Fitzgerald, Stephanie. Kristallnacht.

Fitzgerald, Stephanie. Kristallnacht. Capstone/Compass Point  2018 112p $35.99  ISBN 978-0-7565-5583-2     ms   Nonfiction  VG-BNS   series: Eyewitness To World War II 

Middle-school students who are interested in learning more about Kristallnacht and the beginnings of the Holocaust will appreciate this new title in the Eyewitness to World War II series.  The book is written in a story-like fashion with personal quotations and primary sources, and students will gain a better understanding of Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass". When German Jews were blamed for Germany’s problems, Hitler and the Nazi Party encouraged their private army, known as the Sturmabteilungen or SA, to destroy Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues.  Students read first-hand the devastation this event caused Jews, with more than 8,000 Jewish-owned homes, businesses, and schools destroyed by fire and total destruction and more than 30,000 Jews sent to concentration camps. The author provides readers with insights into Hitler and his power, as well as the conditions in the concentration camps -- the deaths, the discrimination against Jews, and what occurred in the aftermath of Kristallnacht.  Students will empathize with Jews, as these death camps murdered more than six million Jews, or two-thirds of the Jews living in Europe in 1939.

The author includes black-and-white period photographs, personal quotations, maps, primary sources, interesting sidebars, a timeline of events, a glossary of terms, a list of recommended books and websites, critical thinking questions, source notes, a bibliography, and a comprehensive index.  The title would make an excellent addition to a middle-school collection for both reading and history reports.   

Summary: “Recounts the events surrounding the November 1938 attacks in which Nazi troops in Germany and Austria destroyed more than eight thousand Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues, beginning the Nazi's persecution of the Jews.”

Holocaust, World War II, Kristallnacht, 1938      

                                         --Charleen Forba-MacCain

Schulman, L.B. Stolen Secrets.

Schulman, L.B.  Stolen Secrets. Boyd's Mills Press  2017        303p.  $17.95  ISBN 978-1-62979-722-9  ms/hs  Historical Fiction            E-BN

This novel is engrossing as much for its suggestion of new possibilities as for its well-developed, believable plot.  The possibilities allow for a new interpretation of Anne Frank’s experience in Bergen-Belsen, and the drama that unravels is both startling and thought-provoking.  When Livvy and her mother make a move to San Francisco, Livvy believes it is to make a new start.  Instead, it is about picking up a relationship that she had believed to be long gone, a relationship with her grandmother.  Conflicts begin instantly: man-versus-man pits Livvy against a caregiver named Vickie, a woman who is untrustworthy and sly as a fox; man-versus-self pits Mother against her drinking (why does she relapse now, of all times? Livvy must figure this out); man-versus-society pits her grandmother Oma against a society that hated Jews in the middle of the century and now against herself as, with Alzheimers, she struggles to make sense of her fragmented memories.  It is up to Livvy to figure out Oma’s role in all this, and with the help of new acquaintance Franklin D, she embarks on a journey to self-discovery that will leave readers asking lots of questions about themselves.  When Livvy finds diary pages about a concentration camp, she realizes that her grandmother has profound secrets.  Livvy comes to believe her grandmother knew Anne Frank in her last days, or is herself Anne Frank!  This cast of characters comes together to make the reader ponder Frank’s final days.  The plot keeps the reader fascinated, and the climax and resolution are stunning.  Writing of this quality is unimaginable, as much for its creativity as for its style and message.

Summary: Livvy and her mother move to California for a new start.  Instead, Livvy finds herself embarking on a journey of discovery, first to figure out who her grandmother really is, and secondly, to help her mother recover from alcoholism.  With post-war America as the setting and the Holocaust as a compelling topic, Livvy finds herself completely absorbed.

World War II-Fiction, Holocaust-Fiction             --Martha Squaresky

Chandler, Matt. Outrunning The Nazis.

Chandler, Matt.  Outrunning The Nazis.  Capstone Publishers 2017  32p   $30.65      ISBN 978-1-5157-3529-8  ms  graphic nonfiction  Series: Great Escapes of World War II (Capstone)      Nonfiction  VG-BN

Sven Somme was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II, as were his brothers.  Acting as an Allied spy in occupied Norway, he was captured by the Nazis and miraculously he escaped from a German warship.  With the aid and assistance of other resistance members and incredible luck, he was able to evade the soldiers trying to capture him and traverse the 200 miles of back country and mountains to the Swedish border.  Clearly explaining the chain of events and the people involved, this graphic memoir brings the tension and danger to the forefront.  The illustrations are presented in multiple panels that lend great immediacy to the story.  The book begins and ends with a text explanation of the book's events, a glossary, links to a site called "Using the Common Core", and an index.        

Summary: Sven Somme was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II, as were his brothers.  Clearly explaining the chain of events and the people involved, this graphic memoir brings the tension and danger to the forefront.

World War II, Resistance Fighters                                 --Susan Ogintz

Gruenbaum, Michael, and Todd Hasak-Lowy. Somewhere There Is Still a Sun.

Gruenbaum, Michael, and Todd Hasak-Lowy.  Somewhere There Is Still a Sun.  Aladdin see Simon Schuster 2015  384p.  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-4424-8486-3    ms/hs  Memoir  VG-BN 

This well-written memoir details the life and experiences of Michael (Misha) Gruenbaum, who was born in Prague and lived in the Jewish community there until his transfer to a concentration camp in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, with his mother and sister.  Written in the first person, Michael’s memoir tells the story of the most horrific years of his life, from 1939-1945, from the perspective of the boy that he was at that time.

The events are written as Misha the boy understood them, so young readers will feel empathy for him and relate to his family’s trials and suffering. Gruenbaum tells in great detail of the fear that he felt every day, waiting to be transported, and then being sent with his mother and sister to live in the concentration camp in Terezin until the end of the war when the Red Cross arrived, and the reader feels as though s/he is coming along on the journey.  Misha describes the conflict and surreal emotions that he experienced for four years as he roomed with forty other boys who became his brothers, playing soccer one day, hiding another day, and always hungry.

The book is written with sensitivity, but it accurately depicts the brutal events and raw emotions felt by many Jews during the Holocaust. It will resonate well with students seeking first-person information on the Holocaust. The memoir ends with an epilogue that provides an adult’s perspective on Misha’s adolescent misconceptions and misunderstandings of the events that occurred. It also describes his move to the United States and his reasons for writing the book, which is highly recommended.

Summary: This is a well-written memoir detailing the life and experiences of Michael Gruenbaum, born into Prague’s Jewish community and later transferred to a labor camp in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, during the Holocaust, 1939-1945.

Holocaust, World War II                               --Virginia McGarvey

Atkinson, Rick. Battle of the Bulge.

Atkinson, Rick.  Battle of the Bulge.  Macmillan/ Henry Holt      2015  237p  $19.99  ISBN 978-1-62779-113-7  ms/hs  Nonfiction  E-BN 

The Battle of the Bulge is put into the context of World War II and the positions of both sides as the war was beginning to wind down.  There are maps, charts, timelines, and lists of key players and the countries involved in each side of the conflict.  Atkinson very carefully and skillfully explains the thought processes that both the Allies and Hitler had in this period of the conflict.  He also discusses the fact that Hitler’s own men disagreed with his assessment of the situation, but were powerless to alter his plans.  In general, this is an excellent and thorough discussion of the Battle of the Bulge and will also teach broader lessons about the war in its entirety.  Highly recommended.  

Summary: The Battle of the Bulge is put into the context of World War II and the positions of both sides as the war was beginning to wind down.  There are maps, charts, timelines, and lists of key players and the countries involved in each side of the conflict.

World War II                                                      --Carol Kennedy