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Daniel's Story |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
 Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0590465880 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-- Daniel, 14 in 1941, describes first his family's sense of belonging in Germany and their refusal to flee their country despite the initial instances of anti-Semitism they experience. By the time the family is ready to acknowledge the seriousness of their situation, no country is willing to accept them. They are first deported from Frankfurt to the Lodz ghetto in Poland; from Lodz they are sent to Auschwitz, and finally, Daniel and his father are marched to Buchenwald. They are the only two members of the family who survive, and are liberated by the Americans. Daniel tells his story through the "pictures" he has; at first real photographs, and then the images in his head. He is a courageous, sensitive, heroic individual who personalizes the events of the Holocaust. His voice rings true; he is... |
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The War Within: A Novel of the Civil War |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0689843585 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Prior to December, 1862, 13-year-old Hannah Green lived the life of a proper Southern daughter of an important Jewish merchant in Holly Springs, MS. That month, General Grant issues General Order #11, which requires all Jews to evacuate the territory under his command, and Hannah's world is turned upside down. During the same week, her home is destroyed by Confederate soldiers who opt to blow up supplies rather than have them fall into the hands of the enemy. As Hannah and her family travel north with the Union troops, she confronts the amazing changes in her life. Through her diary entries, readers learn of the girl's changing views concerning slavery, her hatred of all things Union, and what it means to be Jewish. This story brings to light a little-known bit of Civil War history and creates a... |
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After the War |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0613044428 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 3-5 weeks. We cannot guarantee availability of special order titles because publishers may run out of stock. We will notify you in 3-4 weeks if we are unable to get this title for you. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10?Matas's historical novel shows that the persecution of Europe's Jewish population did not end with their liberation from the Nazi death camps. She tells the story of Ruth, 15, who makes her way back from Buchenwald to her Polish homeland to discover that Jews are still viewed by others with suspicion and hatred. Desperate and alone, she meets Saul, who persuades her to join a group of refugees planning to emigrate to Palestine. Historically, the book is accurate and references to actual events are interwoven neatly into the narrative. The author does oversimplify the position of the British and their decision to stop Jewish immigration to Palestine, and this is a definite weakness. Nonetheless, the story is strong and compelling and the use of descriptive language creates a mood of desperation and... |
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After the War |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0689807228 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10?Matas's historical novel shows that the persecution of Europe's Jewish population did not end with their liberation from the Nazi death camps. She tells the story of Ruth, 15, who makes her way back from Buchenwald to her Polish homeland to discover that Jews are still viewed by others with suspicion and hatred. Desperate and alone, she meets Saul, who persuades her to join a group of refugees planning to emigrate to Palestine. Historically, the book is accurate and references to actual events are interwoven neatly into the narrative. The author does oversimplify the position of the British and their decision to stop Jewish immigration to Palestine, and this is a definite weakness. Nonetheless, the story is strong and compelling and the use of descriptive language creates a mood of desperation and... |
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In My Enemy's House |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0613299876 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 3-5 weeks. We cannot guarantee availability of special order titles because publishers may run out of stock. We will notify you in 3-4 weeks if we are unable to get this title for you. |
Book Description
"They won't kill everyone in the ghetto right away," he continued, his voice matter-of-fact. "They still need workers. But not for too long. After all, they have us Poles to work for them, don't they?" He paused then, and looked at me. I was frozen like a Polish winter. I was cold right through into my bones. "You know, Miriam," Mr. Kraszewski suggested, "you could be one of us." Award-winning novelist Carol Matas brings readers into the heart of Nazi Germany with the harrowing story of Marisa, a Polish Jew whose blonde hair and blue eyes make it easy for her to pass as a Christian. With the Nazis ready to herd the remaining Jews of her town into a ghetto, and with her family either scattered or dead, Marisa takes the papers of a Polish girl and in that disguise goes to Germany in a desperate attempt to survive as... |
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Rosie in Chicago |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0613904702 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7-- fun book full of drama, excitement, suspense, and life lessons all wrapped around a baseball game, set in the early 1900s. In this second story about Rosie, the spunky 12-year-old has been unsuccessful at making friends since her move from New York City. She spends much of her free time working as an usher in one of her father's nickelodeons, disguised as a boy. When her brother Abe's baseball team, the Chavarims, comes up a player short for an important game, Rosie fills in since she plays as well as the boys. The game between the Russian Jewish team and the Tigers, who are German Jews, has many tense situations and a variety of characters and personalities. Rosie succeeds at fooling everyone until an outstanding play results in an excited tumble and her cap comes off, exposing the braid pinned... |
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Daniel's Story |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Library Binding |
| ISBN: |
0785710604 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-- Daniel, 14 in 1941, describes first his family's sense of belonging in Germany and their refusal to flee their country despite the initial instances of anti-Semitism they experience. By the time the family is ready to acknowledge the seriousness of their situation, no country is willing to accept them. They are first deported from Frankfurt to the Lodz ghetto in Poland; from Lodz they are sent to Auschwitz, and finally, Daniel and his father are marched to Buchenwald. They are the only two members of the family who survive, and are liberated by the Americans. Daniel tells his story through the "pictures" he has; at first real photographs, and then the images in his head. He is a courageous, sensitive, heroic individual who personalizes the events of the Holocaust. His voice rings true; he is... |
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War Within |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0613958640 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 3-5 weeks. We cannot guarantee availability of special order titles because publishers may run out of stock. We will notify you in 3-4 weeks if we are unable to get this title for you. |
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Prior to December, 1862, 13-year-old Hannah Green lived the life of a proper Southern daughter of an important Jewish merchant in Holly Springs, MS. That month, General Grant issues General Order #11, which requires all Jews to evacuate the territory under his command, and Hannah's world is turned upside down. During the same week, her home is destroyed by Confederate soldiers who opt to blow up supplies rather than have them fall into the hands of the enemy. As Hannah and her family travel north with the Union troops, she confronts the amazing changes in her life. Through her diary entries, readers learn of the girl's changing views concerning slavery, her hatred of all things Union, and what it means to be Jewish. This story brings to light a little-known bit of Civil War history and creates a... |
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Out of Their Minds |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0689819463 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-In this third fantasy of the sequence, Princess Lenora and Prince Coren journey to Coren's kingdom of Andilla to try, yet again, to have their wedding. Lenora, determined and aggressive, can change the world with the power of her imagination. Coren comes from a kingdom in which people choose to live in their minds and ignore the real world. As the couple approaches Andilla, they find that the people have lost their special powers. Something is upsetting The Balance, and the young couple must find out what it is. Could the evil Hevak be involved in another takeover plot? On their quest, Lenora and Coren encounter the Skwoes, uniformed clonelike people who have neither imagination nor emotion-the opposite of the court Andillans, in fact. The resolution-hard to attain since each of Lenora's solutions... |
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Rosie in Los Angeles: Action! |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0689857160 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6--Set in 1911, this third story about irrepressible Rosie explores the early years of the movies. The Lepidus family has moved to Los Angeles from Chicago, changed their name to Lake, and purchased a ranch where Rosie's father can film Westerns. He hires a small Wild West troop as actors and extras and starts to dream up a new story with Rosie as his star. Then the Cowboy King, the show's main attraction, is injured when Rosie spooks his horse. His son Zach is none too happy about teaching her how to ride, especially when she guesses that he is reluctant to get in the saddle himself--injured in a fall, he hasn't yet found the courage to get back on. Soon, however, the two find they must cooperate as they track down two runaway horses in the nearby hills. They become lost in the fog, barely escape a... |
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Rosie in New York City: Gotcha! |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0689857144 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-In this first book in a trilogy, Rosie's father invests in the nickelodeon business and her mother becomes ill, so the 11-year-old fills in at a shirtwaist factory in order to support the family. She quickly-perhaps too quickly-makes the transition from carefree schoolgirl to oppressed factory worker, and participates in the 1909-1910 strike. In the end, Papa moves the family to Chicago, and Rosie, while sad to leave her friends, looks forward to new adventures. The story is told from the child's perspective, and Matas provides good background on the working conditions and hardships faced by the strikers, including the girl's arrest and appearance in court. Weaknesses in the novel include a clairvoyant neighbor who does not help to move the story along and asides about religion; some Yiddish words... |
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Sparks Fly Upward |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0618159649 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Grades 4-7--When their farmhouse burns to the ground, Rebecca Bernstein's family must leave their comfortable Jewish farming community in Saskatchewan and move to Winnipeg. Because her theater-loving father refuses to take just any job and there isn't enough room for the large extended family in the small storefront her grandfather finds, the 12-year-old is sent into foster care with a neighboring family. Worse yet, the Kostaniuks are Ukrainian and very Christian. Although Sophie Kostaniuk, who shares Rebecca's love for reading, could easily be her best friend, Sophie's brother Sasha and her father hate Jews, and fights break out at school between Sasha and Rebecca's favorite uncles, Max and Sam. Scarlet fever brings the two girls closer and they cement their friendship when they rescue small children from a... |
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The War Within: A Novel of the Civil War |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0689829353 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Prior to December, 1862, 13-year-old Hannah Green lived the life of a proper Southern daughter of an important Jewish merchant in Holly Springs, MS. That month, General Grant issues General Order #11, which requires all Jews to evacuate the territory under his command, and Hannah's world is turned upside down. During the same week, her home is destroyed by Confederate soldiers who opt to blow up supplies rather than have them fall into the hands of the enemy. As Hannah and her family travel north with the Union troops, she confronts the amazing changes in her life. Through her diary entries, readers learn of the girl's changing views concerning slavery, her hatred of all things Union, and what it means to be Jewish. This story brings to light a little-known bit of Civil War history and creates a... |
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War within: A Novel of the Civil War |
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| Author: |
Carol Matas |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0786254998 |
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| Availability: |
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From School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Prior to December, 1862, 13-year-old Hannah Green lived the life of a proper Southern daughter of an important Jewish merchant in Holly Springs, MS. That month, General Grant issues General Order #11, which requires all Jews to evacuate the territory under his command, and Hannah's world is turned upside down. During the same week, her home is destroyed by Confederate soldiers who opt to blow up supplies rather than have them fall into the hands of the enemy. As Hannah and her family travel north with the Union troops, she confronts the amazing changes in her life. Through her diary entries, readers learn of the girl's changing views concerning slavery, her hatred of all things Union, and what it means to be Jewish. This story brings to light a little-known bit of Civil War history and creates a... |
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