Reviews by Tag: holocaust

Teen Review
Girl in the Blue Coat book cover

Girl in the Blue Coat

By Monica Hesse
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Jun 7, 2024

Hanneke Bakks is still grieving over her lost lover, Bas, when she decides to turn to stealing goods from the black market and selling them in order to gain money for herself and her family. It’s a nasty business that she ensures her parents and friends don’t find out about.  She decides to keep her methods secret to make sure that her job is done skillfully and without prying eyes, especially in Amsterdam in 1943, which is filled with German occupation.

Teen Review
Night book cover

Night

By Elie Wiesel
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 18, 2024

Night is a memoir by Elie Wiesel.  The book is about his experiences as a Jewish teenager during the Holocaust. It follows his journey from a small town in Transylvania to various concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald. In the camps, he witnesses and suffers from a lot of cruelty. His father is all he has left, but his father eventually dies, too. Elie was very faithful at the beginning of the book, but over time he begins to question what his faith has really gotten him. 

Teen Review
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Dec 13, 2023

Summary: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a novel set in Nazi Germany, narrated by Death. The story follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl sent to live with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, during World War II. Despite the grim backdrop, Liesel finds solace in stealing books and sharing them with her neighbors and the Jewish man hidden in her basement. The novel explores themes of the power of words, the impact of human connections, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Teen Review
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas movie cover

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By Mark Herman
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Isabella
Nov 20, 2023

During WWII 8-year-old Bruno and his family had to move to a new house, and his father had to relocate for work. Bruno was bored with the new house and he missed his friends. Bruno noticed a “farm” as he called it, while looking out of his window. Bruno was always exploring new things. He was told not to explore in the backyard but he wanted to explore the “farm”. He met a boy named Shmuel. Shmuel is a Jew in a camp but Bruno doesn’t fully understand what that means. The story gets more intense and surprising as you watch. 

Teen Review
Prisoner B-3087

Prisoner B-3087

By Alan Gratz

Rated by
Anonymous
Sep 29, 2023

Prisoner B-3087 is a historical novel based on the life of Jack Gruener, also known as Yanek. Yanek lived in Poland during World War II and was 10 when his hometown of Krakow fell to the Germans. He quickly becomes separated from his family and has to endure the unbearable  conditions of numerous concentration camps that include the infamous Auschwitz and Dachau. Yanek is finally liberated at Dachau as a young adult when the Americans take control.

Teen Review
They Went Left

They Went Left

By Monica Hesse
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Jul 20, 2023

They Went Left by Monica Hesse is a powerful historical fiction novel set in the aftermath of World War II. The story follows Zofia, a young Holocaust survivor searching for her younger brother, Abek, who got separated from her during the liberation of Auschwitz. As she navigates through the ruins of war-torn Europe, Zofia grapples with the trauma of her past and the uncertainty of her future.

Teen Review
Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle

Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba

By Margarita Engle
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Jeli N.
Jul 7, 2023

Fleeing away from chaos and leaving his family behind, the 11-year-old finds himself in Cuba, hoping and dreaming for the day he can finally make music in New York City with his parents. Along the way, a kind girl named Paloma befriends Daniel. However, even in this country, the two realize that there is not only greed and sadness in Germany, but also here in Cuba. In the end, will the two ever find peace and happiness or will they find themselves reaching for something unreachable?

Teen Review
Night by Elie Wiesel

Night

By Elie Wiesel
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Basil Park
Jun 1, 2023

Night is such an amazingly vivid, compelling, and tragic story about the Holocaust. It’s a memoir (of a sort) about the author’s experience during the Holocaust. The author Elie Wiesel is the narrator throughout the book and explains his journey with his father as they go through the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust.

Teen Review
Night by Elie Wiesel

Night

By Elie Wiesel
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Mar 21, 2023

This work recounts the point of view of Elie Wiesel as he faces the horrors of World War II. His family was taken away, and he was shuffled into concentration camps. This account showed to many that the people that were affected by the holocaust are more than numbers. They are living, breathing humans, with aspirations for the future and their life today. A thought-provoking work that truly makes one readjust their worldview to diversify for more and different insights. Recommended for all teens and above, and also recommended for a reread. Five out of Five.

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