#16 The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
The last of the Apollo trials. Apollo must take down the last remaining emperor, Nero, and confront his old enemy, Python, in order to restore the Oracle of Delphi.
Overall, the Apollo series was fun. I certainly liked it more than the second series, which focused on new, but Roman, heroes. While some old friends popped in and out of the Apollo series, it was nice to see the books mainly focused on the unfortunate god-turned-mortal. I look forward to reading more of his work.
#17 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Two girls (friends, one Jewish, one not) living in Denmark, must live with the reality of the Nazis who have invaded their homeland. And when they start rounding up the Jewish people in the area, the girls must work together to help smuggle the Jewish girl's face out of the country to save their lives.
Honestly, I was disappointed with the book. While, yes, it's for kids, I felt it was too "neat" and "soft" for what was actually going on during that period of time. I wanted something a little heavier, a little more profound, something that would stick with me in my mind for longer. I can't even remember the kids' names because it just didn't make a huge impact.
#18 Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
Hilldegarde is a church mouse. She and roughly 200 others live in a church and must stay out of sight at all times, in order to avoid the Big X (extermination). But one day, it is noticed by people that there are multiple mice around, and the Big X is scheduled to happen. As their leader, Hildegarde must devise a plan to save them all, while also knowing that the blessing of the animals (feast day of St, Francis of Assisi, Oct 4) is coming, and with that...cats.
A cute little read that took me all of 2 or 3 nights.
