Customer Reviews

Behind the Bedroom Wall

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Behind the Bedroom Wall AUTHOR: Williams, Laura E. PUB/DATE: Scholastic Inc., 1996

SUMMARY: Korinna, an eleven year old girl, who is also a loyal member of the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany, along with her two best friends, Eva and Rita. She is appalled to discover that her parents are hiding a Jewish family right there behind her own bedroom wall. Aren't Jews a disgrace to the Fatherland? What if the authorities find out? Should she report her parents as traitors, as she has been taught to do?

CHARACTERS: Korinna- loyal to Hitler, desensitized to hate and descrimination, conscious of right and wrong, seems confused in the beginning, but realizes the truth in the end.

Rita- brainwashed by Hitler and her brother who is a member of the Gestapo, seems to have lost respect for other humans, insensitive towards acts of hate and prejudisms.

Eva- is reluctant to succumb to the ways and ideas of Hitler, sensitve and respectful toward all humans, isn't afraid to show and express her concern for the Jews.

Frau Rheme (Korinna's mother)- unselfish, willing to help the Jews, a good role model for Mary Elizabeth, supports what is right.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR THE TEACHERS: This book would be an excellent resource as a supplemental aid for a history lesson. Junior high students could certainly relate to the feelings and attitude of Korinna. They will gain a greater appreciation for what the Jews experienced during the Holocaust. Teachers can also discuss hate and prejudisms while reading the story.

ON A SPECIAL NOTE: I enjoyed this book for its realistic portrayal of the Jews during the Holocaust. I felt that Korinna's attitude and feelings were accurate as to how anyone would handle feeling betrayed by their parents. However in the end she becomes supportive of what is right and true.

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.

Korinna is a girl growing up in the Holcaust of World War II. She is a wholehearted Nazi and she spits at Jews. When she finds that her parents are hiding two Jews behind her bedroom wall, she doesn't know what to do. How could she turn her parents in for helping Jews? On the other hand how can she keep quiet when she thinks the act of kindness that her parents are performing is a sin? This book will keep its readers mystified and amazed. This book is about a girl torn between two pieces of information in a situation that is so realistic I almost can't believe it is fiction.

Korinna is a young German girl who is very into her German Youth Group until one day she discovers her parents are traitors: hiding Jews behind her bedroom wall. Korinna wants to turn her parents in but then she begins to like the family hiding behind her own wall. She wonders has she become a traitor too?

Well, I'm not going to write a long review, because there is to much to say about this book! But I will tell you that I have read many Holocaust stories and I have to say that this is one of the BEST books I've read! In short, Behind the Bedroom Wall is about a girl, Korinna, who is an active part of a Nazi Youth Group, and very against the Jewish people. In the story, Korinna finds out that her own parents are hiding a Jewish family is HER room! Well, I hope that got you interested! I'll leave the rest to you to read on your own!

This is a great book, I read it just for fun, but ended up liking it so much that I chose to do a school project on it with my mom, who liked it just as much. It was really neat to see how Korinna bounced her feelings back and forth about both her parents and their decision to hide the Jews, and the Jews and wether or not they really should be enemies to Germany.

As a teacher in Illinois, I am required to teach about the Holocaust. It is not easy to locate material suitable for fourth graders, but this book fits the bill. The students enjoy the story, and the content is rich in details of how the Third Reich affected the lives of Jews and non-Jews. I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to give students a basic grounding in the Holocaust.