The Stunning and Emotional Autobiography of an Auschwitz Survivor April 7, 1944—This date marks the successful escape of two Slovak prisoners from one of the most heavily-guarded and notorious concentration camps of Nazi Germany. The escapees, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, fled over one hundred miles to be the first to give the graphic and detailed descriptions of the atrocities of Auschwitz. Originally published in the early 1960s, I Escaped from Auschwitz is the striking autobiography of none other than Rudolf Vrba himself. Vrba details his life leading up to, during, and after his escape from his 21-month internment in Auschwitz. Vrba and Wetzler manage to evade Nazi authorities looking for them and make contact with the Jewish council in Zilina, Slovakia, informing them about the truth of the “unknown destination” of Jewish deportees all across Europe. This first-hand report alerted Western authorities, such as Pope Pius XII, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, to the reality of Nazi annihilation camps—information that until then had only been recognized as nasty rumors.I Escaped from Auschwitz is a close-up look at the horror faced by the Jewish people in Auschwitz and across Europe during World War II. This newly edited translation of Vrba’s memoir will leave readers reeling at the terrors faced by those during the Holocaust. Despite the profound emotions brought about by this narrative, readers will also find an astounding story of heroism and courage in the face of seemingly hopeless circumstances.   Read more

Some journeys don’t come with a map. It’s senior year, and Whitney Richards is tired of the constant pressures to be perfect. When she gets a D in calculus, her mother immediately worries Whitney won’t get into the “right” college - Mom’s alma mater - and hires Taylor as tutor. Taylor is a quiet, mysterious boy unlike anyone Whitney has ever met, but his upbringing has her mother and friends discouraging any type of relationship. Tired of having to play a part for everyone else, Whitney quits the activities that once defined her social identity and begins spending more time with Taylor. Is Whitney making a huge mistake, as everyone seems to think? Even Taylor begins to question some of her choices, but for the first time, Whitney is in the driver’s seat of her life. Will she be able to find her identity - and God’s plan for her life - before she throws everything away? Read more

HOW DOES ONE SURVIVE WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST? In the middle of the night in 1997, Doctors Without Borders administrator Christophe André was kidnapped by armed men and taken away to an unknown destination in the Caucasus region. For three months, André was kept handcuffed in solitary confinement, with little to survive on and almost no contact with the outside world. Close to twenty years later, award-winning cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Jerusalem, Shenzhen, Burma Chronicles) recounts André’s harrowing experience in Hostage, a book that attests to the power of one man’s determination in the face of a hopeless situation. Marking a departure from the author’s celebrated first-person travelogues, Delisle tells the story through the perspective of the titular captive, who strives to keep his mind alert as desperation starts to set in. Working in a pared down style with muted colour washes, Delisle conveys the psychological effects of solitary confinement, compelling us to ask ourselves some difficult questions regarding the repercussions of negotiating with kidnappers and what it really means to be free. Thoughtful, intense, and moving, Hostage takes a profound look at what drives our will to survive in the darkest of moments. Read more

Introducing David Livingstone An urgent call for help cut through the morning mists that floated along the shore of Lake Shirwa. Two young African boys, Wikatani and Chuma, had been captured by slave traders, but the desperate cry would never reach their village. Easily overpowered by their captors, the boys’ only hope is to endure a ruthless march through the jungles that takes them far from their village to a destination unknown. Where are the cruel Red Caps taking them? What chance might the boys have to escape? If they manage to escape, how will they ever find their way home again? Fortunately for Wikatani and Chuma, there is help on the way. David Livingstone, a missionary and British government official, is doing everything he can to put a halt to the slave traders who are devastating southeastern Africa during the 1860s. But is there any reason to hope that he might help two young boys? Will they have the courage to face the phenomenal adventure and peril before them? An adventure story, ideal for readers 8-12 years of age. Read more