Customer Reviews

The Borrowed House (Young Adult Bookshelf Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful book! it takes place in the Netherlands during World War II. Its about a girl and she's German. She was indocrinated with Pro-Hitler stuff and when she goes to the Netherlands to live with her parents who are actors she learns that Hitler isn't as good as she thinks he is. She learns that Jews aren't bad and that they are just regular people. It also has suspense and excitment! Its really good! Read it!

A book we read in my children's 'Classic Book Club' in their elementary years (15 years ago).

A young German girl who belonged to the Hitler Youth in Germany, reunites with her actor parents who are entertaining German troops in Holland. They are brought to live in a home, filled with beautiful items of furniture, art... and a family portrait; the borrowed house. The mix of characters habitating this house are both good and ugly. Her growing doubts about what she'd been taught to believe about an inferior race, are mingled together in a beautiful story of confronting the evil of discrimination, its' insideous, subtle indoctrination, and the triumph of a mind being set free--- The believable transformation of the heart of an adolescent girl as she confronts 'the enemy'.

This is a book that should never have been allowed to go 'out of print'. It's a wonderful understanding of the roots of discrimination and its' undoing. Should be required reading for all children, combined with class discussion. The world could be a better place.

This is a wonderful book about debunking prejudice. It is a nicely told story about how a young girl comes to question, challenge and later renounce the prejudiced notions she had been exposed to. In some ways, I can't help thinking about Ann Frank. She, too, was German/Dutch. This is a lovely little story that will not be forgotten by those who read it. It's a treasure.

This book was a favorite of mine in elementary school. It is set in WWII, about the persecution of the Jews, but told from the point of view of a little German or Dutch girl who has moved into a house where a Jewish family used to live. She learns that things are not exactly as she's been told, and the book is full of surprising twists and turns. It is delightful!

This is an exciting story that deals with difficult moral issues. The central character is a young German girl who is a keen member of the Hitler Youth, until she is summoned to join her parents in occupied Holland. She is delighted by the elegant house they are moved into. Her room seems to have been designed for a girl just her age and the wardrobe is full of lovely clothes just her size. Why do the neighbours seem so hostile when she wears them? Bit by bit she learns the secrets of the borrowed house, and has to decide for herself where her loyalties lie.

I remember reading this book in elementary school. This was one of my best friend's and my favorite books. We learned about history and people's lives during WWII. I am so happy it is back in print, so I can own a copy and share it with my children.

My children and I are very interested in World War II and I have read many books about it: adult as well as young adult and children, fiction as well as non-fiction. I previewed this for my young teens. This was a great one! The story was not predictable, but it did have mystery, family love and strength of character at the forefront. While the main character is a German girl of 13, any boy would enjoy the story because it is intriguing and has enough male characters to sustain a boy's interest. So boys and girls alike should enjoy it. Janna is transported to occupied Holland to be with her actor-parents after 2 years separation, and she is immersed into a world of mystery, suspense, war, deception, love and prejudice.

With as much knowledge that I have about WWII, I still learned a lot from this book. It's a keeper. One outstanding quality of the story is the author's portrayal of the sacredness of marriage and family.

The story reminded me a bit of The Hiding Place and The Diary of Anne Franke. The supporting characters (a cook, a Baron with a castle in Bavaria, a bratty little German boy aching for his father's love) provide many surprising twists to the story that make it the page turner it is. Whether your young teen's interest in (or knowledge of) wartimes is high or not, he/she will enjoy this book. So will you.

Boy! Does this author think up some pretty good books! It's not to many times in a year when I find a good Christian book to read. Especially with all that terrible, disgusting junk going on in the world today. This was a real page turner, as soon as I hit the end of a chapter I had to read the next one so I wasn't left on a cliff. There is just enough romance to make it cute, but not all-to mushy! Blach! That's one thing I absolutely despise about modern books these days. Filled with nothing, but utter grossness. These including a few Christian books, which I thought would be good, but ended up in total disaster of mushiness, and to much teen love!!! I can't stand how people write these days. Especially for young adults, and you might say, "Well if you don't like them, don't read them, and stop COMPLAINING!!" Really, I truly don't mean to bother your thoughts about mushy books! It's your decision what you read though, I hope you make a good one!

My dad read this book aloud to me and my family, and I later read it again (twice, or maybe even thrice). It is geared towards young adults, but is a fine read for the whole family.
When we started the book, I did not like Janna. She had been taught the Nazi ideology, was a Hitler youth, had famous actor-parents that she always bragged about, and those things seemed to consume her life. But, as she goes to join her parents, she realizes that they are not all that she makes them out to be, and she realizes how she has been tricked, and taught false things, throughout her entire life. She developes a special friendship with a boy named Sef, who tries to help her see what she must see, but that is very painful for her. She also learns that wishes *can* come true, but that it is important that she doesn't meddle with other people's lives.
A wonderful story. Do a favor for a young person in your life, and buy them this book! You might want to read it before you give it to them :)

I bought this book for my grandaughter, I know she will enjoy it. She has already read some of the authors other books.