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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-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:
No
Heftig. Maar wat een ode aan de wil om te leven, ongelofelijk!
I felt like I had to hurry and finish this one once I started. There were glimmers of hope throughout, but most of it was devastating. Jack Gruener is "unbroken" - it was so difficult to imagine all he went through during six years as he was becoming an adult. I've read other Holocaust books, but in this one, the punches never stopped.
Yanek Gruener grew up in a loving, Jewish family in Warsaw, Poland. Unfortunately, his secure childhood was interrupted by the Nazi’s and World War II, and his father ignored the signs of the impending doom. The family lived in terror as the Nazi’s imposed strict rules, enclosed neighborhoods to create a ghetto, and ultimately sent the Jewish community to death and concentration camps. As Yanek’s family slowly disappeared, Yanek was also caught in the Nazi’s net and sent to the Plaszow Concentration Camp. The camp was full of hunger, cruelty, and death. Yanek did connect with one of his uncles who helped him learn how to survive in the camp, and how to avoid the demonic, murderous camp commandant. After barely surviving Plaszow, Yanek toiled his way through nine more concentration camps and several death marches. This book is based on the true, heartbreaking story of Jack Gruener.
A very popular book with my middle school students, and the winner of the Virginia Reader's Choice Book for Middle School.
A very popular book with my middle school students, and the winner of the Virginia Reader's Choice Book for Middle School.
This book was based off a true story of a survivor and I’m so happy Jack survived, and that Alan Gratz was able to tell Jack’s story and tell the stories of so many others who went through the Holocaust. It’s heartbreaking knowing people so evil existed in the world, and I couldn’t tell you what could’ve been dramatized for it to be a fictional book. This was an amazing telling of the lives of people who endured so much.
dark
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This book is really intense and a lot more graphic than other holocaust books, so I would avoid this book if the Holocaust is a trigger for you, or if you have trouble reading about violence.
That being said, this reminded me a lot of Elie Wiesel’s “Night”. The reading level is a little lower, so I might give this to a teen with a lower reading level who is interested in this specific topic or period in history. (It’s actually shelved in the children’s section at my library system.) Alternately, it could be used as a substitute for “Night” in high school curriculum for students with lower reading levels (content and themes are very similar, but language and sentence structure is more digestible.)
That being said, this reminded me a lot of Elie Wiesel’s “Night”. The reading level is a little lower, so I might give this to a teen with a lower reading level who is interested in this specific topic or period in history. (It’s actually shelved in the children’s section at my library system.) Alternately, it could be used as a substitute for “Night” in high school curriculum for students with lower reading levels (content and themes are very similar, but language and sentence structure is more digestible.)
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An amazing look at concentration camps for a middle schooler. I appreciated the writing and that it was related for my son when we read it together. I feel like so often when this subject is discussed with children it's difficult for them to relate to or understand. Gratz is an incredible writer whose characters readers can connect with.