Gordon Korman’s latest book is another one I can’t wait to make available for middle school readers. The story blends the past, present and hope for the future of a small Colorado town as it struggles with its racist past, swastikas appearing in the middle school, and a group of middle school students trying to change the message for their town for the future. After having tolerance education following the appearance of the first swastika and watching in dismay as the swastikas keep showing up, the students hatch a plan similar to the famous paperclip project to make a paper chain of six million links to represent the 6 million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust. Whether or not they can complete the massive chain and where to store it are just part of the problems the students encounter. The story is told in multiple voices of students around town which helps the reader see the issue from many lenses. Korman’s masterful hand creates a story that is both funny and heartrending at the same time. He has a true understanding of what makes middle school kids tick and his characters are layered and believable. I also liked that he threw in a bit about how social media can complicate, and perhaps help, a problem once the scope of an issue is no longer just local but spread to the whole world. It is a story of facing our past -even the one we may not be very proud of – and using the present to help heal, forgive, and move forward into a better future.
Tag Archives: Holocaust
The Enemy Above: A novel of World War II
It started as rumors that the Nazis were coming ,until the gunfire got louder and closer. On the run, being chased and hunted to be killed or captured after have to flee from their home. All for being born Jewish. What first caught my eye looking through the pile of books was the book cover. When I read the summary it sounded like a action packed story which is why I chose it. One thing I loved about the book was when it got into the action it was really good and every big moment connected to the others very well. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books with real life facts in it but also somewhat fiction in the book.
W.G.
Almost Autumn
Almost Autumn is set in the snow covered streets of Oslo, Norway, in October 1942. a 15 yr. old Jewish girl, Ilse Stern is waiting to meet Hermann Rod, the boy-next-door who she’s had a crush on forever, to go on their first date. But Hermann can’t make it. Ilse is completely unaware that Hermann is secretly working for the Resistance, helping Jews flee Norway to escape the Nazis. Hermann tell lies to everyone he cares about: his parents, his boss, and to Ilse, to keep his secret hidden.
This story is tense with pressure building as life under the German occupation becomes more difficult, particularly for Jewish families like Ilse’s. The mood of secrecy, uncertainty, and fear in World War II Norway creates a moving story of sorrow, chance, and first love.
Almost Autumn won numerous awards in Norway when it was released there. Now an English translation is available, and I would recommend it to those interested in the Holocaust and the Resistance, as well as historical romance fiction.
Irena’s Children: A True Story of Courage
“ Irena’s Children” Young Readers Edition is a true story of courage written by Tilar J. Mazzeo and adapted by Mary Cronk Farrell.
This book is about Polish woman Irena and her acquaintances ( her co-workers and her friends), who helped more than 2,000 Jewish children survive during one of the worst times of World War 2. This incredible story set in Warsaw, Poland, when Germans hunt and tried to wipe out the Jewish nation: they herded all Jewish people into separate territories, and then send them away to labor camps, or killed them. This territory is called ghetto. It was an extremely horrible place, where dogs were valued more, than people by the Nazis. Author describes in details, how it looked like: ”… children in the ghetto with no shoes, no coats, their clothes in rags. That first night some seventy froze to death. Each morning, the dead lined the streets, piled naked and covered with old newsprint and stones. The threads they had worn were taken by the living, who desperately needed warmth.Rats gnawed at the corps. Bodies also lined the streets like garbage each morning after SS men used pedestrians for target practice.” Also this story shows us, how people could be brave, strong and fearless, even like the moment, when Irena and all her friends got the children out of the ghetto, and helped in keep them safe in Aryan sector of the city. They did this, even though they were risking their, their kids’ and families. Another detail, the author shows us the desperation of the Jewish people, as they try to save their own and their kids’ life. They did unbelievable things, just to keep hope and survive, even with slim odds: “…mother threw their babies over the wall, never knowing if anyone caught them and took them to safety.”, people and children jumped between the rooftops, went through city’s sewers, hid children in the coffins, snuck them under overcoat. This book teaches us, that even in the most hopeless situation, we should never give up.
In my opinion, the book has some gruesome details, that make it hard to read in one sitting. But this is a good reminder of our history. That’s why I would recommend this book for middle and high schoolers as well, as for adults, who enjoy history.
– Marianna
Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna: The Holocaust Ghettos
Part of the Remembering the Holocaust series, this volume focuses on the first phase of Hitler’s plan to achieve the Final Solution. After the successful invasion of Poland, the Jews were to be “concentrated” in designated areas. The author describes the way the ghettos were governed, what daily life was like for the residents of the ghettos and more. Events were set in motion by Operation Barbarossa that changed the way the Nazis dealt with Jews; Russian Jews were not deported, they were slaughtered immediately. This edition goes on to describe the problems of disease and starvation in the ghettos, the Jews who hid or fought back and individual stories of courage. It ends with a timeline, glossary and a list of resources for more information.
Hidden Like Anne Frank
This book tells the stories of 14 Jews who went into hiding in the Netherlands during World War II to survive. The stories are stark; a few have moments of happiness but most are stories of desperation, fear and longing. Some of the survivors lived in more than 25 different locations before the Netherlands was liberated. Some spent their time hiding in confinement in small spaces; others were able for at least a while to move around in a home and have contact with other people. Some stayed with family or friends; others lived with perfect strangers.
Prins was inspired to write the book because his mother was forced to go into hiding in the Netherlands when she was only six years old. The experiences of the survivors vary greatly; however, many describe themselves as broken after the war. So many looked forward to liberation, only to discover that it was not significantly better: they had no homes to return to, no possessions, no businesses, and frequently, no sense of family after living apart for so long. They could not connect again with parents who sent them into hiding and had to hide apart from their children. Many felt closer to their “foster” families than their own.
Although I was compelled by the stories to finish the book, I am not sure who the audience will be. The voices in this book are stilted; whether that is a factor of translation, the unease of telling of their stories or that the survivors told their stories in the voices of the children in them who lived it, it felt off. I do think students who are fascinated by the Holocaust, especially if they have just finished The Diary of Anne Frank, will want to read this book.