Words on Fire

I saw Words on Fire by Jennifer Nielsen on a list of books my sister was putting together for her library. The book description reads, "Danger is never far from Audra's family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian -- they have banned Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous. In June 1893, when Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra's parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate. As Audra embarks on a journey to deliver the mysterious package, she faces unimaginable risks, and soon she becomes caught up in a growing resistance movement. Can joining the underground network of book smugglers give Audra a chance to rescue her parents?"

This was a great book. I thought it was really interesting to learn about this pocket of history that I knew pretty much nothing about, and I liked how the story emphasized the power of books. There were some clever twists in the story and endearing characters. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it was pretty heavy with lots of bad stuff happening that couldn't balance out with good things. Books like that get a little heavy for me, so this was a slower book for me to get through. But it was definitely a good read.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)