Yellow Star

by Jennifer Roy Narrated by Christina Moore

Overview

In 1939 the Nazis invade Lodz, Poland, forcing four-year-old Syvia Perlmutter and 270,000 other Jews into a ghetto surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by armed men. Scared and confused, Syvia and the others have no idea how terrible their lives will soon be. When the Nazis start removing children "to keep them safe," Syvia's father does not believe them. He does everything he can to protect Syvia, even hiding her in a graveyard. For years the family barely survives, until Russian soldiers liberate the ghetto in 1945 and free the remaining 800 survivors. Among the 800 are Syvia and only 11 other children. A Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards honor book, Yellow Star is a novelization in free verse of the true experiences of the author's aunt. It received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, VOYA, and School Library Journal, which proclaimed it a "standout in the genre of Holocaust literature." ". what sets it apart is the lyricism of the narrative, and Syvia's credible childlike voice, maturing with each chapter, as she gains further understanding of the events around her."-Publishers Weekly, starred review

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Syvia-the author's aunt-is too young to know what's happening, but she and her family have been evicted from their home and, with the other neighborhood Jews, have been relocated to the Lodz ghetto at the start of WWII. This novel-in-verse tells how Syvia and her family struggled to survive the war and describes their lives in the ghetto, Syvia being one of only 12 children who walked out at the end of the war. Poetry blends fact and fiction in a powerful format that helps make this incomprehensible event in history comprehensible for children. The fictionalized story is given context by brief nonfiction chapter introductions and is personalized by vivid characters who speak to a young-adult audience. Young readers will find this gripping tale that reads like memoir textured with the sounds, smell and sights of children in captivity. By telling this story so credibly and convincingly through the eyes of a child, the terror of the experience is rendered fresh and palpable for even the most jaded child reader. Classroom teachers might want to partner this book with Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed (2003). (Historical fiction. 10+)

FEBRUARY 2013 - AudioFile

When the Lodz ghetto was liberated in 1945, only 12 children were among the survivors. The author's aunt, Syvia, was one of them. This harrowing first-person story follows Syvia from the time she is 4 until she is one day shy of her tenth birthday. However, narrator Tavia Gilbert's portrayal doesn't mature with the character. She sounds much the same at the beginning as she does at the end, and her voice quavers a bit too much, bordering on the overly dramatic. The novel is written in free verse, a style that doesn’t lend itself well to audio. The story itself is emotionally gripping, but the audiobook struggles. The author's note, time line, and background information are excellent. M.D. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171312312
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	09/26/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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