Customer Reviews

Alan and Naomi

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alan and Naomi is among my favorite books ever written. It is beautiful, heartwrending, and expertly written in true to life prose. The story will haunt you and the message it teaches about true friendship amid the pains of life will leave you changed. It is that powerful.

This was a fantastic book! It's about a typical boy living in the city, whose life is suddenly changed. A young girl and her mother move into the appartment building where he's living, and it rocks his world forever. She is one of the many people who have escaped Hitlar, and the memory of her father being beaten to death in front of her eyes has haunted her ever since it happened. Alan must help her out of these hard time, and within Naomi, he finds a friend he thought he could never have.

I loved this book, it was so touching I even cried. If you want to consider yourself a serious reader, read this book.

At our school we are required to tell about one extra credit book every six weeks. This was on my extra credit list, so I just ordered it from another library, not really expecting that much. But boy, was I wrong!
I was witness to young Alan trying to help Naomi, a terrified young girl who locks herself deep inside after her father is beaten to death in front of her for making maps that led Jews to freedom. I rejoiced with him as he slowly made progress until Naomi seemed to totally braek free of her shell and enter the big world. A little cautious, perhaps, but she was really there. It was totally easy to fall in love with Naomi. Her extremely intelligent, sweet mind was so refreshing. She is lively, and so much fun! "Crazy Cat" became Alan's best friend, caught up with the school year's class in only two weeks, and Alan and she shared everything. Alan learns why when she first came and wasn't quite in her right mind she spent all her time shredding paper. When her father had been killed, she and him had been shredding his secret maps and flushing them down in the toilet so that the Gestapo would have no reason to harm him. They failed to make it, and Naomi blamed herself. Then one day a cruel boy from school called Alan a "dirty Jew" and they got into a fight. What happened as a consequence to Naomi's mind was so sad it almost made me cry. Read it!
This book makes you really see the fear and loss that Hitler and the Nazis brought. It is really a touching story.

some people dont understand how bad life was during the war. this story explains in depth how hitler could take charge of such innocent people and charge them with crimes they didnt commit. a boy discovers his friendship for a harmless girl could be more then just for the adults and opens her mind to the world. this story shows me we should appreciate life and help anyone we can.

I think Alan and Naomi by M. Levoy is one of the best books written for young adults I've ever read. It deals with such difficult themes as war and anti-Semitism but it's very easy to read.
Naomi Kirshenbaum escapes from the Nazis in Poland but she is rather dead than alive.
Her father made maps of the Paris sewers and helped the Resistance soldiers. When the Nazis found it out and came for him, he asked Naomi to tear up the maps. And she was tearing and tearing the maps until her nails were broken and her hands were covered with blood. But it didn't help. Her father saved her life by pushing her under the bed. He was beaten to death on the floor while she was watching....And now Naomi doesn't speak, doesn't smile and is afraid of the slightest sound. She spends all her time tearing pieces of paper.
Alan Silverman is asked by his father to help Naomi. At first he is ashamed and afraid to be seen with her. But later....
If you want to know whether Alan can help Naomi and if the book has a happy end you should definitely read it yourself.
I was really surprised how realistic the events are described. The thoughts and actions of Alan are so natural that you believe immediately this story is true. I like this book very much not only because it's a heart-warming and touching story but also because this book makes you think. It makes you think about the Holocaust and World War II, about real friendship and anti-Semitism. You will not just read this book, you will live it.

When I was 9 years old, I checked this book out at the school library. I read it in 2 days and was so touched by the message. I remember crying so hard when I read the last page where Alan is shouting Naomi's name. That was 27 years ago, and I still love this book. I have been an elementary school teacher for @13 years. You better believe this book is in my class library and my bookshelf at home. My daughter is in the 5th grade and I hope to encourage her to read it as well. I could write volumes on the originality and beauty of this book...just plain touching and haunting at the same time.

We had to read this book in school. I thoguht that it would really stink... but I was very wrong. I read the whole thing in a night and I really loved it. It made me really think about what my teacher was trying to tell us. Innocent people were changed forever by the Holocaust. Alan and Naomi become friends and then... (read to find out!)

It was such a touching story. It's about how Alan helps this disturbed girl who just came to america. She's been in a war and has seen many shocking sights. This book shows you what true friendship is. It was so cute. I even cried. It is one of those books you can never forget and can't put down until your done.

Alan and Naomi is a great book. I recommend it to kids who are studying the Holocaust, because it shows you how some people were affected by the Holocaust. This book has wonderful characters and they are described in great detail. It also is a real page turner, because you are always wondering what is going to happen next. It has a very sad ending that is very dramatic. This book Alan and Naomi is a funny,sad and an exciting book, so I hope that you read it.

I like this story because a Alan has to help this girl Naomi come out of her shell. In the process Alan finds out her father was beaten to death by the Nazis because he he made maps that lead Jews to freedom. This story tells about the true terrors of the holocaust. And how americans helped the Jews. I recomend this book because it is sad, exciting, and scary. Plus it is a very short book.