Once

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad. Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with a toothache laugh.

My name if Felix.

This is my story.

For three years and eight months Felix has lived in a convent orphanage high in the mountains in Poland. But Felix is different than the other orphans. He is convinced his parents are still alive and will come back to get him. When a group of Nazi soldiers come and burn the nuns' books, Felix is terrified that his Jewish bookseller parents will also be in danger. After escaping from the orphanage, Felix embarks on a long and dangerous journey through Nazi occupied Poland, befriending a little orphan girl Zelda and a kindly dentist, Barney, who hides and cares for Jewish children. But, when the Nazi's discover them, Barney makes the ultimate sacrifice for the children.

For those of you who liked, Number the Stars, The Boy in The Striped Pajamas or Milkweed.

Anne Frank a graphic biography

Anne Frank: a graphic biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

Drawing on the unique historical sites, archives, expertise, and unquestioned authority of the Anne Frank House Amsterdam, New York bestselling authors Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon have created the first authorized and exhaustive graphic biography of Anne Frank. Thier account is complete, covering the lives of Anne's parents, Edith and Otto; Anne's first years in Frankfurt; the rise of Nazism ; the Frank's immigration to Amsterdam; war and occupation ; Anne's years in the secret Annex ; betrayal and arrest ; her deportation and tragic death at Bergen-Belsen ; the survival of Anne's father ; and his recovery and publication of her astounding diary.

I was so impressed by the quality of the art work, it was like visiting Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. And the story was told in a way that fills in the spots in history with her personal narrative. Loved it and it would be a terrific introduction to The Diary of Anne Frank or a wonderful way to refresh your memory of such a powerful and tragic story.

Here's an interview with the author and illustrator.

The Search

The Search by Eric Heuvel / Ruud van der Rol / Lies Schippers

Here's the summary for this amazing graphic novel.

After leaving Germany when life there became unbearable and dangerous for Jewish people. Esther thought she'd found a new home in Amsterdam. But the Germany occupied the Netherlands, and one day Esther, separated from her parents, was forced to flee the city, managing to elude a Nazi roundup of Jews. Easter survived the Holocaust by going into hiding in the countryside, but she never saw her parents again. She knows that they died in a concentration camp and has always wondered about the last few months of their lives. With her grandson Daniel's help, she tracks down an old friend living in Israel and finally learns the shocking story.

I enjoyed how the story moved back and forth through time periods (present day with her grandson and the past with her family during the war.) The story also dealt with questions t hat young readers might have - like why did the germans follow Hitler? did all Germans feel the same way about the Jewish people? Why didn't other countries get involved? and why didn't the Jewish people fight back?

The art work reminded me of Tin Tin, and captures the story well.

Read On

Fireflies in the dark

Fireflies in the dark : the story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the children of Terezin

From School Library Journal:

A profoundly moving testimonial to the resilience of the human spirit under intolerable conditions. Sent to the Terezin concentration camp (perhaps more widely known under its German name Theresienstadt), art teacher Dicker-Brandeis packed art supplies rather than personal items. Here, in poignant narrative, is a record of her wonderful influence over hundreds of doom youngsters, terrified by the separation from their families. Her teaching ability and artistic talents were instrumental in providing an island of sanity in a horrific situation, and in giving an outlet to the children's emotions. Lavishly illustrated with artworks by Terezin children (preserved in two suitcases in a barracks attic), the book is a chronicle of light in the blackest of hours and of a despicable period in human history. Elegant in appearance, devastating in content, almost overwhelming in its quiet intensity, this book is a shining augmentation to the literature of the Holocaust. (Patricia Manning.)

A beautiful reminder of personal strength, a giving spirit and the devastation of the Holocaust, as it took so many creative, beautiful souls.

Read On.