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Hidden Teens, Hidden Lives
Hiding behind a double wall in a ghetto in Poland, ten-year-old Aaron Elster heard gunshots and people screaming. In moments, Nazi troops discovered his family and herded them into the street, where Nazis were gunning people down. This young boy's hiding place did not save his family that time, but thousands of Jews went into hiding during the Holocaust. Barns, trapdoors, bunkers, secret attics, forged identity papers, and fake names became tools for survival. Author Linda Jacobs Altman uses primary sources to detail the stories of many Jews who went into hiding to survive the Nazi's planned extermination of Europe's Jews.
* Reviews *
Many histories use primary sources but fail to do so effectively. These books succeed by integrating into their narratives lengthy quotes from Jewish and other teens whose lives were endangered or changed by the Nazi regime. Each book provides historical background, but the narratives rest upon the recollections, making the material immediate and horrifyingly real. The books have the added advantage of being long enough to give students an authentic impression of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Certain to capture readers' attention, these are excellent purchases., School Library Journal April 2010
RL
Grades
9-10 IL
Grades
9-12+ GRL
Z
