Torn Thread

Plot

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-A riveting account of the experiences of two Polish-Jewish girls during World War II. Isaacs spares no details in describing the physical suffering and mental anguish of 12-year-old Eva and her 14-year-old sister Rachel during their two years in a labor camp in Czechoslovakia. Every day they worked 12 long hours in a hot, dusty mill spinning yarn for blankets and uniforms for Nazi soldiers, the clumsy machinery posing a constant threat to their safety. Exhausted by the hard work and suffering from malnutrition, inadequate clothing, severe weather, and frequent illness, the sisters manage to survive their desperate situation. Eva remembers her dear father's often repeated advice: "Try to stay alive for one more hour." She is resourceful and manages to secure extra bits of food by knitting for others. Despite almost starving, she remains obedient to her religious dietary laws. The prisoners help one another in time of need, and a kindly German supervisor in the mill protects girls who are too ill to work. These acts of kindness and friendship help to keep alive the hope that one day the war will end. And at long last the Soviet soldiers rescue them. After a time, the young women begin life anew in Canada. In a brief afterword, the author reveals that she heard the story from Eva herself, now her mother-in-law. This powerful testament to the human spirit provides much opportunity for discussion of this dark time in human history.
Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT