Lisa's War [Turtleback]

Carol Matas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

During the Nazi occupation of Denmark, Lisa and other teenage Jews become involved in an underground resistance movement and eventually must flee for their lives.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matas offers a powerful account of a young Jewish girl who fights back after the Germans invade Denmark in 1940. Lisa, 12, and her brother Stefan join the Danish resistance when the Germans invade Copenhagen. Stefan is deeply involved in the movement, undertaking missions to sabotage German-run factories, while Lisa and her friend Susanne distribute pamphlets published by the resistance. When Susanne's parents are killed by the Germans, Lisa, too, becomes as involved as Stefan. Over the three-year period that this book documents, thousands of Danish Jews must flee their country to save themselves; Lisa and Stefan risk their own lives helping hundreds of Jews escape safely to Sweden. Lisa describes her experiences in the first - person present tense, creating a potent immediacy. Through the riveting narration, the rising tension in the country is effectively conveyed. An unsettling, important novel. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-- Lisa is 12 years old when the Nazis invade Denmark. Angered at her country's surrendering without a fight, Lisa and her family each join the resistance, doing their part for their country while trying to hide their activities from the others. Lisa starts with a small assignment of delivering some pamphlets (and finds that frightening enough), but by the end she is helping to organize a mass evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden. As a counterpoint to Lisa's family's activist attitudes is her cousin Erik and his family, whose complacent "it can't happen here" attitude is shattered by Gestapo raids on Rosh Hashanah. Despite the dramatic plot, the characters (and therefore the book) never quite come to life. Readers may feel a chill of horror when Lisa's father describes a delivery room massacre which spares only the newborn infant, or pity Erik's parents when they are forced finally to face the reality that they've been denying for so long, but Lisa does not earn the emotional investment required to anchor the novel. Nathaniel Benchley's Bright Candles (Harper, 1974) is a much superior book dealing with the Danish resistance. --Susan M. Harding, Mesquite Public Library, Tex.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606049665
• ISBN-13: 978-0606049665
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,926,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review by 6th Grade Student - Lawrence Intermediate School,, April 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Lisa's War (Point) (Paperback)

My fellow classmates and I read the novel titled Lisa's War, written by Carol Matas, copyright 1987, and published by Scholastic, Inc. The themes of the book are bravery, courage, and it is an inspiring book. The book is about a girl going through her teen years during World War II. She and her family are Jewish. Lisa's War is an historical fiction book.
Lisa is about the age of twelve when the German Nazis invade Denmark. Lisa and her family live in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her brother, Stefan, is part of theResistance movement. Lisa desperately wants to join and help Stefan and his friend Jesper. Lisa is accepted and must be very stealthy, because if she was caught it could endanger herself and her family. Lisa's father secretly tells her that the German Nazis are going to round up all the Jewish people in Copenhagen on Rosh Hashanah. Can Lisa help the Jews of Copenhagen?
This book has inspired me to read more about the Holocaust because it showed how horrible and scary these times were and how much the people had to suffer. My opinion and the author's opinion are very similar in that we both believe the German Nazis were mean and hurtful to the Jewish society during World War II. The Nazis would take families out of their home without respect of their wishes. This persuasive novel tells you that you should help your country when called upon to do so.
I would recommend this novel to an older age group because of the violent and intese themes. This book is a powerful adventure of a young girl growing up during the Holocaust as a Jew. I love this book and I am so interested to see the Holocaust from another person's view and perspectives.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Books, September 13, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Lisa's War (Hardcover)

Lisa's war is an exquisite book for all ages. It's about a girl named Lisa and how she helps many peoples lives in World War II. If you like the history on World War II you will love this book because it has to do with Germany invading Denmark. If like to read you'll love Lisa's War!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good and educational book, May 28, 2004

By 

Erica (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lisa's War (Point) (Paperback)

in this book LISA'S WAR many things happened. It was very interesting and you wont want to put the book down. Even though it is very short with only 108 pages it is very thirlling. From leaving underground newspapers on street cars to helping Jews on boats so they can get to Sweeden. Lisa is very active trough the whole book. (...) I urge any one above the age of 12 to read this book.