ACL

Association of Children's Librarians

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Calendar
    • Institute 2020
    • Past Institutes
    • Performers’ Showcase
  • Resources
    • Storytime Ideas
    • Read-alikes
    • Reviews
    • Programming Ideas
    • Professional Development
    • Distinguished Books Lists
    • More…
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Join

Review

Librarian of Auschwitz Review

Iturbe, Antonio. Librarian of Auschwitz, The. Fiction. Translated from the Spanish by Lilit Thwaites. Holt, 10/2017. 432pp. $19.99. 978-1-62779-618-7. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 7-ADULT.

In 1944, Dita Adlerova, along with her mother and father and countless Jewish citizens, is transferred from the Terezín ghetto in Prague to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, they are imprisoned in the “family camp,” a propaganda front that the Nazis constructed in order to convince international observers that Auschwitz was an internment camp and not a factory designed to exterminate the Jewish race, run by the infamous Dr. Mengele. As part of a secret school there, 14-year-old Dita is tasked with the job of block librarian responsible for maintaining and concealing eight print books—contraband in Auschwitz—and six “living” books—teachers who tell stories by heart. Terrified but courageous, Dita is determined to keep hope alive through a few precious stories. Originally published in Spain (2012, Editorial Planeta), this engrossing tale captures the effects of Hitler’s Nazi movement through straightforward descriptions and poignant prose. Present tense lends a sense of urgency and moves the plot along quickly. Memories and flashbacks, which enrich character identities, are recounted in past tense. Third-person narrative adds sophistication. Characters are richly developed, and their back stories delve into many aspects of the Holocaust, including details of conditions inside Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen, and Jewish life before and after the war. Based on the real life of Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this important text offers a deep and very human insight into one of history’s darkest episodes. Review based on an ARC.

Sarah Jo Zaharako, Independent

Published on Jul 26, 2017
Posted by: pennypeck
Daddy Played the Blues Review »
« Karl, Get Out of the Garden! Review

Recent Posts

  • Out of the Ordinary
  • Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy Review
  • Pigeons Storytime – revised
  • Ladybugs Storytime – revised
  • Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre Review

Sign up to receive our blog and other updates by email.

Blog updates
Sending

Categories

  • ACL Events
  • Awards
  • Board Book Round Up
  • Media Watch
  • Message from ACL
  • News
  • Obituary
  • Out of the Ordinary
  • Outstanding Books of the Month
  • Professional Development
  • Programming Ideas
  • Review
  • San Francisco Public Library
  • storytime
  • Updates
  • Website of the Month

Tags

2018 Summer Reading 2019 Summer Reading ACL BayNews ACL Institute ACL Meeting ALA Conference ALSC American Library Association Arne Nixon Center Bay Area Storytelling Festival BayNews Beatty Award Board books Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Caldecott Medal Children's Fairyland CLA Common Core Do-It-Yourself Programs Dorothy Helfeld Fellowships Dr. Seuss Edgar Awards fantasy Flap books Infopeople Jacqueline Woodson Kate DiCamillo Mary Ann Scheuer Maurice Sendak Michael Cart National Book Award National Book Awards Newbery Medal Oakland Public Library outstanding Performers' Showcase Pop-up books School Library Journal Storytelling Storytime Summer Reading Summer Reading Program Sydney Taylor Awards Walter Dean Myers We Need Diverse Books

Archives

  • 2021
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
  • 2005
    • December
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • March
  • 2004
    • December
    • September
    • January
  • 2003
    • October
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • February
    • January
  • 2002
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • May
  • 2001
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
  • 2000
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • January
  • 1999
    • December
    • November

© Copyright 1999 - 2021 Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California · All Rights Reserved · Log In