Daniel's Story (Paperback)

by Carol Matas (Author) "What has happened to me?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Auntie Leah, Uncle Peter, Oma Rachel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-- Daniel, 14 in 1941, describes first his family's sense of belonging in Germany and their refusal to flee their country despite the initial instances of anti-Semitism they experience. By the time the family is ready to acknowledge the seriousness of their situation, no country is willing to accept them. They are first deported from Frankfurt to the Lodz ghetto in Poland; from Lodz they are sent to Auschwitz, and finally, Daniel and his father are marched to Buchenwald. They are the only two members of the family who survive, and are liberated by the Americans. Daniel tells his story through the "pictures" he has; at first real photographs, and then the images in his head. He is a courageous, sensitive, heroic individual who personalizes the events of the Holocaust. His voice rings true; he is portrayed as an extraordinary youth, but these were times that demanded an exceptional response to increase the likelihood of survival. --Susan Kaminow, Arlington County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
After witnessing the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, Daniel is suddenly transported, at age 14, from his comfortable life in Frankfurt to a Polish ghetto, then to Auschwitz and Buchenwald--losing most of his family along the way, seeing Nazi brutality of both the casual and the calculated kind, and recording atrocities with a smuggled camera (``What has happened to me?...Who am I? Where am I going?''). Matas, explicating an exhibit of photos and other materials at the new United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, creates a convincing composite youth and experience--fictional but carefully based on survivors' accounts. It's a savage story with no attempt to soften the culpability of the German people; Daniel's profound anger is easier to understand than is his father's compassion or his sister's plea to ``chose love. Always choose love.'' Daniel survives to be reunited, after the war, with his wife-to-be, but his dying friend's last word echoes beyond the happy ending: ``Remember...'' An unusual undertaking, effectively carried out. Chronology; glossary. (Fiction. 11-14) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590465880
• ISBN-13: 978-0590465885
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,431 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( M ) > Matas, Carol
  #1 in	Books > Teens > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Matas, Carol
  #32 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Holocaust

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everybody in the worls should read this book, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

I am Jewish, and when I read this book, I found out the realistic happening of what could have been me in the Holocaust if my ancestors had not moved to America before this all started. Books like "The Devils Arithmatic" are very well written books but do not give the 411 on what really happned. For example, "The Devil's Arithmatic" skiped parts about Jews ging into a ghetto and they made the Jews not know who the Nazis were in 1942. By that date, everyone that was Jewish knew what was going on and would have probably been sent to a ghetto long before. This book, however, gives the true happening of the Holocaust, and shows what people lost that were so dear to them. I was almost in tears when I finished this book. My teacher at my middle school had a historical book report project she assigned. She reccomended "Daniel's Story" as her favorite book. My friend who sits next to me, is Hindu and read the book when she knew nothing about the Holocaust. She loved it and couldn't put it down. In conclusion, this book is one of my favorites and it was a great learning experience- even though I knew much about the Holocaust already. Please read it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unforgettable Story..., April 28, 2001

By	Henry Enrique Marin (Brooklyn, NY, United States) - See all my reviews

This is a truly unforgettable story about a 14-yr old boy named Daniel who lived through the Holocaust. Daniel, the main character, narrates this emotional story about his experience during World War II. From the time when he was taken away from his home in Frankfurt to the ghetto of Lodz in Poland, then to Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Through his journey he learns to fight for his life and never give up. ... This is a touching and memorable story that, as someone else said, it also encouraged me to learn more about the Holocaust. I highly recommend this book to anyone, any age. You will never forget it !

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carol Matas made me live Daniel's Story in my mind., October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This novel was very upsetting to me because it tells a very real story about what the world was like during the Second World War in Europe, and the pain Jewish people went through because Adolf Hitler didn't like them. He used them as slaves to work in his factories for free. He kept them imprisoned in concentration camps, even though they didn't do anything wrong. First they had to get all their body hair chopped off with a knife, and the Nazis didn't care if they cut them. Then they all got shoved into a room and had buckets of strong disinfectant thrown on them. It really stung. The Nazis didn't care what happened to any of them. They just tortured the prisoners when they weren't working, and some just got shot anyways.

Daniel was fourteen when the Nazis captured him. His father was in the same camp. His sister Erika was taken away, and neither Daniel or his Dad knew if she was dead or alive. They both vowed to survive so they could find out. That's what kept them going even when they were hurt or starved.

By the time the war ended, Daniel had seen lots of people die and had horrible, horrible stories to tell. That's what makes his story so interesting.

I hope that something like this will never happen again!

I read this book in Grade 6, and I still think about it often. My sister is reading it for a book report this year.

I recommend that when you read this book you carry a box of tissues with you.