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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A book that everyone should read so as not to forget and not to repeat.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There's just something about children's Holocaust books that I really love.
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen is a 170-page historical fiction novel. It isn’t your ordinary historical fiction novel though; this novel involves Hannah, a young Jewish girl, traveling back in time to Poland in 1942. She steps into the shoes of a young girl named Chaya, days before the Germans invade her home and take them to a concentration camp. Hannah is stuck in a weird place -- she knows what the Germans intend to do, but no one believes her. Throughout her time in the past, Hannah meets Rivka, a 10-year-old girl who has been surviving in the camp for a while. She helps Chaya learn the tricks of staying alive and becomes her friend. Hannah learns a lot about the importance of remembering through her time travel experience. However, will she and her family survive their time in the camps while she is in the past?
This book was a real page turner for me. I read it in one sitting. Hannah’s story and her trip into the past was captivating. Yolen did a great job of developing Hannah’s character throughout the novel, and it’s clear what kind of change happens for Hannah by the end. In addition, Yolen took the topic of the Holocaust and depicted the lives of those who lived through fiction in a way that memorializes them without making their experiences seem trivial or less than what they actually experienced. I liked that the author included a note at the end that separated the fact from fiction, but made sure to state that most of the story was based on real accounts that she collected; the only “fiction” were the characters and the camp itself. The descriptions she included made me feel like I was right there in the camp with Chaya and Rivka, experiencing what they were. I felt connected to even the most minor characters through the descriptions and felt for them and their losses.
I personally enjoy reading historical fiction, especially about topics from World War II; that’s part of what drew me to this novel. It certainly didn’t disappoint; even though I’ve read literature about the Holocaust before, I feel that I always learn something new from reading other accounts of it. It was an engaging and quick read, which made it even more appealing; it was powerful without having to be horribly long. As a teacher, I think this would be a great novel to have students read after learning about the Holocaust. Like Hannah at the beginning of the novel, many students are so removed from the past that they don’t get why it’s significant to continue to remember. By having students read this novel, I think they could begin to see why it’s important to remember the things that happen in the past in order to make sure they never occur again. Beyond that, I think the author describes everything in a “kid-friendly” way -- as kid friendly as the topic can be. Specifically, I’d love to use this novel in a social studies setting, to show students the importance of remembering the Holocaust and demonstrating what it was and what the experience was like for those involved. I think there would have to be warnings and parent letters sent home before reading the novel in class, due to the graphic nature of the events, but there is definitely value in students reading the novel in order to gain a new perspective on what it was like for those who lived through the Holocaust.
This book was a real page turner for me. I read it in one sitting. Hannah’s story and her trip into the past was captivating. Yolen did a great job of developing Hannah’s character throughout the novel, and it’s clear what kind of change happens for Hannah by the end. In addition, Yolen took the topic of the Holocaust and depicted the lives of those who lived through fiction in a way that memorializes them without making their experiences seem trivial or less than what they actually experienced. I liked that the author included a note at the end that separated the fact from fiction, but made sure to state that most of the story was based on real accounts that she collected; the only “fiction” were the characters and the camp itself. The descriptions she included made me feel like I was right there in the camp with Chaya and Rivka, experiencing what they were. I felt connected to even the most minor characters through the descriptions and felt for them and their losses.
I personally enjoy reading historical fiction, especially about topics from World War II; that’s part of what drew me to this novel. It certainly didn’t disappoint; even though I’ve read literature about the Holocaust before, I feel that I always learn something new from reading other accounts of it. It was an engaging and quick read, which made it even more appealing; it was powerful without having to be horribly long. As a teacher, I think this would be a great novel to have students read after learning about the Holocaust. Like Hannah at the beginning of the novel, many students are so removed from the past that they don’t get why it’s significant to continue to remember. By having students read this novel, I think they could begin to see why it’s important to remember the things that happen in the past in order to make sure they never occur again. Beyond that, I think the author describes everything in a “kid-friendly” way -- as kid friendly as the topic can be. Specifically, I’d love to use this novel in a social studies setting, to show students the importance of remembering the Holocaust and demonstrating what it was and what the experience was like for those involved. I think there would have to be warnings and parent letters sent home before reading the novel in class, due to the graphic nature of the events, but there is definitely value in students reading the novel in order to gain a new perspective on what it was like for those who lived through the Holocaust.
I totally loved this book.It shows great detail about some of the concentration camps that Jewish people were took to when WW2 happened.This book is basically about a girl who doesn't believe that remembering her past is important.So on Passover, she is chosen to open the door for,a guy- I forgot his name.But anyway, after that she is transported back in time to 1942.And she experiences what it was like for a Jewish person to deal with being in those camps.Losing your identity,forgetting your name, you have a number that defines who you are.You forget what life was like.To live freely.This book is truly amazing.I loved.
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very vivid point of view from a young girl of a concentration camp in Poland in the WWII era. The point of view is from a girl who travels back in time from America and witnesses the events of the past. As a young adult book, I believe that the message of the book was done quite well. The tone of the book got quite dark, and the writing was just a bit too plain for my taste. I would recommend this book, for anyone 12+.
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated