Behind the Bedroom Wall (Paperback)

by Laura E. Williams (Author), A. Nancy Goldstein (Illustrator) "Jew-lover! spat the tall, blond Gestapo officer, pushing Herr Haase toward the car..." (more)
Key Phrases: mouse noises, Frau Rehme, Herr Rehme, Herr Haase (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Melodrama substitutes for conflict in this heavy-handed novel set in Nazi Germany. At 13, Korinna Rehme is just like the other members of her girls' youth group: besotted with the Fuhrer ("Hitler is the most wonderful man, Mother. Don't you think so?") and rabidly anti-Semitic. When she discovers that two Jews, a mother and young daughter, are hiding in her very own house, she is horrified at her parents' calumny. As Korinna weighs the possibility of turning her parents in, her best friend, Rita, begins to grow suspicious and starts laying a deadly trap for the Rehmes and their clandestine guests. Neither subtlety nor insight plays a part in these proceedings: Williams doesn't suggest the attractions of the Hitler youth groups or allow for the range of attitudes within these groups, described so persuasively in such memoirs as Ilse Koehn's Mischling, Second Degree or Hans Peter Richter's I Was There. Instead, the dilemmas faced by these characters come across to the reader as crystal-clear choices between good and evil. This type of simplification makes for bad history?and a flat read. Ages 9-13.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8?Korinna, 13, loves her country and is active in the Jungmadel, Hitler's youth group for girls. When she learns that her parents are hiding Jews, she is shocked and angry. A series of events, including her reluctant, but growing attachment to the little girl hidden behind the wardrobe in her room, leads her to conclude that the price of being loyal to the Fatherland is too high. It is Korinna's quick thinking that saves the family during a night raid. The atmosphere and mood of the times are palpable, with Korinna and her family forced to flee Germany. If the characters are "types," such as the brave father, the nasty so-called "best" friend, and the vicious Gestapo agent, they are clearly drawn and appropriately employed in a fast-moving, believable plot with an inevitable ending.?Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions; 1st edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157131606X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571316066
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #370,684 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Behind the Bedroom Wall by Laura E. Williams is great!, June 9, 2000

By A Customer

Imagine that you are a thirteen-year-old girl living in Germany in the forties. This is exactly who Korinna Rehme is. She is a typical German-Hitler youth. She spits at and taunts the Jews and she thinks that Hitler is helping Germany out by getting rid of the "Jewish problem." She is an active member in her local Jungmadel and is brainwashed to think that whatever Hitler says or does is right. She hates Jews, or at least she thinks she does, until she finds out that her parents are hiding two Jews behind her own bedroom wall. Reporting traitors is what she should do, and that's what she is thinking about doing to her parents, until she starts to befriend one of the Jews and then she doesn't know what to do. I really like this book. It helps you to see what was going on in Germany during the reign of Hitler through a child's eye. So read this book and you will be mystified and amazed at how this thirteen-year-old girl handles this situation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Flip Side of the Coin, June 30, 2002

By	Allyn "pianogirl" (USA) - See all my reviews

We've all read memoirs and accounts of Jewish suffering during World War 2...but do we know the thoughts and life-changing decisions faced by a "normal" German girl during that time? I would venture to say that many of us don't. Well, here is novel to remedy that situation. "Behind The Bedroom Wall" is the story of 13-year-old Korinna Rehme. Life is fairly simple for her-follow Hitler, hate the Jews, and turn in "traitors" to Germany. She loves her Hitler Youth Meetings, and is safe and secure in the fact that she is a "loyal" German and so are her parents and friends. But then she makes a shocking discovery. What she thought to be the sound of mice behind her bedroom wall is really Jews, who her parents have decided to hide to keep safe. Korinna is outraged, confused, and afraid. How can "the enemy" be living right next to her? Are her parents evil? What will happen if anyone finds out? Korinna must make the decision-will she turn her parents in to the Nazis or will she take part in her parents' courageous rebellion....??? This book constantly had me asking myself, "What would I do in that situation?" "Would I be strong enough to face persecution and go against a popular view?" Korinna is convincing in her utter normalcy and frightens us into thinking, "Could that be me?" The novel is also suspenseful as we realize that danger faces Korinna no matter which way she chooses. "Behind The Bedroom Wall" is a must-read for any kid (adults might enjoy it, too)and really, really shows us how Hitler succeeded in carrying out the Holocaust.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fairly good Holocaust book., April 13, 1999

By A Customer

Behind the Bedroom Wall provides a clear view of what happened to the people who didn't have to suffer. All they had to do was be loyal to Germany, and they wouldn't be sent away. This is the story of the people who were brave enough to put their own lives in danger for justice. It is a story to help us all understand the madness and courage it took for these people to see beyond their own lives and to question and understand what was really going on during this horrible time-World War II. Korrina Rehme is a thirteen-year old girl who is a faithful German. She is part of a Nazi Youth group called the Jumgmadel. She had been taught that when all the Jews had been gotten rid of, Hitler will make Germany once again a powerful country. And why shouldn't she believe him? The activities she does at their Youth Group involve helping the elderly and poor, going on hikes, and other fun things. All they have to do is be loyal and report anyone who was being the least bit un-German. This is Korinna's world, until she discovers that her own parents are hiding Jews behind her own bedroom wall. This knowledge sends Korinna's life spinning out of control and everything she ever learned seen in a new light. What is Korinna to do? She faces serious internal conflicts as she debates whether or not to turn her parents in and who to trust. I thought this book was okay. It is easy to comprehend, but I liked If I Should Die Before I Wake and The Devil's Arithmetic much better and would recommend that you should read those books first.