From Publishers Weekly
A fascinating, little-known chapter of Jewish resistance and survival during the Holocaust is the basis for this novel, but Radin's (All Joseph Wanted) disappointing fictional treatment leaves the most interesting part of the real-life story largely off the page. In 1943, a Polish Jew named Tuvia Bielski established a partisan camp, or otriad, in the forests outside Lida, Poland. The camp eventually encompassed more than 1,200 Jews, who were evacuated by the Russians in 1944. Radin's heroine, who is eight years old when the novel opens in 1939, reaches the otriad just as the book closes, and the information about the otriad is relegated to an endnote. The focus instead is on material covered better elsewhereAthe persecution of Polish Jews by first the Russians and then the Germans. Without prior knowledge of the complicated historical background, it may be difficult for young readers to understand the action. The characterizations and scene-setting approach the formulaic, while dialogue referring to the activities of Bielski and his brothers seems tipped in. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-This book follows Sarah's life from 1939-1943 as she goes from living in fear of the Russians to being forced into a ghetto by the Nazis to escaping the roundup of the Jews. Ultimately, she ends up in a town-sized hideout in the woods built by brothers who rescued Jews and fought guerrilla warfare against the Nazis. The story is compelling, and Sarah's experiences are clearly depicted. However, the narrative jumps around, sometimes completely without transition, and occasionally delivers horrific statements rather harshly. The story is told in first person and, at times, Radin's adult voice drowns out Sarah's childlike one. Despite these caveats, the author tells the powerful story of Jews not only fighting back, but also helping one another escape, and surviving by their own wits in the woods. The occasional illustrations are more symbol than picture: a broken window, a menorah, a stitched Star of David.
Amy Lilien-Harper, Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
