Holocaust: books

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Holocaust

The books on this list have been reviewed by teachers and used with their students. Most are suitable for middle school grades. Several of these books are also used in high schools. Due to the violent nature of the Holocaust, we advise teachers to read the book before assigning it to their students. Click on the image or the linked title to learn more about the book on Amazon.com

For a complete listing of Holocaust books we have reviewed visit our Holocaust book list.

The Final Journey: by Gudrun Pausewang

Alice and her grandparents hid in a basement apartment until they were told that they were being taken to the east. Alice had no idea what her journey was going to entail when the door of the railway car slammed shut. The Final Journey is a heart-wrenching account of the relocation of Jewish people to Auschwitz as seen through the eyes of a young girl. This novel would be appropriate for grades 8 and up. Buy The Final Journey from Amazon.com

Kindertransport: by Olga Levy Drucker

Kindertransport is an autobiographical account of children who were sent to far away England to escape Hitler's wrath. The author gives a very honest portrayal of a young girl's fears and frustrations of being in a country without knowing the language or customs. The novel also explores the uncertainty of what the future held for the thousands of children who were on the Kindertransport. This novel would be appropriate for grades 6 through 8. Buy Kindertransport from Amazon.com

We Are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust: by Jacob Boas

Five teenagers living in different parts of Europe share their lives, fears and confusions through diaries written while under Hitler's rule. After reading this collection, you will realize that all five teenagers had hopes for the future...but they all met the same fate. Jacob Boas, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, guides the reader through the diaries of these five teenagers through realistic eyes and a compassionate heart. To truly understand the impact of this novel, a clear understanding of European geography would be necessary. We Are Witnesses would be a good novel to use with high school age students. Buy We Are Witnesses : Five Diaries of...from Amazon.com

After the War: by Carol Matas

After being liberated from the Buchenwald, Ruth thought that she was the only person from her family that survived. She returned to her home to find nothing there for her. As a result of that trip home, Ruth chose to join Brichah, the underground organization that helped fellow survivors flee to Palestine. This novel gives an historically accurate account of the dangers that the members of Brichah encountered on their journey to Palestine. Buy After the War from Amzon.com

Waiting for Anya: by Michael Morpurgo

This novel brings to light the German occupation of France during the years of the Holocaust. Jo, a teenager living in Lescun, France, learns the true meaning of courage when he meets Benjamin, a Jewish man who is not only hiding from the Nazis, but is also waiting for the return of his daughter, Anya. While in hiding, Benjamin establishes an escape post in Lescun for Jewish children and Jo helps Benjamin in saving the children. The novel has many suspense-filled situations and is appropriate for grades 6 through 8. Buy Waiting for Anya from Amazon.com

The Devil's Arithmetic: by Jane Yolen

This novel tells the story of Hannah and her trip to the past. During the Passover Seder, Hannah finds herself in a Polish village during the 1940's. She discovers that she is the only one able to predict to the villagers what is going to happen to them when the Nazi soldiers come to take them away. To help students understand this novel better, the students should have an understanding of the Passover Seder. The Devil's Arithmetic can be a bit confusing in the beginning, but is a novel that gives a clear and vivid picture of the journey to and life in a concentration camp. This novel is appropriate for grades 6 through 8. Buy The Devil's Arithmetic from Amazon.com

	Adler, David A. *We Remember the Holocaust*. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1989 Appleman-Jurman, Alicia. Alicia, My Story. New York: Bantam Books, 1988
	Auerbacher, Inge. *I Am A Star*. New York: Puffin Books, 1986
	Ayer, Eleanor. *Parallel Journeys*. New York: Aladdin Books, 1995
No picture	Ayer, Eleanor. *The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. New York: Dillon Press, 1994 Bitton-Jackson, Livia. I Have Lived a Thousand Years. New York: Scholastic, 1997 The United States Holocaust Memorial...*
	Boas, Jacob. We Are Witnesses. Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust. New York: Scholastic Books, 1995
	Cretzmeyer, Stacy. *Hidden Child of the Holocaust*. New York: Troll Books, 1999
	Deedy, Carmen Agra. *The Yellow Star, The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark*. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers Ltd., 2000
	Gold, Alison Leslie. *Memories of Anne Frank*. New York: Scholastic, 1997
	Greene, Bette. *Summer of My German Soldier*. New York: Scholastic Books, 1973
	Holliday, Laurel. *Why Do They Hate Me?* New York: Pocket Books, 1999
	Ippisch, Hanneke. *Sky-A True Story of Courage During World War II* . New York: Troll Books, 1996
	Isaacs, Anne. Torn Thread. New York: Scholastic Books, 2000
	Olga Levy Drucker, Olga. Kindertransport. New York: Scholastic Books, 1992
	Lobel, Anita. *No Pretty Pictures*. New York: Avon Books, 1998
	Lowry, *Lois.* *Number the Stars*. New York: Dell Publishing Group Inc., 1989
	Matas, Carol. *After the War*. New York: Aladdin Books, 1996
	Matas, Carol, Daniel's Story, Scholastic Paperbacks, 1993
	Matas, Carol. *Greater than Angels*. New York: Aladdin Books, 1998
	Matas, Carol. *In My Enemy’s House.* New York: Aladdin Books, 1999
	Morpurgo, Michael. *Waiting for Anya*. New York: Scholastic Books, 1990
No Picture	Muller, Melissa. Anne Frank, the biography. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1998 *Anne Frank: The Biography*
	Pausewang, Gudrun. *The Final Journey*. New York: Scholastic Books, 1992
	Perl, Lila and Lazan, Marion. *Four Perfect Pebbles*. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1996
	Propp, Vera. *When the Soldiers Were Gone*. New York: Penguin Group, 1999
	Rabinovici, Schoschana. *Thanks to My Mother*. New York: Puffin Books, 1998
	Radin, Ruth.Escape to the Forest: Based on a True Story of the Holocaust . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000
	Rubin, Susan. *Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Freidl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin*. New York: Holiday House, 2000
	Siegal, Aranka. *Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation*, 1945-1948. New York: Puffin Books, 1885
	Yolen, Jane. The Devil’s Arithmetic. New York: Puffin Books, 1988
	Not reviewed, but sounded interesting. It is the strory of an African American male growing up in Nazi Germany. *Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany* by Hans J. Massaquoi