The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Helmuth lives in Germany as the country struggles to survive the aftermath of World War I and the penalties brought by the Treaty of Versailles.

Then Hitler comes to power and before anyone realizes it, Germany is prospering.  Any wrongdoing is blamed on Communists or Jews, and while Helmuth doesn't really agree, he knows to keep his mouth shut.

When his brother brings home a contraband radio that allows Helmuth the chance to hear what's really happening, he decides to take action.

This is based on the true story of Helmuth Hubener, executed at 16, for his crimes against Nazi Germany.

The author tells how she collected her story together and her sources.  Very moving and easy to get into.  The story flashes from Helmuth's time in prison to the events leading to his capture.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney

I decided to re-read the Face on the Milk Carton because I couldn't remember everything that happened. I've read the other two sequels, so the story got a little mushed together in the mean time.

Janie has a pretty good life for being almost sixteen. She actually gets along with her parents, has great friends, and enjoys school (as much as one can). So when she's at lunch one day, she can't believe the picture she sees on the milk carton of a 3-year old kidnapped girl. It's her.

Janie becomes obsessed with learning about the family she may or may not have been taken from. She convinces the boy next door, Reeve, to drive her to their house in New Jersey so she can see it. She goes through old boxes and finds the dress from the picture. And her memories start coming back of another family and of the woman who bought her an ice cream sundae and convinced her to go for a drive.

Janie can't believe her parents would kidnap anyone, but it's obvious they must have, right? Things start colliding together until Janie is left with no other option but to tell them she knows.

I've always enjoyed this story, but re-reading it gave me a chance to step back and look at it again. Janie is a likable character and her fears and emotions come across well. Her friends don't play an important part of the story, so while there, they're more background noise, other than Reeve. Janie is a little more wrapped up in her own world than anyone in her life appreciates, but it's understandable.

And you can try to ignore the references to cassette tapes and pay phones as well as the lack of cell phones and other forms of technology. The story isn't any worse for missing those.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

Ingrid, thirteen, has a habit of zoning out while reading, ignoring math homework, and attempting to emulate her idol, Sherlock Holmes. So when she finds out Cracked-up Katie was murdered the same day Ingrid was at her house, she is unsure of what to do. Should she step forward to the police and tell them what she knows (not much)? Or should she try to find out more information?

Ingrid opts for more information, once again in the wrong place when she returns to the scene to get back her cleats. Now the police chief is suspicious, two men Ingrid knows are innocent sit in jail, and the real killer is still out there and knows about her investigation.

All this on top of practicing for an upcoming play Alice in Wonderland. What's a young Holmes to do?

Ingrid is a likable character with an interesting thought process. There is a little romance here as well, but most of the story is concentrated on figuring out who killed Katie Kovac and watching Ingrid figure out clues. A nail-biting ending concludes this story, but not the series--this is book 1!