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Reading age
9-12
Genre
Nonfiction
Publisher
Scholastic Focus
Publication date
February 2, 2021
“When a country is overcome by hatred and fear when war and massacres spread like the plague, there are nevertheless always a few men and women who do not join the pack. Without a word, they step aside. In secrecy and danger, they prefer to help rather than denounce, protect rather than destroy.” – Jacques Semelin.
These are stories of Jewish survivors from Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Poland. A few examples are:
- Eva and Martin Deutschkron. This young couple was forced to go through many hiding places in Berlin, the Nazi capital.
- Gertrud Sonnenberg. Gerturd and her sister, Herta, were forced to live in the frigid conditions of the Riga Ghetto in Latvia.
- Fred Angress. He was forced to serve in the Judenrat (the Jewish Council the Nazis set up), but secretly Fred and others helped the Jews escape under the Nazi’s noses.
- And many others. The situations were different, but they all fought the same enemy, the Nazis.
I liked that the settings were different in many ways. Germany sounded chaotic; I was on the edge when danger came. The Netherlands was intriguing and exciting because I did not know much about that place.
The people all had different personalities. Their stories were heroic and sad, but these people never gave up. That’s what I admired most about this book; their perseverance.
The theme of this book is to fight for what’s right. I recommend this book to WWII history enthusiasts and inspiring stories. We must not forget that part of our History.
My rating
About the author
“Deborah Hopkinson is the highly acclaimed author of thrilling, accessible, and compelling nonfiction for every reader. She has written over forty award-winning books, including Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist and Sibert Honor Book; D-Day: The World War II Invasion that Changed History; We Had to be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport, which was a Kids’ Book Choice Award Nominee and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book; We Must Not Forget; and her series for Grades 2-5, The Deadliest, which are action-packed, photo-filled nonfiction titles about disasters throughout history. Deborah lives outside Portland, Oregon.” – Book Depository.
