Hana's Suitcase (Paperback)

by Karen Levine (Author) "REALLY, IT'S A VERY ORDINARY-LOOKING SUITCASE..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nove Mesto, George Brady, Hana Brady (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Based on a Canadian Broadcasting radio documentary produced by Levine, this book tells the story of Hana Brady, a girl killed at Auschwitz, and how her suitcase came to be a part of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. A CD recording of the radio program is available and adds to the impact and power of the book. The story ends on a positive note by ultimately uniting Japanese schoolchildren fascinated by Hana's story with her brother George Brady, the only member of their immediate family to survive the war. The book alternates between past and present, one chapter telling the story of Hana's childhood in the Czechoslovakian resort town of Nove Mesto, and the next relating the experiences of Fumiko Ishioka, a teacher dedicated to educating the children of Japan about the horrors of the Holocaust. Black-and-white photographs of Hana and her family and Ms. Ishioka and her students accompany each chapter. As Hana's narrative draws her to Auschwitz and to the end of her life, Fumiko's story brings her closer to the solution of a puzzle that began with only a suitcase and a name. The narrative moves quickly, though the writing is often oversimplified. One can assume that direct quotes come from the memories of Hana's brother, George Brady, and Fumiko Ishioka, since they were the original narrators of the radio program, but there are no notes to that effect. Unfortunately, the stilted writing and lack of source notes mar an otherwise gripping story of a family's love and a teacher's dedication. An additional purchase for Holocaust collections.
Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Not another heartbreaker about a child in the Holocaust. Yes, but this one has a new contemporary connection. Alternating chapters tell not only of the Jewish Hana Brady's deportation with her older brother, George, from their happy home in Czechoslovakia, first to Terezin, and then to Auschwitz (where Hana died); but also of Fumiko Ishioka, now a director of a newly established Holocaust education center in Tokyo, who acquires Hana's suitcase, pursues Hana's story, and brings it to today's Japanese children. The account, based on a radio documentary Levine did in Canada (a CD of the broadcast is included), is part history, part suspenseful mystery, and always anguished family drama, with an incredible climactic revelation. The facts are inescapable, illustrated with glowing family photos, Nazi official documents that show Hana's fate, and pictures she drew in the secret art classes in Terezin. The one false note is Levine's showing everything before the Nazis as totally idyllic, and all the victims (even in the camps) as always wise and loving. Recommend this with Linda Sue Park's When My Name Was Keoko (2002), about a Korean child under Japanese occupation during World War II. Winner of the 2002 Sydney Taylor Award for Older Readers. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 111 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (March 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807531472
• ISBN-13: 978-0807531471
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,026 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written, intensely moving account, February 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hana's Suitcase: A True Story (Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (Awards)) (Library Binding)

Aimed at a pre-teen, early-teen audience, Hana's Suitcase appeals to all ages. I read the book with my 11 year old over a few nights: he was riveted by the story in a way I've rarely seen. Other parents report similar reactions. The book is illustrated with many poignant family photos and original documents. Hana's Suitcase will greatly advance your child's undertsanding of the Holocaust and of humanity's capacity for both great evil and tremendous compassion. I've recommended the book successfuly to many others; my son's class will soon study it. Be forewarned, especially if you are a parent: you may find the final chapters impossible to read without losing your composure. It is a story of unbearable loss and ultimate healing. The book follows an original radio documentary, which can be heard at the website of CBC Radio.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not only for children, June 17, 2003

By	Minnie (Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hana's Suitcase: A True Story (Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (Awards)) (Library Binding)

Even if the targeted audience is children, but this book is also much interesting for adults. It's so well written that you'll feel somebody is telling you this story lively. I've a better understanding of the impact of war from this book. The ending is rather sad, unluckily it's also a true story.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Account of Lost Innocence, July 15, 2005

By	Tamela Mccann "taminator1" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hana's Suitcase (Paperback)

Hana Brady was 13 when she was sent to Auschwitz. She was immediately put to death, but her story didn't end there. With her she'd carried a suitcase which had followed her from her home to her aunt and uncle's house to a Jewish ghetto in Czechoslavakia and finally on to her final destination. Many years later, Fumiko Ishioka decides to open a Holocaust Museum in Japan in order to teach young people about the horror. One of the items she is sent to display is the suitcase which bears the name of Hana. Her children become adamant that they must know more about this girl, so Ishioka goes to work. She tenaciously goes to the prison camp where Hana lived for 2 years and discovers much more than she'd planned. This is the story of undying human spirit told in a way that children as young as 8, 9, or 10 can understand. Levine does a unique job of presenting the facts in a moving way without becoming mired down in gruesome details. This story will touch your heart and you will be unable to forget the story of Hana and her suitcase.