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meaganmart's review against another edition
3.0
Good Night, Maman tells the story of two French, Jewish children, Marc and Karin who escape from France to Itlay and then are on board the Henry Gibbins as part of the one group of European refugees who were taken to the United States during World War II. The second half of the book details their stay in Oswego, New York at Fort Ontario. There Karin meets American friends, attends American school, and begins a new chapter of her life.
There is nothing *wrong* with Good Night, Maman and it was interesting to learn about the refugees at Fort Ontario and the way they were embraced by the Oswego community, but I think there are books that are better for middle grades readers who want to learn more about the Holocaust.
There is nothing *wrong* with Good Night, Maman and it was interesting to learn about the refugees at Fort Ontario and the way they were embraced by the Oswego community, but I think there are books that are better for middle grades readers who want to learn more about the Holocaust.
margaretann84's review against another edition
4.0
Sad, but cute at the same time. I never realized there was actually a refugee camp in the USA during WWII (though, I knew there were what were essentally concentration camps for the Japanese during the same time period). Just another worthwhile fact eschewed by the school history textbook writers for stupid asides. *sigh*
Anyway, definitely a good book. Not quite good enough to purchase, but nice in conjunction with a lot of the other novels I've been reading lately.
4/5 on here, 8/10 for myself
Anyway, definitely a good book. Not quite good enough to purchase, but nice in conjunction with a lot of the other novels I've been reading lately.
4/5 on here, 8/10 for myself
bella_lettore's review against another edition
4.0
One of my very first introductions to the Holocaust and the history behind those horrible years. Such a great book, definitely worth it!
williamsdebbied's review against another edition
3.0
When the Nazis take over France, Marc and Karin spend a year in hiding with their mother. As the danger of discovery intensifies, they escape, traveling on foot and at night until their mother's strength is at an end. Karin and Marc manage to get on a ship headed for America, but they have to leave their mother behind.
A Holocaust story suitable for younger readers.
A Holocaust story suitable for younger readers.
readswithjennifer's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, that I finished it in one sitting
debz57a52's review against another edition
3.0
This is a unique story in the YA Holocaust literature cannon. So many books focus on the victims, the survivors, the witnesses, and the resistors. This one book is a fictional account based on the real experiences of people who escaped to the U.S.
The history: In June 1944, FDR realized that the US had not been very good to those trying to escape Hitler, and he sent a large boat to Naples to pick them up. On the boat, about 1,000 came to America and spent the rest of the war in the old army base at Lake Oswego. The idea was to hold them safely, and then send them back to their countries, but Truman decided to give them legal visas and allow them to stay in the US.
The fictional story: In the first third of the book, Karin, her mother, and her older brother are in France, hiding from the Nazi's in a woman's attic. Eventually, they are forced from there, running from town to town as best they can. When news comes of FDR's ship, Karin and her brother get on board. The next third is their trip on the boat, and the final third is about living in the camp and getting used to English and the American people.
I liked this book. It's an easy read, with some funny parts, especially when Karin and her brother are learning English. There is some action in the first third, but it slows down considerably in the rest of the book, when the focus becomes drama with friends and her brother. Karin continues to look to the past, which is rarely happy, and to the future, which also slows down the book for a page or two at a time. However, I'd definitely recommend it to my students and would keep it in my classroom library.
The history: In June 1944, FDR realized that the US had not been very good to those trying to escape Hitler, and he sent a large boat to Naples to pick them up. On the boat, about 1,000 came to America and spent the rest of the war in the old army base at Lake Oswego. The idea was to hold them safely, and then send them back to their countries, but Truman decided to give them legal visas and allow them to stay in the US.
The fictional story: In the first third of the book, Karin, her mother, and her older brother are in France, hiding from the Nazi's in a woman's attic. Eventually, they are forced from there, running from town to town as best they can. When news comes of FDR's ship, Karin and her brother get on board. The next third is their trip on the boat, and the final third is about living in the camp and getting used to English and the American people.
I liked this book. It's an easy read, with some funny parts, especially when Karin and her brother are learning English. There is some action in the first third, but it slows down considerably in the rest of the book, when the focus becomes drama with friends and her brother. Karin continues to look to the past, which is rarely happy, and to the future, which also slows down the book for a page or two at a time. However, I'd definitely recommend it to my students and would keep it in my classroom library.
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