Knowing how to talk to your child or a student about this horrific period of time is extremely difficult but important please do not shy away. There are many books about the Holocaust and there are many well written, thought provoking books out there. We invite you to read one of the books below with your student and open a conversation.
Please note : Our book lists are split into groups in ages but this is purely a recommendation
Benno and the Night of the Broken Glass
by Meg Wiviott
A neighborhood cat observes the changes in German and Jewish families in its town during the period leading up to Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass that becomes the true beginning of the Holocaust. This cats-eye view introduces the Holocaust to children in a gentle way that can open discussion of this period.
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.
Middle Grade
I am a Star Child of the Holocaust
by Inge Auerbacher
Inge Auerbacher's childhood was as happy and peaceful as any other German child's--until 1942. By then, the Nazis were in power, and because Inge's family was Jewish, she and her parents were sent to a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The Auerbachers defied death for three years, and were finally freed in 1945. In her own words, Inge Auerbacher tells her family's harrowing story--and how they carried with them ever after the strength and courage of will that allowed them to survive.
Teens and Tweens
Resistance
by Jennifer A. Nielson
Chaya Lindner is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Poland. Simply being Jewish places her in danger of being killed or sent to the camps. After her little sister is taken away, her younger brother disappears, and her parents all but give up hope, Chaya is determined to make a difference. Using forged papers and her fair features, Chaya becomes a courier and travels between the Jewish ghettos of Poland, smuggling food, papers, and even people.
12-18 years
.
Anne Frank Diary of a Young girl
Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
Middle school
Who was Anne Frank ? by Ann Abramson
In her amazing diary, Anne Frank revealed the challenges and dreams common for any young girl. But Hitler brought her childhood to an end and forced her and her family into hiding. Who Was Anne Frank? looks closely at Anne's life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary. Black-and-white illustrations including maps and diagrams provide historical and visual reference in an easy-to-read biography written in a way that is appropriate and accessible for younger readers.
4th-7th grade.
Hidden
by Loric Daunweiler
A graphic Novel with captivating pictures and poetic language. A grandmother tells her granddaughter the story of how her non-Jewish neighbors in Paris kept her hidden after the Nazis sent her parents to a concentration camp.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
by John Boyne
When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
5th Grade and above
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
by Judith Kerr
Young Anna doesn’t understand why her family must leave Germany because of the man in the posters she sees all around Berlin. Anna’s family spends the war on the move, lucky to have the means to live decently and safely. But they are refugees without a country, which makes this classic novel a resonant story for our times.
Middle School
Anna and the swallow man
by Gavriel Savit
A story of 7-year-old Anna who’s left to fend for herself in 1939 Krakow after German soldiers arrest her father. Then she meets the Swallow Man, a mysterious figure who takes her under his wing and, like her father, speaks several languages fluently. Is he her savior, her protector, or possibly a dangerous man?
Teens and Tweens