Newbery Books discussion

This will probably remain my favorite book to introduce children to the Holocaust. I didn't reread it last month - but even though it's been years the imagery of little Annemarie carrying her little basket, terrified of being questioned by the soldiers is fresh in my mind. A little heroine. What a story of courage!

I loved the stories of the Danish people and their courage in the face of the Nazis: burning and sinking their whole Navy once they came to terms with certain defeat, their beloved King relinquishing his crown, etc. What a wonderful story about how one nation out-loved and out-smarted the Germans!

My daughter and I love this book. It's so well written...so poetic and sensitive. Not overly scary but the intense moments are real and a great way to begin discussions about World War II.

I agree with everything Kristine said. :)

have you read The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen? that's the best Holocaust book i've read.
(p.s. whoever created dictionary.com Thank You!)

Jim wrote: "have you read The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen? that's the best Holocaust book i've read.
"

Jim, I read that book over and over when I was younger! It is amazing, and I definitely second his recommendation! It focuses more on life in the concentration camps and understanding your heritage, while Number the Stars (which is also a phenomenal book) is more about the struggles of being a Jew in Germany with Hitler in power. A little Diary of Anne Frank almost (but better, I think...)

I've also read The Devil's Arithmetic and I also highly recommend it. However, I feel that that book was written to an older audience than Number the Stars. Number the Stars is perfect for introducing the Holocaust to kids grades 4-6 and The Devil's Arithmetic is perfect for middle school aged kids. Both are excellent children's lit. and should be in every school and public library.

This little book would be good for an elementary students first contact with the Holocaust. The afterward is very touching, telling that the author got her inspiration from a real Danish friend and that most of the Danish Jews were helped by their friends and neighbors to escape to Sweden.

I agree with Kristine that images from Number the Stars stick in my mind years after I first read it. I really like this book. The writing is lovely and the story is intense and true on more than one level. A lot of people like The Giver by the same author, but personally, Number the Stars appeals to me much more. Also like Kristine, I love the history of Denmark under Nazi occupation. It makes me feel proud that my children have Danish heritage.

My cousin just recommended another Holocaust book to me, Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. It is about an incident in France not so heroic as what happened in Danish history. The average rating on Goodreads is 4.02, so I plan to read it soon.

so I'll make sure my daughter reads holocaust in this order:

number the stars
devil's arithmetic
the hiding place
the book thief

i'll have to check out sarah's key

A friend of mine read that book and she said that it was too depressing, so I'm very interested in what you guys will think of it.

I'm interested to see how you like Sarah's Key, too, Mom (Kathy). I haven't read it so I think I'll wait for your review.

I have another Holocaust book which I'd recommend for adults. It's called The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. The subtitle is something like "On the possibilities and limits of forgiveness." It's a true story about a Jewish man who is asked by a Nazi to forgive him, and he struggles with that much more than Corrie ten Boom did. The story brings up moral issues which are not so easy to answer. It's fairly short, quite interesting and a good book for discussion. Hmmm, maybe I'll suggest it to my local book club this year. After WWII, the author spent his life helping to track down former Nazis and bring them to justice.

Wow! I've never heard of that one, but it sounds really good. Of course, another good one is "Man's Search for Meaning", by Viktor Frankl. Very thought provoking and awe inspiring. I would actually consider it life changing, too.

Sarah's Key is a great story, but it is not a children's book--maybe YA. It's a little known story of the Jews in France during WWII. It's based on a real event.

Kristine, this is probably obvious, but don't have your daughter read them all in a row, put something cheerful in between them ie Narnia, Anne of Green Gables.

Some other very good Holocaust books for children are:
* Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
* Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
* The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo
* The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco

And for slightly older children/young adults:
* Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps by Andrea Warren

ETA: Although I agree with others here who have said that Number the Stars is one of the best books out there for introducing children to the Holocaust. I also really like The Devil's Arithmetic for slightly older students.

Sorry I didn't make it clear that Sarah's Key is an adult book.

Jim wrote: "Kristine, this is probably obvious, but don't have your daughter read them all in a row, put something cheerful in between them ie Narnia, Anne of Green Gables."

!! Thanks Jim, that is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. I swear all my bills from her therapy that would inevitably follow should be enough to keep me from that path . . .

I've lately been thinking how interesting it is that one of the most horrific events in human history has produced some of the greatest literature. (one of my favorites that wasn't mentioned here, again a holocaust book: Night by Elie Wiesel).

Are we gluttons for punishment? Is the suffering foreign and interesting to us; like passing a car wreck? Or do we identify our personal suffering with the larger atrocities? How is it that reading about the Holocaust makes me more human?

i keep hoping i'll come across a passage that says why we choose to create such things as the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide and Palestine. then we'll stop because a book explained it.

We write and read about these events so that they won't be forgotten and maybe that makes them less likely to happen again.

Kathy wrote: "We write and read about these events so that they won't be forgotten and maybe that makes them less likely to happen again."

True. But then once you read one book you would think you were protected from being someone who would let it happen again. Why do I read 20 of these books if 5 would accomplish that goal?

I don't mean to get political in this thread but I shudder when I think some people would gladly lock up all the Muslims or Arabs in this country -- or deny them the right to build a mosque . . .

Remembering and trying to do better sounds really nice, but for me I think I am still trying to understand how it could have happened! I have an insatiable appetite to KNOW more of the details, to feel their thoughts, to hear different sides, and to hopefully see how it could have even happened. It is so incomprehensible to my heart.

I like your insight, Louise. I actually avoid many holocaust books precisely because they are too painful to my heart. How could human beings do this?! We must never forget and I never will after only a few books. But I can understand and appreciate your point of view, Louise. I think you have a valuable insight.

I also think that we read many of these books for the redeeming qualities of some of the characters. We are inspired by their courage, faith, and love in the face of terrible evil. We ask ourselves questions like: "How did they endure? Could I do that if I had to?" or "What is the essence of a human being when all else is stripped away?" or "Would/will I be brave enough to risk all and sacrifice for others?" I think these are soul searching questions which are hard to answer but important to ponder.

I love everyone's responses! I think sometimes if I read these books with a little more focus I get more out of them . . .

I loved The Devil's Arithmetic and hated Number the Stars. Thought it was hokey and badly written. I was horrified when it won the Newbery, but alas, they didn't consult me. :)

Are we gluttons for punishment? Is the suffering foreign and interesting to us; like passing a car wreck? Or do we identify our personal suffering with the larger atrocities? How is it that reading about the Holocaust makes me more human?

I just finished a book called "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian woman who was sent to Ravensbruck for hiding Jews. Instead of being horrific, the tone of the book was hopeful. She was able to rise above her trials and become a stronger person because of them. That inspired me. Nobody really likes trials, me included, but this book showed me that trials can be for my good. I think that's one good thing that can come of Holocaust books (depending on the book, of course). I think Number the Stars does that, too.

I love The Hiding Place. Very inspirational! I especially love the lessons her father taught her.