Tag Archives: WWII

MG – The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

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Nadel, Estelle, and Sammy Savos. The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival. Roaring Brook Press. 2024. 978-1-250-24777-3. 272 p. $18.99. Grades 6+.

Enia Feld enjoyed an idyllic childhood in rural Borek, Poland, surrounded by her parents, four siblings, and extended family. She especially loved to sing as she explored the natural beauty of her hometown. Her Jewish family prepared kosher food and observed the Shabbat each Saturday. In September 1939, German troops crossed the border into Poland, and German airplanes attacked numerous Polish towns. It took time to feel the effects of the invasion in Borek, but by December Enia’s life began to change dramatically. A yellow star on her sweater was followed by a raid of her family’s modest home, and then the devastating loss of her sister, brother, and father. World War II had arrived in Borek. Enia and her surviving family members went into hiding, sheltered by brave friends and neighbors who risked their own lives to protect the Felds. Though she had lost so much, Enia would suffer further incomprehensible losses before liberation in 1944, and her challenges continued with a “new beginning” in America (where she became “Estelle”). The Girl Who Sang is a truly unforgettable graphic memoir of hope and survival. Illustrator Sammy Savos cues the color palette to Enia’s emotions, from her bright and sunny young years to the dim and foreboding years in hiding to the subdued panels depicting her first years in New York. Readers will take heart in the return of sunshine in the book’s final section.

THOUGHTS: Estelle Nadel writes in her author’s note, “Someday there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors still living.” Fortunately, books like this one exist to deliver their testimony to new generations of readers. 

Graphic Memoir

YA – The Blood Years

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Arnold, Elana K. The Blood Years. Balzer + Bray, 2023. 978-0-062-99085-3. 390 p. $19.99. Grades 9-12.

Based on events in the life of her own grandmother, Elana K. Arnold’s The Blood Years is a masterful and deeply moving work of historical fiction for teens. Spanning the years from 1939 to 1945, it follows the experiences of Frederieke Teitler’s teenage years in her beloved hometown of Czernowitz, Romania. “Rieke” lives with her depressive mother and headstrong older sister Astra (their father has abandoned the family) until her beloved grandfather, Opa, brings them to his apartment. It is the first of many times that Opa will shield Rieke from life’s cruelties. First introduced as a typical thirteen-year old attending school and dance classes with Astra, Rieke goes on to experience the stripping away of Jewish peoples’ rights as she moves through her teen years. Her situation changes dramatically as first the Russians and then the Germans occupy her city, and as a persistent cough leads to a dire diagnosis. As the circumstances in Czernowitz worsen for Jews, Opa’s ability to shelter his girls is pushed to the limit.

THOUGHTS: In her latest novel, Arnold truly proves that what is most personal is also most universal. The dehumanization of Jewish people during WWII is portrayed through the experiences of one young woman; Rieke’s trauma and resilience will not soon be forgotten by readers.

Note: The Blood Years contains anti-Semitic slurs and depictions of sexual assault.

Historical Fiction

MG/YA – Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust

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Brown, Don. Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust. Clarion Books, 2023. 978-0-35-853816-5. 190 p. $22.99. Grades 7-12.

Run and Hide details Hitler’s rise to power in Germany and describes how Nazi Germany’s expansion of power led to prejudice, violence, and murder against the Jewish population in Europe. Don Brown focuses the majority of this graphic nonfiction title on real stories of children’s survival during the Holocaust. Brown includes information about the Kindertransport that took place prior to the Nazi invasion of Poland. The train-based evacuation of children ran from Europe to England and saved 10,000 children. Other resistance groups and miraculous stories of neighbors hiding children throughout the war are also covered. 

THOUGHTS: This newest graphic nonfiction release by Don Brown is descriptive and honest. It is an excellent resource for secondary students to understand the origins of the Holocaust and what it was like to be a child (or parent) living in fear during this time. Brown shares amazing stories of survival here, but importantly, he also explains the stories he includes were statistically exceptional to the million children who did not escape. The instances of survival included in Run and Hide were only able to occur through a combination of “near misses, tight squeezes, dicey chances, long odds, and dumb luck.” The focus of this story is on survival and hiding rather than the details of life in concentration camps; in this way, the reader is spared the most brutal details and images of the Holocaust. Brown’s extensive bibliography is both necessary and helpful for students who are interested in learning about his source material. Mentions of other and ongoing instances of genocide are also included in the author’s note. Brown’s drawings enhance the tone of the text. Recommended for middle and high school graphic nonfiction collections.

Graphic Novel

In his latest graphic history for young readers, author and illustrator Don Brown explores the history of World War II with a focus on the plight of young Jewish people and heroic efforts to save them. Brown has chronicled other disasters, both natural and manmade, in his previous works: 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Dust Bowl, and the flu of 1918, among others. His text and artwork are particularly urgent in Run and Hide, perhaps because – as he writes in his author’s note, appropriately titled “Uninterrupted” – “Hate and violence endure, uninterrupted” (179). Here he covers Kristallnacht, the Kindertransport, the “final solution,” deportations, and more. In depicting each event, he incorporates first-person testimony in speech bubbles. This technique succeeds in both portraying and personalizing the complex events of the Holocaust. His grim, roughly drawn line art of concentration camps are especially effective. Throughout Run and Hide, Brown credits the bravery of Jewish youths and the heroic actions of resistance networks but also leaves the reader with the stark fact that one million children were killed in Europe during WWII. 

THOUGHTS: Run and Hide is a remarkable work of graphic nonfiction. It presents our most difficult history in an approachable way that will inspire deeper research and action. (Thorough source notes and an extensive Bibliography are included.)

Graphic Novel (Nonfiction)
950.43 World War II

YA – Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe

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Sheinkin, Steve. Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe . Roaring Brook Press, 2023. 978-1-250-26572-2. 235 p. $19.99. Grades 8-12.

Rudi Vrba and Gerta Sidonová were just schoolmates in Slovokia when Hitler’s forces drove into Poland in 1939 and officially began World War II. As Jewish teens, Rudi, Gerta, and their families were subject to the extreme, escalating antisemitism in Europe. Both teens lives’ took different paths as they were forced to flee their homes. While Gerta and her family went into hiding in Hungary, Rudi’s attempted escape led him first the Nováky prison camp, then to the Majdanek concentration camp, and then into Auschwitz-Birkenau where every single day continued to be a fight to survive against the organized genocide taking place. While imprisoned at Auschwitz, Rudi realized he must attempt escape to tell the world about the camp. Against all odds, Rudi, along with Alfred Wetzler, managed to escape Auschwitz-Birkenau. They went on a harrowing journey through the southern part of Poland into Slovokia where they gave vital testimony about the secret horrors and mass murder taking place at Auschwitz. This testimony fueled an imperative BBC report on the genocide. This report helped to increase political pressure against Hungary’s corroboration with the Nazis; as a result, Hungary stopped sending transports of Jewish people to the concentration camps, saving hundreds of thousands of lives.

THOUGHTS: Many of the details in this book are hard to read, but it is a necessary and important piece of history never to be forgotten. Steven Sheinkin writes this book in a way that does not shy away from the horrible Nazi atrocities of WWII. This narrative nonfiction includes graphic details about death, torture, and mass murder during the Holocaust in concentration camps. Sheinkin shifts seamlessly between Rudi and Gerta’s individual stories while also including vital context about the war, locations, and antisemitism. Impossible Escape would make a strong companion to students reading Elie Wiesel’s Night because Sheinkin’s text includes context about antisemitism and the Holocaust for young adult readers while also recounting a powerful, personal story of survival through memoir. Sheinkin also places emphasis on both the systematic, planned nature of the genocide and on both cruelty and kindness within humans. Sheinkin builds this book through careful research and eyewitness testimony. Rather than disrupting the narrative, Sheinkin includes detailed source notes and a comprehensive bibliography at the end of the book. The epilogue, which covers the topic of Rudi testifying against a Holocaust denier in post-war Canada, is also a powerful and important read.

940.53 World War II

Elem. – Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

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Gottesfeld, Jeff. Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Candlewick Press, 2021. 978-1-5362-0148-2 32 p. $17.99. Grades 2-5. 

Sentinel guards keep vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, protecting soldiers that made the ultimate sacrifice. Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a picture book written by Jeff Gottesfeld and illustrated by Matt Tavares, perfectly captures and honors the soldiers that honor the fallen. This moving and inspiring book teaches the reader the history and significance of the memorial and how the “Unknowns” have come to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Gottesfeld and Tavares explain through enriched vocabulary and powerful illustrations that the privilege and most challenging post to earn in the army is to stand, with absolute precision in every type of weather, at every moment of the day, since July 2, 1937, when the tomb became protected by American Soldiers. This moving and informative picture book honors the past, present, and future members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

THOUGHTS: This inspirational and beautiful picture book targets grades 2-5, ages 7-10, and would make an excellent mentor text for upper elementary or even middle grades. Not only is Twenty-One Steps a moving tribute but an informative text that would fit well with a WWII or Memorial Day unit. Emotional. Beautiful. Very well done.

Picture Book          Marie Mengel, Reading SD

MS – The Return; The Enemy Above; Rescued

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Johnson, Varian. Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts: Book 3 The Return. New York: Scholastic, 2016. 978-0545-84207-5. 186 p. Gr. 3-8.

The Greencloaks and their new friends are divided into two groups. The dark Wrym infection continues to get worse for Conor. Meilin struggles to trust Kovo, despite Takoda being helpful. When trying to find the Evertree on boat they struggle until they come across Pirates while sailing the Sulfur Sea. The Pirates are much different from the tales they have heard as they group contains all well groomed female Pirates. The other group has disguised themselves as servants. Abeke is assigned as servant to Kirat, new spirit animal partner with Cabaro, and she thinks that she can truly help Kirat. The bond with Spirit Animals continue to lessen and the book concludes leaving high levels of suspense.  THOUGHTS: This book has endearing moments of others remembering those that they have lost and those that  they look up to. Some characters from other books show up in surprising ways. The compelling series continue with another novel.

Fantasy; Adventure   Beth McGuire, Wendover Middle School

 

Spradlin, Michael P. The Enemy Above: a Novel of World War II. New York: Scholastic, 2016. 978-0-545-85782-6. 232 p. Gr. 4-6.

The year is 1942, and twelve year old Anton often hears artillery in his home of Ukraine. His father joined the Polish army three years ago, and now his 19 year old Uncle Pavel wishes to fight against the Nazi’s. Bubbe (grandmother) tells Anton to hide when they overhear a sound. They eventually escape to a cave. While there Anton befriends Daniel who saw the Nazi’s take his mother and sister, he wonders where God was during that nightmare. It is becoming more dangerous for the adults to explore from the cave at night to locate water. Anton and Daniel are tasked to explore the cave and find water and also a way out. Will they survive and get past Gestapo Colonel Karl Von Duesen who takes delight in rounding up Jews like a hunting sport?  THOUGHTS: The Enemy Above is perfect for fans of survival or historical fiction. Scholastic produced an engaging book trailer:  http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/books/book-trailers/enemy-above

Historical Fiction (WWII)    Beth McGuire, Wendover Middle School

 

Schrefer, Eliot. Rescued. New York: Scholastic, 2016. 978-0-545-65503-3. 261 p. Gr. 7-12.

You might think if your pet orangutan accidentally eats your finger that your bond with the pet would shatter. This in not the case for John and his orangatang, Raja, that his father got for him while overseas at work. Growing up together an hour away from Atlanta, the divorce of his parents finds John moving to Oregon with his mother. Raja will stay with his father.  While the plan was for John to regularly visit his father, this did not occur.  Years later when John’s  father has to move, he can no longer keep the orangutan and finds a new home for Raja called “Friendly Land.”  Even after being separated from Raja for years, John has not lost his brotherly bond or ability to sign with Raja. John deeply desires a better life for Raja. John finds himself on a wild car ride and plane trip to return Raja home. John’s mother, a teacher, uses her savings to attend the flight back with John and Raja. Ultimately she allows John to decide if Raja should remain in a safer environment or reenter his natural homeland. Readers will find themselves   considering what they would do if they were in a similar situation and reflect upon what it means to be “rescued.” A question and answer session with the author concludes the book encouraging readers to learn more. Rescued is the third novel in acclaimed Schrefer’s Ape Quartet and the novels can be read in any chosen order.  THOUGHTS: Present information about habitat found in Indonesia and Sumatra can add to discussion leading readers to ponder if there a point that industrialization can go too far. Those who grew up reading Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan (Harper Collins, 2012) will be extra delighted to journey John and Raja.

Realistic Fiction   Beth McGuire, Wendover Middle School

New Chapter Books – Rescue on the Oregon Trail; The Marvels; Danger in the Darkest Hour

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OregonTrail

Messner, Kate. Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail. New York: Scholastic, 2015. 978-0-545-63914-9. 125p. $5.99. Grades 2–4.

Ranger, a golden retriever who is trained as a search and rescue dog, loves playing outside with his owner, Luke. One day while he’s digging for bones in the backyard, Ranger unearths a metal box containing a first aid kit. The discovery magically transports Ranger back to the year 1850 where he meets a boy named Sam Abbott who is travelling west on the Oregon Trail. Ranger accompanies Sam’s family, and his search and rescue training helps them avoid danger as they journey westward. Ranger locates Sam’s little sister when she wanders off, alerts the family to a nearby buffalo stampede, protects Sam from a rattlesnake bite, and helps rescue Sam’s dad from rushing river waters. This fast-paced story is packed with adventures, and readers will also learn historical details about day-to-day life on the Oregon Trail. When Sam and his family reach Oregon, Ranger’s job is finished, and the first aid kit transports him back to present-day where he’s ready for his next adventure with Luke.

Historical Fiction, Animal Fiction    Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Southern York County

This title will be a perfect supplement to social studies units that cover westward travel on the Oregon Trail. The text is easily accessible for third and fourth grade readers, and it would make a wonderful read-aloud as well. Additionally, a detailed author’s note at the end of the book contains information about primary sources Kate Messner used to write this story, including diaries, journals, maps, trail guides, and artifacts. There is also information about real-life search and rescue dogs and the training they receive in order track down missing people.

marvels

 

Selznick, Brian. The Marvels. New York: Scholastic Press, 2015. 978-0-545-44868-0. 665 p. Gr.3-6.

Brian Selznick has once again created a lavishly detailed story told both through illustrations and text. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with the story of Billy Marvel whose ship is destroyed in a storm. He and his brother make it to land, only to have his brother, badly injured, pass away leaving Billy alone. The illustrations continue to tell the story of Billy’s life in London, getting involved in the theater and the generations of famous actors to follow him. At a crucial moment, the story turns to text in 1990, in which we meet Joseph Jervis. A runaway from school, Joseph arrives at his uncle’s house in London and thus begins a new story. Albert Nightingale appears quite the eccentric uncle, living in a museum-like house that he keeps frozen in time. Naturally curious, Joseph attempts to learn more about his uncle, the house, his family and eventually ties together the two stories – illustrative and narrative.  (It should also be noted that Joseph’s uncle Albert has a relationship with another man. Selznick does not come right out and discuss homosexuality or AIDS but both are alluded to in the story. Younger readers will likely not pick up on these but older readers may.)

Beautiful artwork instantly creates an emotional connection to the Marvel family, with intricate details including newspapers and letters. Readers of Selznick know the stories will eventually intertwine, yet it is deliciously drawn out as readers are given clues and random ideas to ponder. Profound quotes are sprinkled in the text, including the theme “You either see it or you don’t.” Finishing the book leaves the reader a bit bereft, almost with a desire to read it over simply to be immersed in the world of the Marvels once again.

Realistic Fantasy      Lisa Weiss, Churchville Elementary School

 

 

danger

Osborne, Mary Pope. Danger in the Darkest Hour. (Magic Treehouse, Super Edition #1). New York: Random House, 2015. 978-0553497724. 180p. $13.00. Gr. 3-5.

The first book of the new Super Edition series finds Jack and Annie appearing older (though their age is not stated) and parachuting into France to help their friends, Teddy and Kathleen, during the Nazi Occupation in 1944. The book is a natural progression for fans of the original series who have reached the preteens and are ready for a somewhat longer, more complex story allowing for the more mature subject matter of World War II.  THOUGHTS: An excellent segue for loyal fans into a new level of exposure.

Historical Fiction        Robin Bartley, Davis Elementary

The Port Chicago 50

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portchicago

Sheinkin, Steve.  The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights.  New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2014.  978-1-59643-796-8.  200 p.  $19.99.  Gr. 7 and up.

During World War II, Port Chicago was a segregated naval base where black sailors loaded bombs and ammunition onto ships.  Having received no training on the proper handling of explosives, the sailors knew they were doing dangerous, albeit necessary, work.  Then, one fateful day in July of 1944, a massive explosion killed 320 servicemen and injured many more.  Shortly thereafter, in August of 1944, the remaining black servicemen were ordered to return to work loading bombs and ammunition at a new location.  Fifty of these men refused to return to this dangerous work unless working conditions were improved.  These fifty were charged with mutiny, threatened with death by firing squad, and brought to trial in a court-martial.  Fighting not only for their innocence, but also against the racial inequality that was prevalent in the U.S. military during WWII, these brave men helped to change policies and attitudes pertaining to African American servicemen.  Incorporating photographs, primary source reproductions, direct quotes from the sailors themselves, and the involvement of well-known civil rights activists like Eleanor Roosevelt and Thurgood Marshall, this book tells the story of 50 unsung heroes of the civil rights movement.

940.54; World War II                                                              Julie Ritter, Montoursville Area High School

The author seems to have really done his research for this book.  He interviewed several of the sailors who were at Port Chicago when the explosion occurred, and his incorporation of their quotes makes the story come alive.  It reads almost like a fiction novel.  The book is an excellent addition to both World War II and civil rights collections.  I could see it being used in a social studies classroom to spark discussion on either of these topics.  Perhaps students could even set up a mock court-martial as they explore the rights of black sailors during WWII from both the white and black man’s perspective.

All the Light We Cannot See

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allthelight

Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel. New York: Scribner, 2014. 978-1-47674-658-6. 531 p. $23.00. Gr. 10 and up.

Blind since age six, Marie-Laure is a girl living in Paris with her father, a talented woodworker and locksmith for a museum. Werner Pfennig is a young orphan raised in an orphanage outside Essen, Germany, who has a talent for fixing radio transmitters and receivers. The story is told in alternating voices of the two children as they grow into young adults during the start of World War II. Marie-Laure and her father flee to Saint Malo to escape Paris before the German’s invade. They go to live with her father’s Uncle Etienne in his house by the sea. Her father has made her quite capable by building her a small replica of Paris, and later Saint Malo, then challenging her to find her way home from different places. This game they play, he knows will one day help her. Werner was a very bright child and he was tested for a technical school to which he was accepted. He then went on to help seek out illegal radio transmissions and destroy the threats. Marie-Laure’s father is hiding a “cursed” sapphire that the Nazi’s know about, and they send the gemologist, Von Rumpel to go find it, which leads to an interesting twist. Marie-Laure’s Uncle Etienne came back from World War I and never left the house again. The building resistance against Nazi Germany forces him back to life. He knows he must do something, so he and Marie-Laure broadcast numbers on their huge radio transmitter that they get from the baker in loaves of bread. The lives of Marie-Laure and Werner were always meant to intersect; it is the poignant ending that leaves you both devastated and elated at the same time.

Historical Fiction (WW II)     Kathy Gilbride, North Pocono MS and HS

As with any World War II novel, this could easily be used with an AP European History class to highlight German tactical thinking or the European response to the onslaught of the Nazis. This is one of the best novels I have ever read about World War II; mature YA readers will really enjoy it.

The Nightingale

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nightingale

Hannah, Kristin. The Nightingale. New York; St. Martin’s Press, 2015. Print. 978-0312577223. 448 p. $27.99. Gr. 11+.

Kristin Hannah’s newest historical fiction novel is an excellent addition to the numerous titles that focus on WWII. Her story centers around the lives of two sisters living in France, Vianne and Isabelle. Their father fought in the Great War, and after the death of their mother, fully succumbs to his PTSD and sends both girls to Carriveau, a small village in southern France. Vianne marries young, but impetuous Isabelle is sent to one boarding school after another. The novel begins with Vianne’s husband Antoine leaving to fight with the French army, and Isabelle arriving in Paris after being asked to leave her latest boarding school. When Germans invade France, Isabelle’s father forces her to leave Paris, and on the march to Carriveau she meets and falls in love with Gaetan, a man who introduces her to the idea of the Resistance. When a German officer eventually takes up residence in Vianne’s home, Isabelle realizes that she cannot stay with her sister, and ends up leaving and joining the Resistance in Paris, leading downed Allied airmen across treacherous mountains to safety in Spain. Meanwhile, Vianne deals with the deportation of her Jewish best friend and living with a German soldier in her home. The characters of Vianne and Isabelle are expertly drawn, and the reader feels what each individual woman is going through and develops an appreciation for and better understanding of the roles of women during wartime. The novel is interspersed with short descriptions of one of the sisters as an elderly woman preparing to return to Paris for a reunion of survivors. The story is fast paced, well-written, and all-around an excellent historical fiction. Recommend this title to students interested in the Holocaust and female involvement in WWII.

Historical (WWII France)  Lindsey Myers, Peters Township High School

I randomly picked up this title, and I cannot believe that I had not discovered Kristin Hannah before. I absolutely love her style of storytelling, and wished that I had started this book in the summer so that I could sit and read for hours just to finish it!  Historical fiction is my go-to summer genre, since they are usually more lengthy than general YA fiction. Though this title is not being marketed for Young Adults, Isabelle is only 18, and I believe that her story will definitely appeal to young adults. They will identify with Isabelle’s adolescent angst and need for love and attention, but also will learn from her as she adapts and rises to various challenges that occur in her life. While I was reading this, our 10th grade Honors English classes came in to select historical fiction novels to read for an independent reading project. I book talked this book, and one girl immediately picked it up with excitement. I am eager to hear her thoughts, especially since I enjoyed it so much myself! This novel makes me want to read more first-hand accounts of non-Jewish female resistance fighters during WWII.