The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By: John Boyne

Pages: 216

The Devil's Arithmetic

                           The Devil’s Arithmetic                     

By: Jane Yolen

Pages: 170

“Stop! They’re Nazis, I know. I’m from the future.” In the book The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen, 13 year old Jewish girl, Hannah,  is transported to 1942 and a different life after welcoming Elijah the prophet at Passover Seder. She finds herself in a small Polish village, where it is her uncle’s wedding day. On their way to the shul they spot three old-fashioned cars and twelve military cars, Hannah immediately knows  that they are German Nazis by the way they are dressed. The villagers are taken to camps where Hannah meets three friends. When they were talking to each other while working at the water pump, a guard comes and tells them that he was sent to find three more Jews to go in the smokestack. He picks Hannah’s three friends but Hannah tells Rivka, “I will go for you, he is a new guard. He won’t know the difference. Now, run.” When Hannah enters the smokestack she is remarkably back in her house at Passover. She sees her Aunt Eva’s arm and notices she has the same number her friend Rivka.  It turns out her aunt was Rivka, and after she escaped the camp, moved to America and changed her name. Hannah’s adventure teaches her much more about the Holocaust than she could ever learn in history class.

Countdown

Countdown

By: Deborah Wiles

Pages: 384

"I just want a friend", cried Franny Chapman lying on her bed. In Countdown, by Deborah Wiles, 11 year old Franny Chapman shows bravery and hope. Her best friend , Margie, betrays her and starts spreading rumors, but Franny tries to brush it off.  After that, her uncle who thinks he is still in the war embarrasses her in front of all the neighborhood kids. Next, her older sister, Jo Ellen, suddenly disappears without saying good-bye to her, yet Franny shows hope that her sister will come back. In the end,Franny makes many new friends and gets back an old one. The only thing I would do different if I was Franny would be to ask Margie if we could be friends soon after we had our argument.