Cross-posted from Kiss the Book reviewer's
personal blog
Middle Grade WW2 Historical Fiction - HOLOCAUST
No horror story matches that of the German and Soviet
attempts at ethnic cleansing that occurred during World War 2. The attempt to
control the lives of the innocent citizens continued well into the Cold War.
These are some of the best written recreations of what happened during that
time.
Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, is Jewish and Denmark
is under invasion by the Germans. The Rosens must act quickly or risk being
deported to a concentration camp. Annemarie’s family devises a plan to disguise
Ellen as a family member and send both girls to relatives in Sweden. If the
plan works, they will save Ellen. If not, Annemarie’s family will face dire
consequences.
Bruno’s father has just received a promotion to oversee
Auschwitz. Soon after they move in, Bruno goes exploring and discovers a large
fence with a boy his age sitting on the other side. Bruno has no idea what is
really going on. The two boys become friends and begin meeting at the fence
every day. Tragedy strikes when Bruno decides to cross the fence.
Liesel is an orphan living in Germany during WW2. Her foster
father teaches her to read and when she attends a book burning she steals a
book. From there she begins to “borrow” books from a wealthy family when she
delivers their laundry. More dangerous than that, her foster father decides to
repay a debt by harboring a Jewish man who saved his life. The most heart
wrenching part of the book is the narration by death as he comments on the
tragedy of war.
As the book opens, we meet a young boy in Warsaw who knows
nothing about himself. He is picked up by a band of orphans who survive by
stealing food. One orphan takes him under his wing and names him Misha. As the
story continues, the humiliation of the Jews begins and eventually the
evacuation to the infamous Warsaw ghetto. Misha is a very naïve boy, but
manages to avoid the deportation to the concentration camps. Describes the struggle
for basic survival within the locked gates of the ghetto.
Lina is a Lithuanian during World War 2. The Russians are
carrying out their own ethnic cleansing and ship Lina and her family to labor
camps in Siberia. After surviving a grueling transport in a cattle car, they
are forced to live in huts with no heat and must work hard labor for meager
food rations. When the time comes for transport to another camp, Lina’s family
have high hopes for something better. Instead, they are moved further north
where it’s even colder and there is less food.
Karl is a 12yo German boy who is proud of his
accomplishments in the Deutsches Jungvolk or German Youngsters. He can’t wait
to be old enough to join the Hitler Youth. His older brother, Stefan, will
never join the Hitler Youth. He is against Hitler and his plan for Germany.
When their father dies fighting the Russians, reality slowly begins to reveal
itself to Karl until eventually he wants nothing more than to switch allegiance
and join the anti- Hitler Youth group, Edelweiss Pirates, like his brother.
Helmut is a German boy when Hitler comes to power. As
Hitler’s power grows, he sees a country being torn apart. Though forced to join
the Hitler Youth and cover up his true feelings, his anxiety is reaching
critical mass. He steals his brother’s radio and begins listening to the
forbidden British war updates. His moral compass demands that he do something,
so he begins secretly distributing pamphlets around town to inform his fellow Germans
of the truth.
This is actually a post WW2 book.Greta’s father and older
brother are visiting West Berlin when the barbed wire goes up on the Berlin
Wall and the gates slam shut, preventing travel between the two sides of the
city. Greta and her brother Fritz feel like prisoners on the east side. One day
Greta sees her father dancing on a platform near the wall. She eventually
figures out that it is a message to dig a tunnel under the wall. It’s risky and
she must be very careful. If she’s caught, the consequences will be dire.
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