Along the Tracks [Hardcover]

Tamar Bergman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1991

Based on the true story of a Polish boy, separated from his mother during the German invasion of Poland in World War II, and left completely alone for four years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rarely is YA historical fiction this immediate and involving. Yankele, a Jewish boy in Lodz, is six years old when the Nazis invade Poland, and his parents take him and his sister on a weeks-long, dangerous trek into the Soviet Union--so vividly rendered that the reader can sense the hero's exhaustion, share his fear as bombs explode on the swarming route. The family finds safety from the Nazis if not a genuine haven: they suffer in a mining camp in the Urals for almost two years before Yankele's father is drafted to serve in the Russian army. As the war grows closer, Yankele's mother takes him and his sister on a refugee train bound for Kazakhstan. Then a catastrophe occurs that separates Yankele from the rest of his family. His ensuing odyssey leads him through the eastern Soviet republics, living among child gangs, in state orphanages or with kind strangers, and he is forced to develop hair-trigger reflexes. Carefully weaving historical details into this unforgettable adventure, Bergman, an Israeli who based this work on a true story, achieves a cinematic scope. Ages 11-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8-- Escaping German persecution during World War II, eight-year-old Yankele and his Jewish family leave their Polish homeland to seek safety in Russia. Fleeing on foot, then by train, they find refuge in the Crimea, only to be displaced again when the Nazis invade the Soviet Union. Yankele is separated from his family, and begins an exhausting journey through villages and countryside, walking and riding on freight trains, trying to locate his mother. He befriends other "abandoned ones" who are trying to survive, and finds temporary shelter with another Jewish family, but remains determined to find his own family. Yankele's aching hunger is vivid, as is the moral dilemma he feels in justifying the need to steal to survive. Wartime experiences, which naturally mature a boy, are described in an honest manner without dwelling on particular scenes. Translated from Hebrew and based on a true story, the narrative shifts from third to first person a third of the way into the book. At first jarring, this switch makes sense as it starts when Yankele finds himself alone, resulting in a more personal, intense narrative. There are instances when the passage of time is unclear (to readers as well as to Yankele). Like Ephraim Sevela's We Were Not Like Other People (HarperCollins, 1989) and Yoko Kawashima Watkins' So Far from the Bamboo Grove (Lothrop, 1986), Bergman poignantly shows the pain of separation and the remarkable determination of youth to survive. --Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1ST edition (September 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395553288
• ISBN-13: 978-0395553282
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,393,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Along the Tracks, March 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Along the Tracks (Hardcover)

In my opinion, Along the Tracks is a good book. You find yourself on the edge of your seat numerous times, not to mention not being able to put the book down. Along the Tracks also has a very happy ending, which I happen to like.

5.0 out of 5 stars Along the Tracks, May 30, 2011

By 

J Larson - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Along the Tracks (Sandpiper paperbacks) (Paperback)

Along the Tracks, has become part of the top-five requested books read independently in my 8th and 9th grade classes. This book crosses gender interests. It is one that I recommend to reluctant readers and so far, even they have agreed that it is a very interesting read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book ever!!!, May 24, 2001

By 

Eileen Manusos (Elk Grove Village, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Along the Tracks (Sandpiper paperbacks) (Paperback)

I loved this book! It totally sucked me in from the moment I opened it. It's about a young boy's experiences being separated from his family during the Holocaust. His adventures are amazing! He has to overcome his friends dying, hunger, disease, poverty, separation, and even love. And I can't believe it all really happened to a real person!!!