School Library Journal Review
| Gr 8 Up-Based on the true story of Holocaust survivor Dita Kraus, this novel features a protagonist who exemplifies courage in the face of death. Fourteen-year-old Dita is imprisoned at Auschwitz along with her mother and father in the "family camp." Her work assignment is to assist the Jewish leader in charge of Block 31, a section created to entertain the children so that their family can work. This block has many secrets, but the most important is that eight books were smuggled in by Jewish prisoners. Dita has been entrusted with their care, making her "the Librarian of Auschwitz." As time passes on, she becomes aware that Dr. Mengele has taken an interest in her, and while she is terrified that "Doctor Death" is paying attention to her, she finds the courage to protect her books, family, and friends at all costs. Throughout, well-known Nazi leaders and lesser-known Jewish heroes play pivotal roles, making the connection with the historical elements of the horrors of Auschwitz, and later Bergen-Belsen more credible and relatable. Despite being a fictional retelling of a true story, this novel is one that could easily be recommended or taught alongside Elie Wiesel's Night and The Diary of Anne Frank and a text that, once read, will never be forgotten. VERDICT A hauntingly authentic Holocaust retelling; a must for YA collections.-Stephanie Wilkes, Good Hope Middle School, West Monroe, LA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| *Starred Review* Most people know something of Auschwitz's horrors: disease and starvation; grotesque medical experiments; profound debasement of human life; and, of course, the terrible Final Solution. Iturbe's astonishing novel spares readers none of the details of these abominations, but its focus is on the relatively unknown family camp located at Auschwitz, which featured a school for the children. Dita Adlerova is the main storyteller, a teenage girl asked to serve as librarian for the school's contraband collection of eight books. Her reverence for her role and for the transformative power of the books in her care imbues Iturbe's story with a mystical quality that is in sharp contrast with the everyday torture of survival. There are other stories intertwined with Dita's, such as that of the charismatic young Fredi Hirsch, burdened by his attraction to other boys, and the hapless SS officer Viktor Pestek, in love with a beautiful Jewish girl. The novel was originally published in Spanish in 2012, and this translation, by Thwaites, captures both the transcendence of Dita's story and the deeply disturbing reality of the concentration camps. Like Markus Zusak's The Book Thief (2006), it's a sophisticated novel with mature themes, delivering an emotionally searing reading experience. An important novel that will stand with other powerful testaments from the Holocaust era.--Colson, Diane Copyright 2017 Booklist |
