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gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
One boy's experiences, from Prague to Terezin, with the threat constantly of being transported 'east' has a room of 40 other boys who bond together. His mother and miracles save him from Auschwitz.
lanica's review against another edition
5.0
PERSONAL REVIEW: This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. I kept wanting it to be fiction...and then I would remember that it was a memoir of a real person who lived through these events. Tense, and real. I hate to say I 'loved' it, but I will say that I truly believe that it deserves a five-star rating.
TEACHER REVIEW:
I want to have all of my students read it...but I am not sure I am up to the discussions that would follow as a middle-aged, middle-class white woman. The ability for our kids to read history from the point of view of someone who lived through it at the same age they are as they read it is a tool that should be used.
The c0-author explains in the afterward that he spent a lot of time working on making this a book easy to read and all the events happen as seen from the point of the view of the main character. He makes the reader feel as if they were actually at the camp, in the barracks, or playing soccer. Well written for a younger audience. Adults should read it, too.
TEACHER REVIEW:
I want to have all of my students read it...but I am not sure I am up to the discussions that would follow as a middle-aged, middle-class white woman. The ability for our kids to read history from the point of view of someone who lived through it at the same age they are as they read it is a tool that should be used.
The c0-author explains in the afterward that he spent a lot of time working on making this a book easy to read and all the events happen as seen from the point of the view of the main character. He makes the reader feel as if they were actually at the camp, in the barracks, or playing soccer. Well written for a younger audience. Adults should read it, too.
isabellejrb's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great book from start to finish. It did a good job conveying the feelings and struggles that Mr. Gruenbaum endured as a boy during the holocaust. Because of the age of the boy in the story, young readers will easily be able to relate to him. Overall, it was very well written and I would highly recommend it.
singuyen's review against another edition
5.0
This book takes me on a journey of a young Jewish boy in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Czechoslovakia was under the control of Nazi Germany. His father was killed by the SS soldier, and shortly later, his mother, sister, and him were transported to a concentration camp named Terezi. I learned so much about what it was like being someone like Michael Gruenbaum the boy, who witnessed his friends and relatives being taken away to another, more brutal concentration camp with gas chambers, and never coming back.
How could anything like this ever happen? What kind of people would have done this to other people?
Well, I believe the book fulfills its purposes of teaching readers an important part of history and making sure that future generations, including me, will do anything they could to never let things like that happen again.
How could anything like this ever happen? What kind of people would have done this to other people?
Well, I believe the book fulfills its purposes of teaching readers an important part of history and making sure that future generations, including me, will do anything they could to never let things like that happen again.
yapha's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most powerful books about the Holocaust that I have read in a long time. Even if you have read many others, I strongly suggest reading this one.
Michael Gruenbaum was a young boy when the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia and marched through his hometown of Prague. We follow his journey as the laws becoming stricter and stricter. His family is moved into the ghetto, where his father is taken by the SS. They are later deported to Terezin, where he becomes part of a group of boys known as the Nesharim. Everything in this story is told from Michael's perspective and we feel the mix of emotions as his world is turned upside down. Because of the way the story is presented (first person, present tense) the reader is drawn into this world more deeply. The emotions are raw as we try to make sense of what we are seeing through Michael's eyes. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up. Some background knowledge of the Holocaust is suggested.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
Michael Gruenbaum was a young boy when the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia and marched through his hometown of Prague. We follow his journey as the laws becoming stricter and stricter. His family is moved into the ghetto, where his father is taken by the SS. They are later deported to Terezin, where he becomes part of a group of boys known as the Nesharim. Everything in this story is told from Michael's perspective and we feel the mix of emotions as his world is turned upside down. Because of the way the story is presented (first person, present tense) the reader is drawn into this world more deeply. The emotions are raw as we try to make sense of what we are seeing through Michael's eyes. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up. Some background knowledge of the Holocaust is suggested.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
marthapasa's review against another edition
5.0
I really connected with these characters, so much that at times I forgot it was actually a memoir. This is a really powerful book, that I believe everyone should read. I don't like biography's or memoir's much, a normally can't get through the first page of them without giving up, but this one captured my attention, and held it until I finished reading the last page.
emmasbookburrow's review against another edition
4.0
A heartbreaking and meaningful memoir about life as a Jewish boy in the Terezin camp. It’s first-person narrative allows the reader to feel the emotions Misha experienced while being held captive.
The author, along with Michael Gruenbaum, did their best to only use true details and events in writing this book. This means nothing is embellished or simmered down to make things sound better. Reading this book is a great way to learn about this layer of the Holocaust and it’s many horrors.
The author, along with Michael Gruenbaum, did their best to only use true details and events in writing this book. This means nothing is embellished or simmered down to make things sound better. Reading this book is a great way to learn about this layer of the Holocaust and it’s many horrors.
gileslibrarian6's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful memoir of a young Jewish boy and his family during the Holocaust. We must never forget.
bubblesofbayla's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve read a lot of books set during WWII, but this one was especially interesting, because it was a memoir. Also, the images in the middle were very cool to look at. Thank you Mr. Gruenbaum for sharing your story!