"My Children Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary," by Nadja Halibegovich, is a 12-year-old girl's three-year diary of life during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s.

Why do humans wage war against each other? What would it be like if war were happening in our own town? Would we be able to find the courage to go on? Might there be another way to resolve differences?

With the ever-present conflicts and wars humanity cannot seem to rise above, it's important to explore these issues with children through reading and through conversation. Perhaps our children will be able, as adults, to find a way to finally create peace on earth.

It's worth trying.

The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>"Old Turtle and the Broken Truth"</B> by Douglas Wood; illustrated by Jon J. Muth; Scholastic; 56 pages; read aloud: age 6 to 7 and older; read yourself: age 8 and older.Long ago, the Earth and all its inhabitants lived together in harmony, for they understood that there are truths everywhere, each valuable and intertwined with the other. But somehow the people lost the real truth, clinging only to their one truth, and because of this, all the earth began to suffer.A young girl understands that something must be done to right what is wrong — the suffering of the people, the animals and the earth. And so the girl journeys to find Old Turtle ,who is ancient and wise, and seek his advice.Enlightening on numerous levels, this important fable offers readers of all ages wisdom, healing and truth.

<B>Library:</B> Mars Area Public Library, 107 Grand Ave., Mars<B>Library Director:</B> Heather Love<B>Children's Librarian:</B> Joyce Pappert<B>Choices this week:</B> <B>"I Lost My Bear"</B> by Jules Feiffer; <B>"I Love You"</B> by Jean Marzollo; <B>"Lulu's Lost Shoes"</B> by Paula Blankenship

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.<B>"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"</B> by John Boyne; David Fickling Books, 2006; $17.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 11 to 12 and older; read yourself: age 12 and older.One afternoon, 9-year-old Bruno arrives home and is surprised to find the family maid packing his belongings into wooden crates. It isn't just his things that are being packed, however, but everyones.He is quickly informed that they are moving because his father has been given a very important promotion.Their new home is in an unfamiliar rural landscape, far from the city life and the friends Bruno has come to know and love. With no other children to play with, Bruno is intensely lonely.Trying to find things to occupy himself, Bruno goes against his parent's orders, sneaks out of the house and begins to explore the woods. Following a fence that he can see from his bedroom, Bruno travels along it for a long distance.Just when he feels discouraged that he's come across nothing of interest, he sees a speck in the distance. As he gets closer, the speck becomes a boy on the other side of the fence, and it is here that two boys begin their secret friendship, both trying to understand why they have been taken away from their homes and friends and brought, under two very different circumstances, to this terrible place.Extraordinarily written, this deeply thought-provoking novel takes older readers on a profound journey.<B>"My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary"</B> by Nadja Halibegovich; Kids Can Press, 2006; 120 pages; $14.95 hardcover; read aloud: age 11 and older; read yourself: age 11 to 12 and older.On May of 1992, 12-year-old Nadja Halibegovich began a diary, her "only place of peace amid the chaos" that surrounded her life and the lives of all the innocent victims of war who lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina.A deeply moving true account, Nadja sets the stage for her readers in her introduction where she recalls, "There were more than 270 tenants in our apartment building, and we were all crammed into three small, underground rooms. Day after day we breathed the damp, stale air, watching in terror as the explosions made the ceiling above us shake.We stretched the last of our bread, crackers, jam and water. We became still and listless…(and) after weeks in the dark and cold basement, we could no longer deny the truth — war was here to stay."Written over a three-year period, readers will be swept away by the harsh realities of war, its victims and the courage they seem to find in the face of unthinkable circumstances.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.