Holocaust Books - Page 4

Friedrich

Hans Peter Richter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Very Moving Book 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This is a very moving stoty about Friedrich a young Jewish boy that lived during the Holicost as told through the eyes of his German best friend. I think it is a very good story for people to read because it teaches them how bad raceism has become. There is no difference between a Jew and a German. This is also a good book because it shows how Jews really were treated during World War II, and how families were so easily split apart. Altho it is a sad story, we all can learn from it.

Excellent Story! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

There are so many great stories out there that one can find about Holocaust Europe. Although this story is written for younger ages, it is a great story none the less. Richter tells this story as a first person narrative writing in a simple but elegant way. It depicts the childhood of Richter and his friendship with his Jewish friend Friedrich. One really gets a good idea of the way Jews were treated in the 1930's and 40's by others influenced by the new Nazi party. Richter's story also gives you an idea of how the Holocaust tore apart families and friendships. This is an excellent story, that will really take you away with the author's excellent story telling and very personal narrative.

Editorial Review:

The tragic story of a Jewish boy in Germany during the 1930s, this award-winning novel is "superb, sensitive, honest, and compelling" (The New York Times).

The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story from the Netherlands

Louise Borden

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"You're a strong skater, Piet, and you have a quick mind. This is why I know you'll succeed in this important task. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't know it could be done."

In 1941 Piet, a young Dutch boy from Sluis, gets the assignment of a lifetime: He must skate along the frozen canals of the Netherlands and across the Belgian border, in order to guide two neighborhood children to their aunt's house in Brugge, where the children will remain for the duration of World War II. Their father has been taken by German soldiers, and the children are no longer safe in Sluis -- but the journey with Piet, past soldiers and enemies, is fraught with danger.

Along the treacherous path to Belgium the three children skate using every bit of speed, courage, and strength they can muster. All the time they try to appear like innocent schoolchildren simply out for a skate, for if the German soldiers discover their escape plan, the children will be in grave trouble. During the journey Piet thinks about his hero, Pim Mulier -- the first person to ever skate the Elfstedentocht, the famous and prestigious Eleven Towns Race that takes place in his country. For years Piet has dreamed of proving that he is a skater as brave and strong as Pim Mulier -- but he had never imagined that his test would fall under such dangerous circumstances.

Louise Borden's moving text captures all the tension, excitement, and fear that comes with Piet's mission, while Niki Daly's evocative illustrations bring the children and their perilous journey into vivid focus.

One Eye Laughing, The Other Eye Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York 1938 (Dear America Series)

Barry Denenberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 57 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

And Hope Remains 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A very, very touching book about the life of a Austrian-Jewish family just before World War Two. Scary and happy and sad all at once, this is great read for anyone who wants to know more about that time period. Highly reccomended.

-Emma D.

A Well Writen Book of the Vienna Invasion 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

"Fear is everywhere. It's in the air I breathe. The water I drink. The food I eat..." Barry Denenberg wrote this quote in his children's novel One Eye Laughing, The Other Weeping. This book is written as the journal of Julie Weiss, a fourteen year old Jewish girl living in Vienna, Austria in 1938. During that year Hitler invaded Vienna and treated the Jews very poorly. Julie writes about how her family went from top of society to the bottom of the barrel. Her father was a leading doctor in Vienna and was well respected. Once all the trouble breaks out Julie's father sends her to New York City to live with her Aunt Clara, who is a leading actress there.

This is a very quick read, even though it is 212 pages. I think this is an amazing book that gives you a little picture of how the Jews were treated, without much graphic detail. This book is best suited for fourth through seventh graders and is historical fiction. Overall this is a very moving book and I highly recommend it.

Editorial Review:

During the Nazi persecution of the Jews in Austria, twelve-year-old Julie escapes to America to live with her relatives in New York City.

Quien Cuenta Las Estrellas/ Number the Stars (Espasa Juvenil)

Lois Lowry, Juan Luque

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Editorial Review:

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated". Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life. An ALA Notable Book. A "School Library Journal" Best Book of the Year. Teacher's Guide.

La ladrona de libros

Markus Zusak

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

the book thief 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

it is the best book i read this year. i could not put it away once i started it. it is sad, but with a depth and a richness it is worthwhile reading. i was impressed when i learned that the author was 30 years old. the maturity and depth are quite amazing. i hope he goes on writing books like this.

The Cats in Krasinski Square

Karen Hesse

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Or how cats became heroes 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Once upon a time in a far away place, there lived a bad man, a very bad man. In fact this man was so good at being bad that he convinced the people of his country that he was a good man. Not only that, he convinced them he was the man for the job, the job of leading their government. So he did. Then he convinced his people that there were enemies living right there in their country and they should remove them. But inside his government where there were dark secrets, this bad man decided to create a Final Solution for dealing with these enemies within.

Years later and still unto this day, many writers and historians and journalists have tried to explain how this bad man gained such power to do the awful things he did. Karen Hesse and Wendy Watson combined talents to create "The Cats in Krasinski Square," in their effort to show one tiny moment in this ugly episode of history, the Holocaust of Jews, first in Germany, then rapidly spreading to other Germanic countries and conquered ones in World War II.

In Poland in Warsaw in the Jewish community, walls were built to keep in Jews and keep out non-Jews. Simply an early phase of the Final Solution. Separate the Jews into ghettos, then collect them in cattle cars to take them to the concentration camps, then eliminate their existence through crematoriums--the Final Solution. Notice the massing together at each phase, attempting to make negligible their humanity.

The cats in Krasinski Square are homeless because of the rounding up and crowding together of the Jews. The cats thrive on mice, but they miss their former masters. People outside the ghettos, both non-Jews and Jews able to escape and pass as Polish, keep the cats socialized by the attention they give them (see cover for an example).

A nameless girl, a Polish Jew, who escaped the ghetto, is the narrator of this simple, but heroic act to get food inside the ghetto. There are many holes in the walls, the escape hatch for the cats who come and go, seeking mice. It also is the entryway for food. For this particular episode, friends will arrive on trains with satchels of food to bestow in the holes of the walls. Unfortunately, the Gestapo knows and waits with hungry dogs. The cats are used as lures for the dogs, who go after them instead of the food. Food disappears into the walls and starvation is staved again for a while longer.

That is the essence of the story. A great story. The other half of this wonderful story is the illustrations. They are done in pencil, ink, and watercolors on Strathmore drawing paper. Watercolors tend to give a transparency to the subject, providing a dreamy cast. Watson also uses dark colors, possibly pencil, to provide a ominous overcast to every scene, then offsetting each with an orange glow, perhaps suggestive of hope and action. This is such a perfect pairing, words and illustrations to convey a message of action through hope and hope leading to action. A must-read book for every public, school, and home library.

Editorial Review:

When Karen Hesse came upon a short article about cats out-foxing the Gestapo at the train station in Warsaw during WWII, she couldn't get the story out of her mind. The result is this stirring account of a Jewish girl's involvement in the Resistance. At once terrifying and soulful, this fictional account, borne of meticulous research, is a testament to history and to our passionate will to survive, as only Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse can write it.

Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story

Amy Littlesugar

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Younger Readers 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Willy and Max are young boys living in Antwerp, Belgium. Willy's parents owned an antique shop, where Max's father purchased a portrait called "The Lady" that seemed to smile at him. From this encounter, Willy and Max become friends. Soon the Nazis invade Belgium and begin confiscating Jewish homes and property. Max and his father stop at the antique shop and ask Willy's father to hide the portrait as they depart the city. Willy hides it in a statue of an angel. When the Nazis search the antique shop, one decides he likes the angel statue and takes it. Many years later, Willy moved to America. A museum calls to tell him that they found the portrait in the angel with a picture of Willy and Max taped to the back. Willy tracks down Max's family and find out that Max passed away the previous year, but he gives them "The Lady" and joins them for a Sabbath meal.

This story of friendship is enhanced by beautiful color illustrations that are reminiscent of old world Europe as well as amplify the glow of the Sabbath table. The subject matter is extremely timely, as several agencies are working to return art stolen by the Nazis to its rightful owners. The presentation is a creative way of showing many aspects of the era: interaction between Jews and non-Jews; the Nazis' plunder of property, their harassment of non-Jews who interacted with Jews, and the gradual worsening of conditions for all Europeans as World War II progressed. It effectively portrays the terror and abuse tactics of the Nazis without graphic detail. This book is also a good vehicle for discussing friendships, ethics of property ownership, and children during the Holocaust. REVIEWED BY KATHE PINCHUCK (Bloomfield Public Library - Bloomfield, NJ)

Editorial Review:

When Max’s dad buys a painting from the window of Willy’s dad’s antique shop, Willy and Max become instant friends.They are just alike, down to their same missing tooth! Even though Max lives in the Jewish quarter, the boys are inseparable—until the Nazis come. They take everything from Max’s family, including the precious painting that began the boys’ friendship.And though they promise to be friends forever,Willy and Max know that something unspeakable is coming between them, and they may never see each other again . . . .

Beautiful and heartbreaking, Willy & Max is the powerful story of two boys separated by circumstance, but held together through generations by a simple painting—and the unbreakable spirit of their friendship.

Twenty and Ten

Claire Huchet Bishop

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

twenty and ten 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I don't think Twenty And Ten is a realistic story. I don't think it is real because there are a couple events in this book that are not realistically portrayed. for example, there are many problems in this book that are solved too quickly, like when the children had no way of knowing how quickly it would take the Nazis to arrive on their bicycles. Or another thing, how did Janet and Philip get to the cave really fast? I also think it is unrealistsic that a boy as young as Louis would have known not to speak.
Overall, I think that this book was really good and helps you understand more about the holocaust.

5 grader's review 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Mary and her friends live northern France up on a hill. This is a bad time because the Nazis are invading France. Mary and her twenty friends help ten Jewish kids escape from the Nazis. Will Mary and her friends betray the Jewish kids over a bribe?
I give this book three stars because it was full of suspense but the beginning and the end were pretty boring.

Editorial Review:

Twenty school children hide ten Jewish children from the Nazis occupying France during World War II.

The Harmonica

Tony Johnston

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Music in the Darkest Hours 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Sometimes a book falls into your hands that you know will carve a road through your heart before you open it. In this case, from the cover illustration and title, I knew that Tony Johnston's picture book; THE HARMONICA would be such a read. Inspired by the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn, this picture book takes readers on a journey through the nightmare of the Holocaust.

The story itself is poignant, painful and full of the hope that human beings find in the worst of times. Our narrator is a young boy with the gift of music who lives in Poland. Despite their poverty, his father acquires a harmonica for him. But this joyous time is short lived when the Nazi's arrive, tearing his parents away and sending him off to live in a concentration camp. A commandant hears him playing Schubert on the harmonica one night and demands the boy to play for him every night in exchange for bread. Ultimately, the boy finds strength through his playing and realizes it is a way to give his fellow prisoners hope in the darkness. There are, of course, many books on this subject-many good books. I think I can safely say this joins their ranks. Ms. Johnston's simple, lyrical text is both poetic and harsh in its narration. That is evident from the opening lines "I cannot remember my father's face, or my mother's, but I remember their love, warm and enfolding as a song." The text never falters, and never becomes overwrought. With a large font, and only a few lines per page, the story unfolds more like a poem than a straight narrative.

This is illustrator Ron Mazellan's first children's book, and it is a stunning achievement. With a mixture of art mediums, the images come to life in rich color and texture. Characters are drawn in high detail while the backgrounds are more sparse and indistinct giving the entire story a slightly dream-like quality, which goes well with Johnston's lyrical text. In the earlier, happier pictures, the images are a wash of warm golds and browns. As the Nazi's encroach up on the picture, the washes turn to grays, and purples and blues. And then the warmth begins the come back in as he remembers his family and embraces the music. So much of the story is conveyed by the emotion in these pictures, that a reader can take a long time studying a single image before turning the page. At the very back of the book, there is a note that this book was inspired by the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn who survived the hardships of the concentration camps and made his way to the United States, where he continued to play his harmonica to inspire others.

This is not a story for a young child. Picture books are not always for beginning readers or toddlers, this story is not happy, and while there is a positive message within the music, there is no satisfactory conclusion for a youngster. There is no happy reunion for the boy and his family; there is no come-uppence for the violent commandant. The book does not offer resolutions or reassurance. For a child who is learning about the Holocaust, however, this may be one of the books to introduce them to. It has a young narrator for them to identify with and some powerful messages to share. And while it is dark and grim, the book is not grisly. Everything is shown through the eyes of the main narrator. Be prepared to spend some time discussing this book and the events that inspired it. This is a beautiful and powerful book, but it does have an appropriate time and place for a child to discover it.

For those who love THE HARMONICA, I would recommend the picture books ONE YELLOW DAFFODIL by David A. Adler and THE SECRET SEDER by Doreen Rappaport.

Good Reading! Shanshad ^_^

Editorial Review:

When a family is torn apart by the brutal Nazi regime, a father's gift of a simple harmonica brings his son comfort-and ensures his survival. Based on the life of a Holocaust survivor.

The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust

Rachel Hausfater

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was a wonderful way to introduce my students to the Holocaust. I would recommend it for anyone that wants to learn more about this subject.

The Little Star Boy 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

While working with fourth graders in a unit about the Holocaust, I discovered this very simple text that could be read by every student. They were to write how this book related to the theme. The simple text was not threatening to any student.The analogies were easy to site. I enjoyed the book as a librarian.

Editorial Review:

A young Jewish boy is given a star to wear. At first he is proud of the decoration, but soon finds the star overshadowing him — no one sees the boy, only the star. Lonely, frightened, and helpless, he watches as other star-wearers are led away into the night. This affecting allegory, rich with symbolism, educates children about the events of the Holocaust in a way that young minds can easily grasp. Told in simple, poetic language, the book offers a tender message of tolerance and inner strength.

Little Boy Star includes an introduction by David A. Adler, author of A Picture Book of Anne Frank and other critically acclaimed children's books on the Holocaust. Olivier Latyk’s haunting illustrations underscore the poignant theme.