Skrypuch, Marsha Forchuk Making Bombs for Hitler, 240 pages. Scholastic, FEB 2017. $18. Violence:
PG-13 (not for elementary schools)
Lida, nine, has lived a nice life in the Ukraine in 1943,
but one day she and her little sis are rounded up, separated, and Lida is taken
to a labor camp in Germany to serve the Third Reich. As Ukrainians they are considered second
class citizens, getting the least of the food and the worst assignments. Lida learns quickly to lie about her age and
talks her way into a job in the laundry as a seamstress. Lida makes a couple of friends, but
circumstances take her away to a new assignment in a factory making bomb
parts. Through her entire ordeal, Lida
is determined to one day to be reunited with her sister.
Skrypuch adds some interesting new details to my personal knowledge
of life in a labor camp – including using young children as involuntary blood
donors for the troops. One of the most
poignant scenes for me was after Lida is liberated (spoiler), when she is taken
to the shower, she cires so hard that the nurse goes into the shower with her
to console and comfort her. While the
main character is young, the subject matter is presented at a more mature level.
MS – ESSENTIAL. Cindy,
Library Teacher.
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