Paper Hearts

Meg Wiviott's novel in verse is based on a true story of friendship and survival during the holocaust.

Fania and Zlotka find themselves at Auschwitz concentration camp.  There is no reason for the Nazis to hate them--except that they are Jews.  The girls never met before coming to the camp, but once there they form an instant bond of friendship.

Through the dehumanizing efforts of the Nazis, the young women find courage and strength from each other and their small group of friends.  In a place without hope, without love, without family, these young women dare to find all three.

Everything is illegal in Auschwitz but especially paper, pencils, and scissors, but Fania's 20th birthday is coming, and her friends want to do something special, something small, something dangerous.  They steal supplies to make a birthday card in the shape of a heart and bound with fabric taken from their own clothes.

This true story shows that it is possible to have hope and friendship even in the darkest of times.  Highly recommended.

The Boy on the Wooden Box

When Leon Leyson moved to Krakow with his family in 1938, he thought his life would be full of excitement, but an invading force from Germany soon followed, and life changed for everyone.  The boys who once played with Leon began to bully him, and Nazis filled the streets with propaganda about the Jews.

Soon all the Jews were moved to the Krakow ghetto, a small area of the city walled off to contain them.  That is when things really turned frightening, and rumors of death camps and mass killings circulated in the ghetto.

Leon and his family didn't know if they would survive the Nazi occupation, but then his father was hired by Oskar Schindler.  Schindler's enamel works made pots and pans for the German war effort.  While Schindler partied with powerful members of the Nazi party, he argued his workers were highly specialized and necessary.

Leon and his family were still near death many times, and they faced the horror and uncertainty of the camps, and the family would not survive the war in tact, but thanks to Oskar Schindler, Leon and over 1,000 other Jews would survive the war.

This is the true story of the youngest person to be saved by Oskar Schindler.  It is a story of courage and humanity in a time of horror and cruelty.  A must read!

Prisoner B-3087

Yanek's story begins in Nazi-occupied Poland.  He and other Polish Jews are imprisoned in the Krakow ghetto and subject to food shortages, work details, and violence.

But that is only the beginning.  Over the next nine years, Yanek will be separated from everyone he knows and loves and shuttled to ten different concentration/extermination camps.  Through it all, Yanek holds fast to his determination to survive no matter what.

Yanek's story is based on the true story of Jack Gruener, a real Polish Jew who survived the hardships and atrocities Yanek faces in the book.  This first hand account of life in the camps is heartbreaking and painful, but it is ultimately a story of survival against the odds.

Read Alan Gratz's novelization of Jack Gruener's real experiences! Watch the video to see and hear the real life inspiration for this book.

My Family for the War

Ziska Mangold is not really Jewish.  Yes, her ancestors were, but her grandparents converted to Christianity years ago, so she has grown up as a Christian.  None of this matters when things start to get bad in Germany.  She faces the same persecution as the orthodox Jews in the neighborhood.

By the time things become dire for Ziska's family, it's almost impossible to leave the country.  She doesn't understand why the Nazis won't let the Jews leave if they hate them so much.  This is when Ziska's mother learns about the kindertransport.  Jewish children are loaded on trains and sent to live with foster families in England for the duration of the war.

Ziska is horrified that her mother wants to send her away.  How can she be safe and happy if her family has abandoned her?

My Family for the War is Ziska's story of growing up and coming to terms with a new life and family forced on her by Hitler and the Nazi party.  She will discover new struggles and fears in this life, but she will also find friendship and love.  As painful as her struggles can sometimes be, the happy times are bittersweet as she remembers those she left behind in Nazi occupied Europe.

Anne C. Voorhoeve's novel gives the reader a window into life for Jews in England during the war and the far reaching and painful effects of conflict.

To learn more about the kindertransports, watch this video:

Ashes by Kathryn Lasky

The year is 1932.  They place is Berlin, Germany.  Gabby Schram is a normal 13 year old girl, but life in Berlin is definitely not normal.  There is a new man rising to political power in an obscure part of the country, but he some people, including Gabby's parents, worried.  Others think Hitler will restore pride and prosperity to Germany.  Gabby isn't sure about Hitler, but she knows she doesn't like the brown shirts, Hitler's private army who are crowding the streets of Berlin. 

Life is changing for Gabby and everyone else in Berlin, and Hitler's new army makes her feel ashamed of many things, even her long blonde braids.  Gabby doesn't trust her sister's new boyfriend, and she worries for Mr. Einstein who is a colleague of her father's at the university.  Even her beloved teacher turns into someone Gabby doesn't recognize. 

Is Germany changing for the better, or will Gabby's beloved Germany be turned to ashes?