn't help but think that it's truly more of a beginning...and I was completely wrecked. No really, tear filled eyes overflowing and all. It's not a pretty story and if you're looking for a happily ever after, think again. It's gritty, raw, and filled with the dark side of humanity...but even in those darkest moments, there is hope...if only we're strong enough, have faith enough to reach for it. Trudy truly was the Paladin Ruth recognized her to be, so I guess the REAL question now is...WHO ARE YOU?


**copy received for review… (altro)

I received this book for free as part of BookSparks’ YA Summer Reading Challenge.

I wanted to like this book, but I had a lot of issues with it.

First off, it took me a while to get into the book. It didn’t really engage me until Trudy and her family got sent to the internment camp. That’s when things finally started to get interesting.

I did appreciate that the book focused on German American internment because I didn’t know anything about that prior to reading this book. It was nice to learn more about that.

As for the actual story itself, it was really lackluster. Quite a few things happened, but nothing was ever really developed to its full potential. Everything felt really glossed over; there was no depth to the events. I felt like the book was trying to make some sort of point about injustices, but never really got there.

At one point in the book, Trudy’s class learns about Japanese internment which I felt was a little inaccurate. I’m skeptical that internment would have been a part of the curriculum. That part of the story took place in 1948 in Mississippi. I really don’t think they would have been talking about internment at that time, especially in place that was shown to be segregated and very hostile to blacks.

The ending of the book was so rushed. Something major happened and then it was resolved in like 10 pages and then just ended. There was no closure for a lot of the other little storylines in the book.

Lastly, I can’t stand the cover. It’s a very poorly chosen stock photo. The fence part is fine, because that is a part of the story. But I have major issues with the girl. This book takes place in the 1940’s and the girl looks like she’s from modern times. I could probably buy the shirt she’s wearing from a mall store.

Overall, this book had so much potential, but ultimately failed in its execution.… (altro)

I liked this book. I did share a connection with the characters in this story. Where it was concerned in regards to Trudy and her family; I liked how they stayed bonded no matter how dire the situation they found themselves. Trudy really had to grow up fast. It was sad the things she witnessed. Yet at the same time it was sad that Trudy's innocence was lost.

As the story progressed, I did become more invested in it as well as Trudy and her family. I liked the author's writing style. Ms. Beck does bring life to her characters and the story. A very easy read. I would read another book by this author.… (altro)