Behind the Bedroom Wall [Paperback]

Laura E. Williams (Author), A. Nancy Goldstein (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

In 1939, Korinna is a member of a Nazi youth group and believes Hitler's speeches that he is helping the world, but when Korinna discovers that her family is hiding a Jewish family behind her bedroom wall, she has to decide to whom she is truly loyal. Simultaneous.

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions; 1st edition (June 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 (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 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
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Behind the Bedroom Wall (Paperback)

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.

12 of 13 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

This review is from: Behind the Bedroom Wall (Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One of the good books I've read, May 11, 2000

By 

Crystal Laudenklos (Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Bedroom Wall (School & Library Binding)

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes real life fiction. I read this book at different paces, in different spots. I thought the book was very good because of what Korinna decides to do towards the end. The book is about a girl named Korinna. The setting is in her town. She is living in World War Two. She finds out that her mother is hiding Jews behind the wall. Korinna has to make a big decision. She could be a traitor like her mother or turn her mother in. If you would like to know what Korinna does , then you will have to read the book "Behind the Bedroom Wall" by Laura E. Williams.