Ages 7-11.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-4-Clara treasures the two antique dolls that came with her grandmother when the family fled from the pogroms in Russia to Austria. Now the family is planning to escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, and Clara intends to take them with her. When Mama sews her treasured silver candlesticks into the petticoat of her oldest daughter, they make noise and Papa is afraid they will clank and alert the border guards. Clara then suggests hiding the candlesticks in the dolls' straw stuffing since this is their second "night crossing," and they are not afraid. This is a suspenseful escape story written for transitional readers. The danger is clear but not belabored. The stress is on the family's closeness and courage. The dolls and candlesticks are tangible representations of continuity and tradition, which comfort and sustain the family. An epilogue reveals the fate of the Jews who did not escape, including Clara's grandmother. Ackerman's writing is clear and direct; despite its simplicity, it is never banal. This is an excellent fictional introduction to the Holocaust that is slightly easier to read, but for the same audience as, Claire Bishop's Twenty and Ten (Peter Smith, 1984). It will also be a good choice for less proficient older readers wanting World War II novels.
| Owner | Holocaust Fiction |
|---|---|
| Location | Non-numeric Call numbers |
| Index | 3011 |
| Added Date | Jan 05, 2016 18:06:18 |
| Modified Date | Jan 06, 2016 05:22:08 |
This brief story follows Clara, a young Jewish schoolgirl of Innsbruck, Austria as the German National Socialists begin their persecution of Jewish communities after the German National Socialist annexation of Austria. As Papa and Mama prepare the family's escape to the neutral country of Switzerland, the story focuses on the anxiety and fear as the family makes hard choices in order to survive. The epilogue eventually finds the family in England at the end of the war and alludes to the terrors of the Holocaust. However, it does not specifically name the atrociites, allowing parents to talk to their children about this historical reality. It especially struck me that the author's dedication is: "For Clara, with remembrance, for Mimi, with love, and for the one and a half million children who perished in the Holocaust." This is a difficult story that must be told to children of this generation and future generations.
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