The Big Lie: A True Story [Library Binding]

Isabella Leitner (Author), Judy Pedersen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1992 | Age Level: 8 and up

A survivor of the Holocaust recounts her horrifying experiences, describing her family's deportation to Nazi concentration camps, her escape attempt with her sisters, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Isabella Leitner has already made a valuable contribution to Holocaust literature with her Fragments of Isabella , an especially graceful memoir for adults that describes her wartime experiences. These included a traumatic deportation from her native Hungary, incarceration in Auschwitz and a death march from which she and two of her sisters escaped. Presenting this difficult material to children, Leitner focuses on the personal, saving a historical overview for an afterword (the afterword explains the title: Hitler's tactic of blaming the Jews for the catastrophic depression of 1933 was known as the "Method of the Big Lie"). Her approach allows readers to appreciate the young Isabella's incomprehension of the Final Solution even as she generates a coherent and compelling narrative. The inescapable horrors of Auschwitz are neither spared nor sensationalized. What is missing, however, are many of the telling details that make Leitner's adult work so affecting--and some other important details as well, such as the ages of Leitner and her siblings. If not quite as fully realized as Ruth Minsky Sender's The Cage and To Life , Leitner's book nonetheless conveys its message powerfully and responsibly. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8-11.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- Leitner's family's relative security in their small Hungarian town is shattered in 1944 with the beginning of anti-Semitic pronouncements and the restrictions on Jewish activities. They are first relocated to Auschwitz, where her mother and youngest sister are ``selected'' for death. The narrative covers a one-year period and includes information about time spent in Auschwitz and Birnbaumel; it concludes with liberation by the Russians and eventual reunification of the three surviving sisters with their father in America. Despite the fact that there are descriptions of daily horror and atrocities, this account is not involving. The simple sentence structure results in prose that is stilted; it lacks rich, descriptive language. The fact that the story covers only one year leaves readers with a spare, fragmented impression. Since there is no ``normal'' time with which to compare the period described, the potential impact of loss and devastation is not realized. This is a Holocaust survival story written for a young audience or for readers for whom English is a second language. However, the information presented and the quality of storytelling are minimally effective. --Susan Kaminow, Arlington County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 79 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Trade (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590455699
• ISBN-13: 978-0590455695
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVED THIS BOOK, March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Lie: A True Story (Paperback)

To tell you the truth this was my favorite book i have ever read. Being a jew myself i could relate to some of the book

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember the victims, and honor the survivors., December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Lie: A True Story (Library Binding)

I was in the third grade and my teacher had a copy of the book. Every one seemed to want to read it. I thought "Hey! This must be a great book." So, I picked it up and read it. I will never regret it. It was probably my first encounter with the Holocaust. I am now an avid Holocaust researcher and I live by the prophecy, "We are condemned to repeat what we do not remember." I suggest you read this book, so you can truly tell the victims you remeber.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful True Story, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Lie: A True Story (Library Binding)

I read this when I was in second grade, and my parents read it with me. I was surprised at how awful the conditions were, but I did not have nightmares, and was very interested. I learned a lot too. This is appropiete for third graders because they will learn things. It isn't that scary, it's just the truth. It's great for all ages.