The War Within These Walls
This is the story of a young Jewish boy, Misha, who lived in
Warsaw in the midst of World War II. Because of his Jewish faith his family is
forced by the Nazis to live in a very crowded ghetto where there is a lack of
housing and food. He cannot stand to watch his friends and neighbors starve to
death so he tries to find a solution and he climbs down the sewer drain and
sneaks under the wall to seal food to provide for his family. He does this a
few times and even his younger sister attempts to go and find food until he
witness the Nazis killing people for doing it. He then has to find another way
to save his starving mother so he joins up with other Jews in the ghetto to
create a plan to attack the Nazis. They fought bravely for a few months until they
were over taken and many lives lost.
I personally found this book to be a powerful story about
how Jewish people and families were treated in World War II. It is a story that
demonstrates how the Jews were forced to starve to death and how they had to
fight to be treated as humans. The author Aline Sax wrote a book that can
really move the reader and make them feel for the characters and the culture of
the time and people involved.
Editorial Reviews:
From School Library Journal-
Gr 8 Up-Told from the point of view of a Jewish teen, this
short, illustrated novel begins with the invasion of Poland in 1939 and goes on
to describe the limits placed on the Jewish population and their eventual
incarceration in the Warsaw Ghetto. The narrator describes the daily
humiliations, depravations, despair, and deaths at the hands of the Nazis. When
his family runs out of food, the narrator descends into the sewer system to
cross to the Polish side of the Ghetto walls, where he is able to buy or steal
food. When the Nazis employ flame throwers to kill those in the sewers, he
loses his nerve. Unfortunately, he isn't able to stop his younger sister from
traveling the sewers, and one day she doesn't return. When it becomes clear
that everyone in the Ghetto is going to be resettled in the East, the narrator
is ready, when approached by Mordechai Anielewicz, one of the actual leaders of
the uprising, to join the resistance. The last portion of the book describes
the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising from the narrator's point of view. The pen, ink, and
pencil artwork serves to extend and clarify the story. The combination of the
illustrations and the author's spare prose make this a good choice for
reluctant readers and an outstanding example of Holocaust fiction.-Nancy
Silverrod, San Francisco Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals
LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
From Booklist-
Teenage Misha narrates the story of what happened during
WWII when Nazi forces took over Poland and walled off a part of Warsaw in 1940
to hold all the Jews in that city. Misha rebels against the inhumane conditions
of meager rations and the tremendous overcrowding in the Warsaw Ghetto by
smuggling food until his younger sister disappears while on a run through the
sewer system. Then, in 1943, when he learns that the Nazis plan to kill all the
Jews by transporting them to concentration camps, he joins a rebel group
determined to fight back no matter how hopeless their cause might be.
Everything about the format of the book—its tall and narrow shape, the somber
blue-and-white illustrations that work together with the spare prose, the
alternating white and black pages—makes the reader pause and take notice of
what is happening. This very personal viewpoint of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising
makes a powerful impact that will last long after reading. Grades 9-12.
Connections:
I would use this book in a High school class and partner it
with an Anne Frank or similar novel and compare and contrast the different
points of views. I think it is also a great book to provoke writing prompts.
Related books:
“My Family for the War” By Anne C. Voorhove
“The Man from the Other Side” by Uri Orlev
Fox, M. (2009). Hello Baby! Ill. Steve Jenkins. New York, New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 978-1-4169-8513-6
This is a cute guessing game type of story for young
children using an array of different African animals. It starts out by saying Hello
and the reader sees a human hand and it then asks “Who are you” and the child
sees a small part of an animal and the reader has to guess what the animal is.
When they turn the page they are shown the whole image of the animal and then
given another small picture to guess from. It takes the child through different
animals and different animal body parts and actions and then ends back with a
human hand.
This book is great for young children and has great
illustrations to show texture and vibrant colors. Even with text meant for
young children the author Mem Fox’s words provide a great visual, for example one
page says “Are you a lion with dust on its paws” to make the reader connect to
the lions environment in Africa. The story also teaches children about the
animal’s habits, for example a leopard dozes at dusk, and an eagle explores the
skies.
Connections:
I feel that this book can be used with any animal unit for
kinder through fourth grade. In the older grades they can use it as spring
board to making their own animal book that has the same idea of guessing what
the animal might be by giving clues and then more description on the next page.
It would be great to use in a kinder class to introduce different animals and
vocabulary. It would also make a great book to launch a virtual field trip on
an African Safari using google earth or another similar technology devise.
Related/Similar Books:
“Time for Bed” by Mem Fox
“Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?” Bill Martin Jr.
Arto’s Big Move
Arnaldo, M. (2014). Arto's
Big Move. Berkeley, CA: OwlKids Books. ISBN 978-1-77147-066-7
Arto is a young boy who has lived in the cold north his
whole life, seven years, and loved it. One day he comes home and notices that
there are cardboard boxes by the front door and his mother told him that they
were going to be moving for one year. Not just any move but a move to the
south! He was not happy about moving to the south because he loved his cold
weather where he could wear his boots, mittens and his favorite hat. When his
family made it to the south he noticed a whole new world. He saw roofs that where
flat instead of pointed and strange birds he had never seen. He also felt a
heat that he had not felt before. He refused to give up his northern ways and
kept his favorite winter layers on even in the heat. Things started to change
for Arto though when he met Ana at school. She wore sandals, a dress and
handkerchief around her neck. With the help and friendship of Ana, Arto starts
to accept the southern ways. One day Ana even gave him a wide-brimmed hat to
replace his winter hat. Arto was excited and starting to settle in when the cardboard
boxes appear again and it is time to return to their house in the north. Arto
was happy to be back in the north but kept his wide-brimmed hat on even in the
winter to remember his time in the south.
This is a great book about the different ways of life
between the north and the south. The author, Monica Arnaldo did a great job of
describing the difference between north and south with the description of the
houses and animals. The illustrations also helped the reader make the comparisons.
This book was able to show the difference is clothing as well. The reader is
able to look at a different world through this book. If a student from the
south reads the book they will know what it is like to get dressed for the cold
winter weather in the north and if a student from the north reads the book they
will know what it is like to need a wide-brimmed hat to provide shade for your
eyes. I also like how the author should the differences in the roofs. It leads
to a good class discussion about why they are like that.
Editorial Reviews:
From School Library Journal-
Gr 1–3—When Arto's family moves from the cold North to the
South for a year, the seven year old is very resistant to the idea. In fact,
despite being surrounded by cacti, adobe houses, and sand, he refuses to give
up his former garb—wool hat, winter coat, boots, and wooly socks. He spends his
days sweating and brooding until a classmate approaches him. Ana's family has
moved often, and her knowledge of living in the North connects her to Arto
immediately. As the friendship blooms, Arto begins to shed his layers, a great
metaphor for opening up to change and new friendship. As the year comes to a
close, Arto has mixed feelings about leaving his new home. In the end, he
learns that he can take a bit of his Southern life with him. This story will
resonate with many children, especially those who have experienced a move. The
boldly colored, expressive illustrations adequately reflect the cold Northern
climate, with its snow and bulky clothing, and the heat and desert landscape of
the South.—Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA
Connections:
There are so many compare and contrasts lessons that can be
done with this book. You can also bring in clothing items from each part and
have the classes sort them. If you live in the north bring in different clothing
items from the south and let the children wear them and vice versa for the
north. You can also have a class discussion about having to move and make new
friends and how hard it is to move to a new place that you don’t know about.
There are also writing prompts that you can generate.
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