#20--Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps by Andrea Warren

So, as I was getting book talks ready after school today for a teacher I started flipping through this particular choice, mainly to see if it would work for the assignment the students will be doing, and I got sucked into it. 

Jack Mandelbaum was only 15 when he was deported to a concentration camp during Nazi Germany and he was shipped to a number of camps before finally being liberated on May 7, 1945.  At the first camp the man in the bunk next to him, Aaron, tells him to treat it like a game that he wants to win, that if he plays everything right, he might beat the Nazis.  Jack is determined to survive and meet back up with his parents, brother, and sister, who he is certain are still alive and waiting for him.  Jack eventually arrives in the United States and becomes an American citizen, marries, and has a family.  He does find a few family members, but his parents and siblings all perished at the hands of the Nazis. 

This would make a good introduction to the Holocaust for someone who wasn't very knowledgeable, or for a late elementary student.  It was a quick and easy read.  And it should do just fine for the project, so my students will be hearing about this one on Wednesday.  :)

Happy Reading!

#19--The Shadow Children by Steven Schnur

My 8^th graders study The Diary of Anne Frank as part of their Language Arts class and several teachers typically require the students to read an additional book about the Holocaust as part of this unit.  One day last week this title was turned in by a student and I noticed that it had a fantasy genre sticker on it (I put genre stickers on all my fiction books so that the students—and I—have an easier time picking out a specific genre), and I was curious as to why I had put a fantasy sticker on a book that also has a Holocaust sticker on it.  So, before putting it back on the shelf, I grabbed it and quickly read it.  (It took me less than 40 minutes to get through, so it is a quick read--less than 100 pages.)

The story takes place several years after World War II is over, in a small French town, Mont Brulant.  Etienne is looking forward to spending the summer with his grandfather and this is the first year his parents will not be joining him.  Etienne is surprised to notice on the drive back to his grandfather’s home from the train station that the town is much quieter than he remembers.  They also pass a group of children begging on the side of the road, but his grandfather doesn’t notice them.

As the summer goes on and Etienne goes exploring, he comes across a group of children living and hiding in the woods, who run and hide when they hear a train coming.  Etienne knows that the closest train is miles away and the children couldn’t be seen from it.  He doesn’t understand what they are hiding from. 

When he mentions the children to his grandfather, Grand-pere brushes it off, but Madame Jaboter (who comes to clean and cook for Grand-pere) overhears Etienne and begs him to promise he won’t go back to the woods.  Eventually, Etienne learns who the children are and why they are hiding…they are the souls of the children the people of Mont Brulant tried to save from the Nazis, but were forced to hand them over. 

This was a different story than I was expecting, but thought it was pretty well done.  (It has a fantasy sticker because we use fantasy whenever there are ghosts or anything supernatural in the story.)

Now it is going back on the shelf for another student to read.

Happy Reading!

#5--A Conspiracy of Decency: The Rescue of the Danish Jews During World War II by Emmy E. Werner

When I was a senior in high school I had the opportunity to hear Thomas Keneally speak at Mount Union College when I was there for a visitation day.  For those of you unfamiliar with his name, Keneally is the author of Schindler's List.  Up until that point, I knew about the Holocaust, but I don't think I had given it too much thought outside of history class.  Mr. Keneally made events and people come alive during his presentation and made me want to learn more about the people and the time.  After that, I made a more concerted effort to learn about this period of our world's history.

As a freshman in college I had the privilege to travel to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of an educational trip I took with several of my classmates.  We had a few hours to spend in the museum.  While it was emotionally draining, I found that I could have easily spent the entire week there, absorbing everything.  The following year I took a Holocaust literature class as one of my English electives.  I found this class fascinating while also taxing.  The more I read about this time period, the more interested I became.  Which brings me to today's book.  My mom picked it up for me at the local library's semi-annual book sale this fall because she knew it would interest me, and she was right. 

During 1943, Hitler had decided it was time to take care of the "Jewish problem" in Denmark.  A German named Georg F. Duckwitz learned of the plan and warned the Jews of the impending action.  Almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark was saved by their fellow Danes and the Swedes who gave them asylum.  When many of them returned to Denmark after the war, they found that their homes, belongings, and even pets, had been taken care of.  This book tells the story of many of the rescuers and those they helped, based on first-hand accounts. 

I had learned somewhere along the way that Denmark was an anomaly during World War II in this respect, but I had never gotten the full story, until now. 

If you are interested in this time period, or reading about heroic acts, this was a fascinating read.  There is also quite a bit of literature available, written by those who lived it, if you want to check out something new.  I'd suggest heading to your local library for more information.

Happy reading!