Brainstorm 176: International Reads Pt. 5: Europe & Eurasia 1/2

Welcome to another installment in our series on books set in countries and cultures around the world. We're headed to Europe & Eurasia this week. In case you haven't looked at a map of Europe recently...there's a lot of countries jammed into that space! And authors seem to like to write about people in European settings (or at least those settings in history...contemporary fiction in English set in Europe proves more elusive). I set out to have all of these European/Eurasian books ready for today's blog, but I'm only halfway through, and it is getting later in the day so this will just have to be a two parter sub series within the International Reads series. Look for more Europe/Eurasia books next week. To see the full parameters I've set for the selection of books in this International Reads series, please visit International Reads Pt 1: Africa. And of course, that’s the place to visit for some books set in African countries too. If you’re looking for some books set in Asian countries, check out International Reads Pt 2: Asia. If you're looking for books set in the lands "down under" or the islands of the Pacific check out International Reads Pt 3: Australia, New Zealand, & Oceania. And if you're looking for books set in Central American countries check out International Reads Pt 4: Central America & the Caribbean. I'm not including summaries or reviews today in the interest of space. Clicking on the title of the books will take you to either my review of the book or a general summary and other reviews.

AUSTRIA

Haydn’s Farewell Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza, ill. by JoAnn E. Kitchel
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Music History, Picture Book

Leviathan by Westerfeld
Genre: Steampunk, Reimagined History, War Stories, Young Adult
*Note: Some parts take place in England and other places in Europe as characters travel.

Lily Renée, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins, ill. by Anne Timmons & Moh Oh, et al.
Genre: Biography, Middle Grade Nonfiction, History, Art, Graphic Novel

Moonlight on the Magic Flute (Magic Tree House, #41) by Mary Pope Osborne, ill. by Salvatore Murdocca
Genre: Time Travel, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Fiction

The Perfect Horse: the Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis by Elizabeth Letts
Genre: WWII Stories, Animal Stories, History, Adult Nonfiction
*Note: Some parts take place in Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia

BELGIUM

TinTin: the Art of Hergé by Michael Daubert, translated by Michael Farr
Genre: Art, Comics History, Adult Nonfiction

CZECH REPUBLIC

Fireflies in the Dark: the Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin
Genre: Picture Book Biography, Art, History, WWII Stories, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Nonfiction

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís
Genre: Picture Book Autobiography, Art, History, Middle Grade Nonfiction

DENMARK

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose
Genre: Biography, WWII Stories, History, Young Adult Nonfiction

Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World by Allan Drummond
Genre: Science, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Genre: WWII Stories, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

FRANCE

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII Stories, Adult Fiction
*Note: Some parts take place in Germany.

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz, ill. by Hatem Aly
Genre: Historical Fiction, Supernatural/Fantasy Fiction, Middle Grade/Young Adult Fiction

The Lost Castle (The Lost Castle, #1) by Kristy Cambron
Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, War Stories, Romance, Religious Fiction, Adult Fiction
*Note: A little bit happens in the USA.

Madeline (Madeline, #1) by Ludwig Bemelmans
Genre: Historical Fiction, Picture Book, Lower Grade Fiction

Manfish: a Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne, ill. by Éric Puybaret
Genre: Science, History, Picture Book Biography, Lower Grade Nonfiction

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems, ill. by Tony DiTerlizzi
Genre: Animal Stories, Lower Grade Fiction

GERMANY

Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard
Genre: Music, History, Picture Book Biography, Lower Grade Nonfiction

Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet
Genre: Historical Fiction, Spy Stories, Thriller, Middle Grade Fiction

The Collapse: the Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte
Genre: History, Adult Nonfiction

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix
Genre: Biography, History, Religious Nonfiction, WWII Stories, Graphic Novel, Young Adult Nonfiction

Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole
Genre: Historical Fiction, Lower Grade Fiction, Picture Book

Who Were the Brothers Grimm? (Who Was…?) by Avery Reed, ill. by John O’Brien
Genre: Biography, Literary History, Middle Grade Nonfiction

GREECE

The Dress and the Girl by Camille Andros, ill. by Julie Morstad
Genre: Historical Fiction, Lower Grade Fiction, Picture Book

The Griffin and the Dinosaur: How Adrienne Mayor Discovered a Fascinating Link between Myth and Science by Marc Aronson & Adrienne Mayor, ill. by Chris Muller
Genre: Biography, History, Literature, Art, Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

The Mystery of the Secret Society (Greetings from Somewhere, #10) by Harper Paris, ill. by Marcos Calo
Genre: Mystery Fiction, Lower Grade Fiction

Natural Born Heroes: the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance by Christopher McDougall
Genre: History, Sports, Science, Adult Nonfiction

Where Is the Parthenon? (Where is…?) by Roberta Edwards, ill. by John Hinderlitter
Genre: Architecture, History, Religious History, Middle Grade Nonfiction

HUNGARY

The Good Master (Kate & Jancsi, #1) by Kate Seredy
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade Fiction

Hedy’s Journey: the True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust by Michelle Bisson, ill. by El Primo Ramon
Genre: Picture Book Biography, Lower Grade Nonfiction

Marika by Andrea Cheng
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII Stories, Middle Grade Fiction

ICELAND

Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island (Scientists in the Field) by Loree Griffin Burns
Genre: Science, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Adult Nonfiction

Thea Stilton and the Frozen Fiasco (Thea Stilton, #25) by Thea Stilton
Genre: Mystery Fiction, Animal Stories, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Fiction

ITALY

Bloom: a Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear, ill. by Julie Morstad
Genre: Fashion, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book Biography

Living in…Italy (Living in...) by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Social Studies, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

Naples! (Recipe for Adventure, #1) by Giada de Laurentiis, ill. by Francesca Gambatesa
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Foodie, Lower Grade Fiction

Saving Italy: the Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis by Robert M. Edsel
Genre: Art, History, WWII Stories, Adult Nonfiction

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, translated by Oliver Latsch
Genre: Adventure, Mystery Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

Waterfall (River of Time, #1) by Lisa T. Bergren
Genre: Time Travel, Thriller, Adventure, Romance, Young Adult Fiction

LITHUANIA

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Genre: Survival Stories, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
*Note: Parts in Russia.

A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust by Alison Leslie Gold
Genre: Biography, WWII Stories, Middle Grade Nonfiction

NETHERLANDS

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming, ill. by Stacey Dressen-McQueen
Genre: Historical Fiction, Lower Grade Fiction, Picture Book

The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, WWII Stories, Young Adult Fiction

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, with John & Elizabeth Sherrill
Genre: Autobiography, History, WWII Stories, Religious Nonfiction, Adult Nonfiction

Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World by Allan Drummond
Genre: Social Studies, Science, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book

The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking through Anne Frank’s Window by Jeff Gottesfeld, ill. by Peter McCarty
Genre: History, Lower Grade Nonfiction, WWII Stories, Picture Book Biography

The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong, ill. by Maurice Sendak
Genre: Historical Fiction, Animal Stories, Middle Grade Fiction

NORWAY

The Rescue Artist: the True Story of Art Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick
Genre: True Crime, Art, Adult Nonfiction
*Note: Parts elsewhere in Europe

POLAND

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson
Genre: Autobiography, WWII Stories, History, Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

The Fish in the Bathtub by Eoin Colfer, ill. by Peter Bailey
Genre: Historical Fiction, Holiday Stories, Lower Grade Fiction

Irena’s Children: a True Story of Courage by Tilar J. Mazzeo, adapted for young readers by Mary Cronk Farrell
Genre: Biography, WWII Stories, History, Middle Grade Nonfiction

Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller, WWII Stories, Young Adult Fiction

PORTUGAL

The Arm of the Starfish (Polly O’Keefe, #1; Kairos, #5) by Madeleine L’Engle
Genre: Adventure, Young Adult Fiction

Who Was Ferdinand Magellan? (Who Was…?) by Sydelle Kramer, ill. by Elizabeth Wolf
Genre: Biography, History, Middle Grade Nonfiction

ROMANIA

Night (Night Trilogy, #1) by Elie Wiesel, translated by Marion Wiesel
Genre: Memoir, WWII Stories, History, Adult Nonfiction

RUSSIA

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade Fiction

Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917 – a World on Edge by Helen Rappaport
Genre: History, War Stories, Adult Nonfiction

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming
Genre: Biography, History, War Stories, Young Adult Nonfiction

Living in…Russia (Living in...) by Jesse Burton, ill. by Tom Woolley
Genre: Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book, Leveled Reader

The Noisy Paint Box: the Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock, ill. by Mary GrandPré
Genre: Art, History, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book Biography

Swan: the Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, ill. by Julie Morstad
Genre: Dance, History, Lower Grade Nonfiction, Picture Book Biography