I grew up in the 1940s and '50s so I knew about the way Jewish people had been treated in Nazi Germany, but most kids today have no idea what things were like then. This book manages to let young readers understand a lot about that situation in only about 40 pages and without going into the extremely gruesome details.
We care about the main character, Ellie. She's believable and takes some action that makes a difference so she's not just a victim. And the ending of the story is positive.
The black and white illustrations by KC Snider look a lot like the black and white photographs of that era and help to set the scenes.
With all the bad things in the news lately, it will be a big help for children who read this book to understand how wrong it is to be prejudiced against other people. I think every kid in America should read it.
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2 comments:
Hi Janet Ann. Thank you for this review of a book that sounds, not just interesting, but important. Marilee is to be congratulated for tackling an unpleasant subject and giving her heroic character a happy ending. KC has done her usual excellent work in illustrating the story with black and white pictures that capture the era. The front cover is beautiful.
Thanks, Barbara. It is an excellent book and I hope it reaches lots of kids.
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