Overview

As World War II started to break out throughout Europe, Becky Vilner, a nine-year-old American girl, found herself alone in the Netherlands. A bomb blast had separated her from her parents during their poorly-timed visit to this country unexpectedly invaded by Nazi Germany. Becky's life was in danger. She was Jewish. Nazis killed Jews: men and women, old and young. Knowing no one in the Netherlands and not even speaking its language, Becky had only a slim chance to avoid such a tragic end. But, even a little chance is still a chance... In the world of juvenile books dominated by fantasies this one looks rare. This book is realistic, but it excites readers as much as any fantasy. Very lifelike, based on actual events-some of them not widely known-this story is fiction mixed with the realities of life, and it's not easy to say what it has more of each in it. The book's genre is something hard to find nowadays. The best definition of it would be educational entertainment , where the teachings of real subjects are woven into fascinating fictional narrative, like do the writings by Jules Verne, or historical novels by Mark Twain. This book teaches the history of WWII. It is not just a personal drama-the scope of this story is much wider. It timelines the Second World War, paints the picture of the day-to-day life under Nazi rule, and recounts the development of the resistance movement in the Netherlands-the country which was occupied, but not defeated. The book brings a concise history of the Holocaust, and does this in a way saving young readers from being overstressed with horrors, but does not hides the terrible magnitude of what was happening during the war. Despite containing many historical facts and details this book is primarily a literary novel, not a school textbook. Its plot is an intriguing chain of events with unexpected turns, adventures, and emotional moments. It tells of hard choices people made, raises moral issues, and bringing readers to situations requiring a non-trivial thinking. There are some depressive pages in this book since the war is not a fun thing, but overall it is not a book of victims. Actually it's quite the opposite-this is a book of victors, and it carries a very positive charge that supports the belief in human kindness, honesty and helpfulness.

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9781519710734

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