Hi, Shanah Tovah to everyone! This list is extensive. I would just caution that if it's the grades first exposure to the Shoah, care should be taken about which book to read. As mentioned there are so many choices, some better than others as read-alouds.
*Daniel's Story, *by Carol Matas*,(*Daniel, whose family suffers as the Nazis rise to power in Germany, describes his imprisonment in a concentration camp and his eventual liberation) is quite stirring. There is an exhibit in the United States Holocuast Memorial Museum in Washington from this book. I would like to add books by Kathy Kacer to this list. She is a Canadian author who has written a number of quality historic fiction and nonfiction books about different experiences during the Shoah, such as: *Gabi's Dresser* ( Gabi's world is turned upside down when the Nazis invade her country of Czechoslovakia. Inspired by the experiences of the author's mother), *The Underground Reporters (*The true story of the response of a group of Jewish children and young adults in a small town in Czechoslovakia during World War II -- their refusal to be silenced and deprived of a chance for self-expression) *Saving Edith *(he true story of Edith Schwalb, a young Jewish girl who was forced into hiding during World War II.) Be well, Sonia Sonia Kozlovsky Librarian Krieger Schechter Day School Chizuk Amuno Congregation 8100 Stevenson Road Baltimore, Maryland 21208 410-486-8640 skozlov...@ksds.edu On Thu, Sep 17, 2020 at 3:54 PM Jeff Corbett via Hasafran < hasafran@lists.osu.edu> wrote: > Shana Tova too! > > May I refer you to an excellent New Yorker magazine article on this topic? > https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/23/how-should-childrens-books-deal-with-the-holocaust > > It just depends on what kind of Holocaust book for youth you are looking > for. Here is the list that I am presently working my way through: > > 1947 - The Diary of Anne Frank. First published in the Dutch language in > 1947. Nonfiction. Appeared in English in 1952. Subject is hiding. Book does > not cover author's time in concentration camp and death. > 1970 - The Cigarette Sellers of Three Crosses Square - Ziemian > 1970 - Journey to America (and further two others in series) - Levitin > [Similar to Kerr's books]. Subject deals with escape. > 1971 - When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (and further two others in series) - > Kerr [Similar to Levitin's books]. Subject deals with escape. > 1971 - Friedrich - Richter. Originally published in German in 1961. > Narrator is a Gentile German boy. Jewish protagonist dies at the end. Deals > with living in Germany under increasing restrictions. > 1971 - Code: Polonaise - Wuorio > 1972 - I am Rosemarie - Moskin > 1972 - The Upstairs Room - Reiss > 1973 - To Fight In Silence - Wuorio > 1973 - A Pocket full of Seeds - Sachs > 1973 - Uncle Misha's Partisans - Suhl > 1974 - Bright Candles - Benchley > 1975 - On the Other Side of the Gate - Suhl > 1976 - Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust - Meltzer > 1988 - Devil's Arithmetic - Yolen - Deals with concentration camps and > extermination. > 1989 - Number the Stars - Lowry > 1992 - Briar Rose - Yolen > 1996 - Behind the Bedroom Wall - Williams > 1999 - Otto - Ungerer > 2006 - Boy in the Stripped Pajamas - Boyne > 2007 - The Book Thief - Zasuk > 2015 - Stone Angel - Yolen > 2016 - Girl in the Blue Coat - Hess > 2018 - Mapping the Bones - Yolen > > I just started working through this list, so I'll share with you my > impressions, limited as they may be. You probably already know "The Diary > of Anne Frank" (1947 - Frank). I had some difficulty finding a copy of > "Cigarette Sellers" (1970 - Ziemain), so I skipped that one for a while. A > copy just landed in my lap, so I'm making it my next read. The next two, > "Journey to America" (1970 - Levitin) and "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit" > (1971 - Kerr) are similar in nature. They both deal with the topic of > escape/refugees, (a topic that is à propos these days,) and each has two > follow-up books. If you are looking to get books into students' hands, > either might be good since there are "Read Alikes" available, in that if > they liked the characters, there are two more in each series. If they liked > the setting and action, there is the other author's one to read. I recently > finished "Friedrich" (1971 - Richter). This one took me by surprise because > it's unlike the others that I have read so far, namely the story is being > told from a Gentile German's eyes, (and not in the eyes of the Jewish > victims,) and that the death of the Jewish protagonist happens "on screen." > It must have been very daring back when it was first published. I wonder if > this book would be better if the class is primarily non-Jewish. Perhaps > reading a Holocaust book from the Jewish perspective would give them a > certain "detachment" as if it's just another point in history to have to > study. However, by reading a book in the eyes of someone like them > (non-Jew,) it may prompt deeper questions such as "Would I have > participated if I were I living then?" I also read "Devil's Arithmetic" > (1988 - Yolen) and "Number the Stars" (1989 - Lowry) when they came out > because I was a YA then. Yolen's might appeal to the "science-fictiony" > reader in the way she "transports" the modern reader to the time of the > Holocaust, instead of simply placing the story wholly in that era. I am > looking forward to rereading them. I saw the movie Boy in the Striped > Pajamas (2006) when it came out, and will look forward to actually reading > the book. It should be noted that the book is criticized in some circles > for being factually incorrect - > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_in_the_Striped_Pyjamas. Also, the > author is not Jewish - > https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/03/john-boyne-novelist-catholic-church-abuse-priesthood-boy-in-striped-pyjamas. > This fact may/may not matter to you. However, there is the issue of > "cultural approbation" which has been a hot issue in our profession > (librarianship) of late (see discussion on the recent (non-Holocaust) > bestseller "American Dirt.") It might be, depending on your audience and > the lesson, a topic worthy of discussion that you actually * want *to > wade into anyway! > > May I also suggest signing up for this free virtual conference on this > topic? > https://www.lvhresourcecenter.com/virtual-conference-on-childrens-and-young-adults-holocaust-literature/ > > Good luck! > > Jeff Corbett > __________ > Date: Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:26:50 -0400 > From: Wendie Sittenfield <wsittenfi...@jbha.org> > To: ha-Safran <hasaf...@lists.service.ohio-state.edu> > Subject: [ha-Safran] Seeking Holocaust book for grades 6-7 as a class > read > Message-ID: > < > cakdpfshfhmpalxtrq656ieo9sfwsv_e0akmsawnneft0yc8...@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Hello Safranim, > > Please send me your suggestions for a really engaging book for a middle > school class to read prior to starting a Holocaust elective. > > Many thanks in advance. > > Shana tova. > > Wendie Sittenfield > > > > > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual > author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries > (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > hasaf...@lists.service.ohio-state.edu > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: galro...@osu.edu > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > Earlier Listserver: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html > AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org > -- > Hasafran mailing list > Hasafran@lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran >
__ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: hasaf...@lists.service.ohio-state.edu To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: galro...@osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list Hasafran@lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
