Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the TerezÃn ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in … that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.
Out of one of the darkest chapters of human history comes this extraordinary story of courage and hope.
This title has Common Core connections.
Godwin Books
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This is a book to read to see how even in the worst of times during them Holocaust, people were working to have a horrible world be as normal as possible. The book is gripping and lets us know how absolutely horrific the Holocaust really was. May we never forget and may we pray they atrocities never happen again.
Reading this book reminded me of how resilient people of the Holocaust were under dire circumstances.
What a haunting story! We need more like this as our last Holocaust survivors leave this earth.
Good characters and thought provoking information.
This novel is based on a real young woman who acted as a “librarian” for the eight books that have survived in Auschwitz and are used by the “teachers” in a children’s school. The school was allowed so that Red Cross observers could be fooled about the true nature of the death camp. This book was extremely difficult to read as it alternated historical details with t the plot developing as time passed and the fear of discovery grew.
The author’s descriptions of scenes and characters are so well done. This book has some very sad moments but also some positive moments. One of my favorites.
An unusual event happening within the context of life in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. High level of writing, well-developed characters, high level of tension maintained in a battle between good and evil. Emphasis on courage and persistence of a group of camp inhabitants who highly value survival for themselves and fellow inmates.
Interesting. Like so many Holocaust memoirs, there are details that we just can’t know. This is one of them. Easy to read, fascinating and scary. Highly recommended.
Full of details that are hard to imagine . Love the clear descriptions
Great book about Dita as well as her family and friends and what they endured during the holocaust.
Most realistic description of the holocaust that I have ever read.
This is a brilliant book on an incredibly difficult subject.
I really enjoyed this book which Is based on the truth and shows the horrors of Auschwitz without going into graphic detail. It’s amazing how people can survive and try to maintain a sense of normalcy in such a dehumanizing atmosphere. After touring a concentration camp in Germany and seeing what people endured under such evil I appreciate the author for bringing out the personal stories of young Dita Kraus and others under such conditions.
Couldn’t put this down. It tells it as it was and we should never forget!!!
Since this is based on a true story, I’ve shelved it on historical non-fiction, even though this is the fictitious account. I’ve since discovered that Dita wrote her own memoir, which, tbh, I’d probably have chosen to read instead of this, purely because it is the factual account from the MC’s own pen, so to speak.
However, this was given to me as a Christmas gift. Initially, my heart sank when I realised almost the entire book was written in first person present tense – a style which I dislike and rarely read unless the storytelling is exceptional, but I felt it was something which would be worth reading, and also that I owed it to the giver to at least give it a go. I’m actually glad I did. Obviously, since it’s based on truth and centred on one of the most appalling crimes of history, that would make it worth reading, at any rate, but I found it a lot more compelling than I expected. It’s a difficult read, but the atrocities aren’t present in great detail, for which I was thankful, and possibly because it’s a translation, although I felt some of the despair in the camp, it wasn’t so painful to read as it might have been. All in all, a story worth the telling and worth the reading, although I may also give Dita’s own book a read, too, since that was written first hand.
This is an amazing account of a brave young girl’s efforts to maintain and hide away eight books. Books that would bring death to anyone responsible for bringing them into Auschwitz. The efforts made in Block 31 to help maintain the children’s sense of self worth and continue their education is awe inspiring. I absolutely recommend this book to everyone.