Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Luba Tryszynska-Frederick (Author), Ann Marshall (Author), Michelle Roehm McCann (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)

Why am I still alive? Why was I spared?

One night in 1944, Luba Tryszynska’s questions were answered when she found fifty-four children abandoned behind the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Luba knew if the Nazis caught her she could be executed.

But they are someone’s children. And they are hungry.

Despite the mortal dangers, Luba and the women of her barracks cared for these orphans thro-ugh a winter of disease, starvation, and war.

Here is the true story of an everyday hero and the children who gave her a reason to live.

My name is Luba Tryszynska-Frederick and this is my story. I never thought of myself as a particularly brave person, certainly not a hero. But I found that inside every human being there is a hero waiting to emerge. I never could have done what I did without the help of many heroes. This story is for them, and for the children. --Luba Tryszynska-Frederick

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Holocaust heroine emerges in Tryszynska-Frederick's account of being a prisoner at Bergen-Belsen, which McCann judiciously relays in the third person. A Polish Jew, Luba had endured two years in Auschwitz, where her infant son had been taken from her upon arrival; believing that Luba was a nurse, the Nazis sent her to Bergen-Belsen in the winter of 1944 to look after their wounded. She hears the sounds of crying on her first night there, and discovers 54 Dutch babies and children in a field, left to freeze to death. Determined to save them, she obtains food and clothing for them and, just as amazingly, persuades innumerable adults to keep their presence a secret. When the British liberated the camp, 52 of the children were still alive.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Tryszynska-Frederick discovered a number of abandoned children among her fellow prisoners in Bergen-Belsen. Through her own creativity and strength of will, she managed to keep them fed and safe until the liberation of the camp. Although this is certainly a story that is both important and inspirational, the presentation is lacking. The writing is choppy and lacks transitions at times, and it is often unclear how Luba managed to do what she did. The horror of the camp is significantly downplayed in the text, and the oil-and-collage illustrations, while quite well done, do not reflect the reality of the conditions the people were facing. The children often look entirely too clean, well dressed, and healthy. The audience for the book is unclear. While the writing is simple and accessible for primary-grade children, the subject matter and the front and back matter, which gives readers a context for the story, seem intended for older students. While the basic facts are accurate, the heavy use of dialogue blurs the line between fact and fiction, making the book a problematic piece for most collections. Religious libraries with large collections of Holocaust literature might want to add it because of the important story it tells, but most others can pass.
Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582460981
• ISBN-13: 978-1582460987
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #462,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Children's Books > History > Holocaust

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Heroic and Educational, August 14, 2003

By 

Eve (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

This beautifully illustrated children's book addresses the strength of human character that can emerge during even the worst of times. The presentation of this story engages it's young reader while effectively educating them about a very important time in history. I was impressed with Luba's ability to elicit empathy in the people she dealt with, allowing them to become more decent and humane. The story of Luba's loving and heroic soul belongs every school library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luba by Michelle McCann, May 17, 2004

By 

Jeff Van Raden (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Truly a rare addition to classic children's literature. McCann's ability to interpret this complex history of human tragedy into a meaningful children's story is unique. Daily the world reminds us of the terrible things that people do to each other. It is more important than ever, that children learn the world needs heroes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Heartwarming Holocaust Survival Story., July 23, 2008

By 

kindred spirit (God's Country) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

This book is so touching. The illustrations are so beautiful. Luba had lost her husband and son in the Roundups and murders of Jews. She had survived and was alive in the concentration camp for the first night. She hears children crying. She gets up and goes outside to find 54 children in the field.

This is a story of her brave acts to save these children. Learning who she could and could not trust in the camp. It is nothing short of a miracle that 52 of them survive to be liberated.

Read it with your children and grandchildren. Talk about it and how they/we have the power to never let this happen again.