I actually read this because my step son was assigned it for summer reading. I really didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. It did make me cry at the end. Usually I am so wrapped up in a fiction story, it takes my breath away when I read something so rooted in history. Just like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, it really and truly hurts me, and makes me cry to think that this REALLY HAPPENED in some way, shape or form.
This story, although rooted in the story of a young girl during the Holocaust, is easier to take in. The story starts out in "present day" (which may be many years ago, and centers around a girl who really doesn't appreciate what she has, and where her family comes from.
She opens a door, and is mysteriously/magically transported back in time to a small village in Poland, right before Nazi soldiers take the villagers away as prisoners. If you know history, you know the gist of this story, but there are some touching, and surprising moments. This is a must read, especially for those students interested in history (youngest 5th grade!).
This story, although rooted in the story of a young girl during the Holocaust, is easier to take in. The story starts out in "present day" (which may be many years ago, and centers around a girl who really doesn't appreciate what she has, and where her family comes from.
She opens a door, and is mysteriously/magically transported back in time to a small village in Poland, right before Nazi soldiers take the villagers away as prisoners. If you know history, you know the gist of this story, but there are some touching, and surprising moments. This is a must read, especially for those students interested in history (youngest 5th grade!).