By Susan Hood
4RBooks: 6/6, grades 6-adult
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grade level 5-9
Good Reads: 4.44/5
Common Sense Media: not yet reviewed
283 pages (story), 339 total (photos and notes)
Synopsis:
Zhanna and Frina are sisters growing up in Kharkov, Ukraine. They are piano prodigies, trained by the best teachers in the area. At 8 and 6 they are the youngest students ever given scholarships to the music conservatory. Life seems to be going great until Stalin take over Russia, and then WWII starts, and Germany invades Ukraine.
As Jews, Zhanna and her family are in danger. They are rounded up with the other Jews and marched out of town. Knowing that the possibility exists that they will all be killed, Zhanna’s father arranges for her to escape with the words, “Just live.” Zhanna returns to her hometown where she is reunited with her sister who will never describe how or why she was able to get away.
The sisters must now escape west to freedom. They make their way to an orphanage where they get papers with aliases, new names, and histories. While there, their piano playing abilities are discovered and they become part of a performing troupe for the Nazis. Hiding in plain sight, knowing that if their Jewish heritage is ever discovered they will be sent to the camps, Zhanna and Frina play to stay alive. Eventually they are sent to Berlin where they are housed just down the street from Hitler.
As the bombing of Berlin begins, the girls must escape one more time to try and find the Americans, and finally escaping the horrors of war.
Parental Guidance: medium-high
Zhanna and Frina are often on their own, trying to make their way to safety. They are separated from their parents who they never see again.
Though not graphically described, the horrors of life under Stalin and then the Nazis is not sugar coated. It is detailed and may be an issue for sensitive readers (deaths, beatings, brutal living conditions).
Recommendation:
Having already enjoyed Harboring Hope and Lifeboat 12 by this same author, I was excited to start this latest novel in verse. I was not disappointed. Easily one of the best middle school books I’ve read. It is personal, it is dramatic, and it was a “finished in one day” read. I would highly recommend this to any middle or high school student interested in WWII history from a personal angle, and I would highly recommend this book to adults, too.
Written in verse makes it an easier read, especially for struggling or reluctant readers. Most of the book is in free verse, but there are pages of more structured poems which are explained in the back. This would be an excellent classroom read for any class studying WWII history. I would also recommend this book to any teacher, or parent, whose student(s) are interested in information beyond the story. Great for extension activities.
While elementary students would find the writing style easy to read and process, the subject matter is very intense, and I would only recommend it with parent guidance. Sensitive readers may be bothered by the events that are detailed.
This is a true story based on letters and interviews with Zhanna. Her own personal words are added throughout the story to make it even more personal.
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