Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children

Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

This extraordinary graphic novel tells the true stories of six Jewish children and young people who survived the Holocaust.

Between 1933 and 1945, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party were responsible for the persecution of millions of Jews across Europe. From suffering the horrors of Auschwitz, to hiding from Nazi soldiers in war-torn Paris, to sheltering from the Blitz in England, each true story is a powerful testament to the survivors' courage. These remarkable testimonials serve as a reminder never to allow such a tragedy to happen again.

Also in this graphic novel:

  • Current photographs of each contributor along with an update about their lives
  • A glossary
  • A timeline to support the reader and develop their understanding of this period

School and Library Association Information Books Awards, 2017 in the UK.

Select format:
Hardcover
$19.99

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8--Each of these six accounts of Holocaust survivors are unique, yet all convey terror and despair. The contributors were children from different parts of Europe when the Nazis came to power in Germany, and all of their families were torn apart by rampant anti-Semitism. One child was saved by a neighbor when the Nazis came to take her family away, one child was sent to a concentration camp, one child was part of the Kindertransport, and yet another child's family managed to escape to England. The graphic novel format and first-person narration create an intimate, harrowing portrait. Each story uses a different color scheme, some with burnt oranges and browns, some with more subdued blues, each slightly distinct from the next. The blocky illustrations are child-friendly and accessible yet still explore dark themes and images, making this a good option for upper elementary school students and middle schoolers. Excellent back matter includes photos and descriptions of the children as adults, an extensive time line and glossary, and a lengthy list of websites for further research. VERDICT Using an engaging format to shed light on a devastating yet important topic, this is a strong choice for most libraries.--Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

In this graphic novel repackaging of an animation series created in 2014 and produced for BBC Learning, six Holocaust survivors narrate their experiences in unsparing terms. Whittingham's angular images--a hybrid of German Expressionism and contemporary vector art--depict the fear and horror they endured as Jewish children and teenagers. The survivors' recollections of seeing their frantic parents powerless in the face of an inexorable force (Nazis are depicted as brutal, often larger-than-life automatons) is particularly searing: in many images, the characters run in fear or sit with devastating loneliness after being separated forever from a loved one. "Nobody ever said, I'll explain what happened to you," says Suzanne, a Parisian Jew with curly red hair who went from "a lovely life. It was a cultured life" to being hidden and abused after her parents were taken away and murdered. The narratives often end abruptly, gnawing at the heart; an afterword includes photos of the now-elderly survivors and brief descriptions of their achievements--including, most hearteningly, grandchildren. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Nothing short of miraculous...never pushing past what a young reader can bear. - Booklist
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781492688921
Lexile Measure
750
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Sourcebooks Explore
Publication date
October 20, 2019
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Historical
JNF025090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Holocaust
JNF062020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | History
Library of Congress categories
Graphic novels
England
Leeds (England)
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Jewish children in the Holocaust
Comics (Graphic works)
Holocaust survivors
Leeds

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