Greater Than Angels [Mass Market Paperback]

Carol Matas (Author), John Suh (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

In the Face of Evil

In the autumn of 1940, Anna Hirsch, her friends, and her family are rounded up by the Nazis and deported from Germany into France. They are placed in Gurs, a refugee camp where conditions are inhuman. But even worse is the terror that the Jews will be relocated to one of the Nazi death camps.

Relief workers arrange for Anna and the other young people to be sent to Le Chambon, a tiny village in France. There, the villagers agree to care for the Jewish children. But as the war rages on, Jews in France -- and those who shelter them -- are in increasing danger. Will Anna and her friends survive? Award-winning author Carol Matas presents a powerful and unforgettable story of courage in the face of evil.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deported from Germany to Vichy France during WWII, Anna is sent to Le Chambon, a refuge for Jews. PW called it "an inspiring and memorable lesson in courage." Ages 9-12. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8ASet in Vichy, France, this novel covers a section of Europe often overlooked in Holocaust literature. Anna, 13, along with her mother, her aunt, and grandmother, are deported from Germany to Gurs, a refugee camp on the French-Spanish border. The details of the journey and the terrible conditions there are vividly and realistically described. Anna's grandmother dies and the girl's mother and aunt are eventually removed to a concentration camp and never heard from again. Relief workers arrange for Anna and some of the other young people to be sent to the village of Le Chambon where French citizens take them in and allow them to live with some semblance of normalcy. Anna is a strong young woman with a flair for acting and singing and a penchant for telling corny jokes. She and her friends spend long hours discussing the "why" of what is happening to the Jews of Europe, trying to understand a universe in which such evil could exist. A budding romance between Anna and Rudi, a childhood friend, gives a little extra zest to the plot. The French gendarmes who are collaborating with the Nazis provide a sharp contrast to the actions of the local people, who literally risk their lives to help the Jewish children. A map clearly shows the areas where the story takes place. In an afterword, Matas tells of interviews she had with survivors who spent the war years in Le Chambon. This well-researched historical novel will make a good addition to middle-school collections.ABruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068983084x
• ISBN-13: 978-0689830846
• ASIN: 068983084X
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,105,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Jew Running from War, June 10, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Greater Than Angels (Mass Market Paperback)

Greater than Angels is a suspenseful and inspiring book about a Jewish girl's survival during World War II and about resistance to the war. When Nazis send Anna, grandma Oma, her mom, and her Aunt Mina to a refugee camp in France, Anna's adventure begins. When Anna and other children get taken to live at a Swiss Red Cross house, Hannah and her friend's brother Rudi start some kind of resistance by handing out false papers for people that want to get out of France. Even though they are protected by the Red Cross, they still have to hide from Nazis because as the war gets more serious the Nazis want to collect Jews put them in concentration camps.
I love the way that this book is written because when you think everything is all right, something else happens. This book is such a thriller to read, I couldn't put it down! It is written in first person, so I always knew Anna's feeling about what was happening. It really gave me a different view of the war because this book didn't take place in a concentration camp.
My favorite part was when the kids would have conversations about God. I like to know all of the different perspectives on God. Some were saying, "If there is a God, why is this happening?" I bet that's what a lot of the Jews thought. However, that is not Anna's view. She basically says, "We all have the power to do good and evil; the people doing this to us have chosen evil." That is kind of how I feel about God, too, so I can relate to how Anna feels. This tells me that Anna is smart and devoted to God.
Mostly, this was a very good book. I liked reading about her experiences in the refuge camp, and it was exciting when they were hiding from the Germans, but sometimes I thought it was a little unrealistic, or slow. I thought there should have been a little more trouble or drama just to add to the problems many Jews faced during WWII. They get out of trouble all too easily for me to believe. Did all Jews get away form the Germans that easily? I don't think so, and that is why I think it should have more drama in places so that the book could relate more to all Jews hiding from the Germans.
I have read a few books about Jews during World War II, and I'm not saying this was the best, but it gave me a new perspective on the war. Mostly books about WWII are how the Jews suffered in concentration camps. This book show that not all people hated the Jews, and that many were actually doing something to help the Jews hide. It also teaches the importance of resistance, and how just by doing small things many Jews were saved from going to a concentration.
This relates to what I think one of the main themes is in this book: Helping is helping, no mater how much you think you helped. Rudi and Anna were passing out false papers, and it may seem that that wouldn't help much, but they did help a lot of people escape to safe places. This prevented them from going to a concentration camp, which was a huge deal. So, read this book, and relate it to your own life. Doing small acts of kindness to help can make a huge difference to somebody.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best yet of Carol Matas!!, November 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Greater Than Angels (Hardcover)

This book has been the best one I have read by Carol Matas. Her story touched my heart deeply, and I will soon pick up the book again and re-read it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of a young girl, November 24, 2003

By 

Katie (Madison, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greater Than Angels (Hardcover)

When a young girl named Anna is shipped off to a concentration camp with her mother, aunt, and grandma she makes things seem so much better than they really are with her jokes and songs.She dreams about plays and concerts not only to her own satisfaction, but also to calm others. Along the way she makes friends, and creates a special relationship with her friend Klara's older brother Rudi. Anna also helps Rudi deliver fake papers to other people in danger to escape the Nazies. This book was one of the best, most suspenseful books I've ever read. I think anyone who has to do a project on a holocaust, should read this book. Even if you dont have a project to do, you should read it anyway. Its an easy read and easy to follow so if your looking for a short, easy book read this book.