For 12 years—his whole life—David has lived in captivity.  When he gets the chance to escape the concentration camp, he takes it.  Although the prospect of leaving everything he's ever known terrifies him, David would rather die quickly from a guard's bullet than slowly waste away in the wilderness.  Much to the boy's surprise, he makes it out of the camp alive.  What now?  He's been told to seek safety in Denmark, but that's miles and miles away from his home in eastern Europe.  How will he travel that far?  For how long can a young fugitive really hope to stay alive?  Wouldn't dying prove an easier path to freedom?

It's only when David arrives in Italy, soaking in the vibrant colors and beauty of that land, that he decides he desperately wants to live.  After seeing such a sight, he "could no longer think of nothing as he had trained himself to do in the concentration camp" (191).  In order to live, however, the guileless David will have to learn some important lessons about trust, friendship, and making his way in the great, wild world with all its charms and dangers.

I Am David, Anne Holm's 1963 novel for young readers, is a quiet, but expansive coming-of-age tale. Like many tales of imprisonment, this gentle story celebrates the beauty of life, even in the midst of great ugliness.  David's remarkable journey opens not just his eyes, but those of the reader as well.  Although the story starts slowly and ends in a most convenient, contrived manner, it's still a memorable, inspiring tale.  Overall, I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

Even though it's been many moons since I actually completed a reading challenge, I still get excited about joining them.  There are two that caught my eye this year:


Hosted by BookloverBookReviews.com, the Aussie Author Challenge celebrates writers from The Land Down Under.  I've recently discovered several fabulous Aussie authors, so I thought this would be a fun way to find more.  I'm going for the Wallaroo level, which requires that I read 6 books by Australian writers—at least two must be female, at least two must be male, at least two must be new-to-me authors, and the books must be in at least two different genres.  Okey dokey!

1.  The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty (women's fiction)
2.  The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (historical fiction)
3.  The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (contemporary romance)
4.  The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (historical fiction)
5.  I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (mystery/thriller)
6.  Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (fantasy)


The 2016 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge is hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book.  It's probably self-explanatory—you read 26 books, each title of which starts with a different letter of the alphabet (you can drop A and The to make it easier).  Here's what I plan to read:

A - After You by Jojo Moyes
B - Banished by Kimberley Griffiths Little
C - Christy by Catherine Marshall
D - Discovery of Witches, A by Deborah Harkness
E - Everfound by Neal Shusterman
F - Fairest by Marissa Meyer
G - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
H - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
I - I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
J - Japanese Lover, The by Isabel Allende
K - Kept, The by James Scott
L - Last Anniversary, The by Liane Moriarty
M - Murder Complex, The by Lindsay Cummings
N - Narrow Road to the Deep North, The by Richard Flanagan
O - Oregon Trail, The by Rinker Buck
P - Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Q - Quiet Game, The by Greg Iles
R - Rosie Effect, The by Graeme Simsion
S - Ship of Brides, The by Jojo Moyes
T - These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
U - Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
V - Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
W - Winter by Marissa Meyer
X - X'ed Out X-Ray, The by Ron Roy
Y - Yours Truly by Kirsty Greenwood
Z - Zeroes by Scott Westerfield

BOOKS READ IN 2015 (ASTERISKS DENOTE FAVORITES)