Christa Laird

Thirteen year old Misha and his sister Rachel live in the Warsaw ghetto orphanage ran by Dr. Korczak. Although Misha and his sister are fictional, other characters in the book are not. In order to survive, Misha smuggles goods out of the ghetto, returning with much needed food and provisions. At the age of 16, Misha leaves the orphanage and joins the underground resistance group. A decision which saves his life from the liquidation of the orphanage.

Overall, the book was only so-so. The author struggles to find words to adequately describe the horrors of the ghetto. The characters are weekly written, and it is hard to imagine them as real people. Although this wasn't my favorite book, it may be a good introduction to the plight of Jews during WWII for a younger reader.… (más)

This is one of my favorite books of all-time; it's definitely in my top five. If you're someone who enjoys learning about stories from the WWII era, particularly things relating to Jewish persecution based on the events of the Holocaust, then you will probably love this book as I did. It's an amazingly moving story about a man, Misha, who, through writing a letter to his stepson, relives the hard times that he had to go through as a young adult trying to survive after escaping the Warsaw Ghetto.

A fantastic read, this book is sure to have some in tears by the end, but guaranteed to have everyone thinking hard by the end.… (más)