Joan M. WolfReseñas

My daughter has wanted me to read this one for about 4 years. It was really good! Nazi Germany from a totally different perspective, a girl from Czech. who was not Jewish and looked like the desired Aryan race that Hitler thought as a perfect German. Taken from her family and schooled in how to be a perfect German and then adopted out to a Nazi family. Well written and easy to read. Definitely some tears shed.

Someone named Eva takes place during WWII where Milada, an eleven-year-old Czech girl, is separated from her family by the Nazis due to her blonde hair and blue eyes. She is renamed Eva and is sent to be "re-educated" so she can be adopted by wealthy Germans who want an Aryan child. This book touches on a touchy subject but I think it's important for kids to be exposed to this. It's one thing to hear about the holocaust, it's another to read somebody's account. So the age for this will probably be 4th to 8th grade. Something that stands out is Milada's process through the re-education program and her struggling to remember who she is as the people change around her. I used to read this book all the time as a kid, it was one of my favorites. I'm Jewish on my dad's side, Sephardic to be exact, so I've always been interested in WWII. This book doesn't hold back any punches, but it's still tasteful. I recommend this book for kids that are interested in history, and the people affected by it.

In 1880, Four Winds, a strong-willed Lakota girl, is taken from her family and placed in a harsh culturally insensitive boarding school where she is taught English and expected to assimilate into the white culture. Author’s Note.

Someone named Eva is a book about World War 2 and is based in the year 1942. The book is centered around eleven-year-old Milada who was taken from her home because she looks like an Aryan raced child. She was blonde, blue-eyed and was taken from her family to a center in Germany. There she was trained to be a "proper German" for adoption by a German family, and all the while she struggles to remember her true identity. This book is a realistic fiction that is based on the World War 2 and Holocaust. This book is suitable for children in higher grades because of the content and the difficult language and vocabulary. This book is a great way to introduce students into a historical unit.

"Remember who you are Milada.
Remember where you are from. Always."
- Milada's gradmother


The Nazis come to Milada's home and take her away from her family. Because she fits the Aryan ideal, they rename her Eva and train her to speak only German. They want to make "Eva" into the perfect German citizen and then have her adopted by a German family. Before the Nazis take her, Milada's grandmother gives her a garnet pin shaped like a star as a talisman to help her remember her identity.

I read this book as part of my study of books for ages 9-12 with strong female protagonists.

This book was touching. I felt for Milada and the other girls. I can't imagine what it was like to be taken from their families to a cold place with no comfort and being forced to answer to a different name. Most of the time, they had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen next. Milada is a very strong character, with faults of course, but she is quite resilient.

I like reading books with a World War II theme. Instead of focusing on the concentration camps and the war itself, this book brings to light a different part of the Nazi agenda.

Recommended to:
Ages 9-12; readers, especially girls, who enjoy historical fiction or empowering books for girls.

Someone Named Eva (Joann M. Wolf)
Historical Fiction. Set in WWII Germany/Czechoslovakia/Poland. Milada is a young Czech girl. She just celebrated her 11th Birthday in May of 1942. Shortly after this celebration her home is invaded by Nazi troops and her family is separated. Her father and brother are taken away, while her sister, mother & grandmother are held a school. Once there the children are separated and inspected. Milada is segregated with other children, she notes the one thing in common, they all have blond hair and blue eyes. Soon Milada is put on a bus and taken away, leaving behind her beloved family.

She finds herself in a "training camp". Once there they are taught German and only allowed to speak this "Aryan" language. They are taught about Germany and how to be a "Proper German Woman" to follow in Hitler's plan to create a new Germany. Soon Milada is stripped of her name , identity and past...she is to be called Eva from her on. Yet inside she recalls her grandmothers words before she is take from the Nazi's....those words are: "Always remember who you are, and where you came from". Her grandmother slips her a special star shaped ruby pin, this become the only tie to her past, as she desperately holds on to it over the years.

A touching story of one girls plight to survive the Hitler Regime. I found this well written story to be fascinating, emotional and thought provoking. It tells of the lost small village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, which was invaded (by Germany Under hitler's command) and ultimately destroyed. Hundreds of people were killed, taken to concentration camps, to die of starvation disease or at the brutal hands of the Nazi troops. But the main story is of the few Lidice children who were take from their home to be molded into what Hitler wanted as the "Perfect German". An emotional and heart felt story, leaving a lasting memory, of the little known village and its people, whom none of which were Jewish (most people relate to WWII and Hitler's reigme, not knowing that other people besides Jewish, were taken and killed). Also included at the end is a website in memorandum of those lives lost in the small but not forgotten town, Lidice Czechoslovakia.

My Daughter did a book report (on Someone Named Eva) and after reading it I was compelled to read (the book) my self. I was not disappointed. And excellent read. I highly recommend to adults as well as young readers.

Narrated by Rachel Botchan. Milada and her family live happily in Czechoslovakia, with Milada vaguely aware of someone named Hitler and her grandmother’s dislike of him. One night, Nazis raid their village, rounding up all the families and taking them to a holding center in Poland. There Milada is separated from her loved ones because of her fair complexion and blonde hair. She and other physically similar girls are schooled in the history of Germany, the German language, the Nazi philosophy, and what it means to be a good Aryan. Milada fears forgetting her grandmother’s advice to “remember who you are.” Botchan's young voice matches Milada's age and nicely expresses her plaintive moments, but the pacing is off with long pauses and stops in odd places. Read the print edition instead.

Wonderfully written book that allows you to feel Milada's experience of being taken from her home by the Nazi soldiers. Wolf does a fantastic job of teaching readers how not only Jews were affected during the Holocaust, but also Christian children who looked like the perfect "Arayan" children. Milada is a strong character who does everything in her power to not forget her heritage, even after being given a new name, Eva, and being adopted by a high ranking Nazi family.

luv it

During WWII, the Nazis would kidnap children who met their specifications of the Aryan ideal, and teach them to be proper Germans before adopting them into Nazi officer's homes. Eva, formerly Milada of Lidice, Czechloslavkia, is taken from her family, and missing the, tries to remember them.

The European theatre during World War II history is always about Normandy and the French resistance etc. This is an informative story about things happening in other areas of Europe.

It is WWII in Czechoslovakia. Milada and her family are rounded up by Nazis and taken to a school. The men are separated and sent to work camps. Milada is chosen and taken from her mother. The odd thing is that they keep looking at her and touching her hair. What does this mean?

Milada is taken to a center in Poland where being Czech is verboten. She must learn to become a young Aryan German girl. They are taught the language, how to behave, and even how to style their hair. Milada is renamed Eva. She is so worried that she will forget her homeland, her language and most importantly her family. She has one tangible piece of home-a garnet star from her grandmother which she pins inside her clothing.

Will Milada survive? If she does, can she ever see her family again?

A little Dutch girl gets taken by the Nazis along with her family, only to get separated and sent to a school where she learns to be "a perfect German girl".½

Here is a different perspective on Hitler's horrors. The focus is on Catholics living in Czechoslovakia. Eleven year old Milada, her family and her town have been suffering under the Natzis for three years. Supplies have been short, there is little to buy but still life goes on with usual routines like birthday parties untl Milada is captured. All the family are separated. Milada because of her blonde hair and light eyes is selected for special treatment. She is educated in the German language and Hitler's curriculum. Eventually she is adopted by one of the commanders of Ravenbruck and his wife. She has a new name Eva which was ordered to take when at the boarding school where the brainwashing begins. Milada almost loses her identity but she hangs on to only because before her capture her grandmother placed in her hands a piece of jewelry. This hands on connection with her past is a link that keeps her sane when others lose it all. So much can be said about this book. It deserves a rereading. Certainly worthy of group discussion. Lengthy author note with website reference

Nazi soldiers invade Lidice, Czechoslovakia, in 1942, and 11-year-old Milada is taken with other blond haired, blue-eyed children to a school in Poland to be trained as proper Germans, then adopted by German families. Inspired by real events, this fascinating novel sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi agenda.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 5-8

Plot Summary: Milada and her best friend are planning their birthday parties when Nazis suddenly invade her town, take all of the women and children into the school gym, and send the men off (to be shot). Milada finds her blonde hair and blue eyes perfectly match the Aryan ideal, so she and her classmate Ruzha (a brash, honest girl), are sent to a center in Poland for Germanization. They learn German history, ideals, and values, but Eva is trying to remember her family, friends, native language, and real name. After 2 years in the center, Eva is adopted by the Werner family, Herr Werner being a high-ranking Nazi official in charge of running a local work camp. In 1945, Herr and his son Peter try to escape the Russian and American troups, while Eva, Elsbeth, and Mutter hide in the basement fallout shelter. Eventually, when the war ends, Eva is torn from the Werner family and reunited with her mother.

Setting: Starts in Ludice, Czechoslovakia, then Poland, then Germany

Characters: Milada - Eva, 11yo
Terezie - Milada's best friend
Jaroslav - Milada's brother, 15yo
Anechka - Milada's sister, 1yo
Babichka - Milada's grandmother
Ruzha - Milada's classmate, Franziska
Liesel - Milada's new friend in the center
Fraulein Kruger - in charge of center
Heidi - youngest girl taken for German training, was sent away after speaking in her native Polish and wetting the bed
Elsa - Heidi's older sister who was eventually sent away
Zelenka and Hana - Milada's other friends from her hometown
Papa - Milada's father
Herr Werner - Milada's adoptive father
Peter - Milada's new brother
Elsbeth - Milada's new sister
Kaiser - Werner's dog
Mutter - Milada's adoptive mother
Helga - maid
Erich - butler
Johann - chaffeur
Karl - groundskeeper
Inge - cook

Recurring Themes: Holocaust, World War II, Aryan race, Hitler, Nazis, work camps, food rations, home school, uniforms, Jews

Controversial Issues: explains the smell in Milada/Eva's new home is the result of burning bodies

Personal Thoughts: As a Jew who has visited many Holocaust museums, the story of Ludice, Czechoslovakia was new to me. This book was heartbreaking and troubling. Just like the author, I was surprised how many similarities there were between this fictionalized account of the true story and Marie.

This is a very good example of historical fiction because Eva's story really did happen to children during WWII. Children who met Hitler's standards for the "perfect race" were taken away from their families and put in school's to learn how to be good Germans. The location of the school where Eva was taken and the concentration camps where her family ended up were actual locations during WWII.

A few weeks after her birthday, the Germans invade Milada's home in Czechoslavakia in 1942 and split up her family. Because she has blonde hair and blue eyes, Milada is sent to a school to learn the German language, is renamed Eva and adopted by a German family. Readers will sympathize with Milada as she struggles to retain her identity and find her family. Her only possession from the past is a garnet pin given to her by her grandmother who said "You must keep this and remember. Remember who you are Milada. Remember where you are from. Always." Another World War II novel.

Milada and her family are seized from their home in Czechoslovakia by Nazi soldiers. Milada, praised for her blonde hair and blue eyes, is raised as a German Youth, adopted by German parents, and forced to will herself to remember her true self - not the German girl 'Eva' everyone wants her to become.A fast-paced read.

I read this while creating a subject guide for fiction on the Holocaust. This is a really excellent book that tells a different story then most World War II fiction. Aryan looking children are taken from their homes and placed in Nazi households to be indoctrinated into their way of life.