The Night Crossing [Hardcover]

Karen Ackerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 1994 | Age Level: 8 and up

It's hard to leave your home and friends, but the Nazis have invaded Clara's native Austria, and her Jewish family is no longer safe. Clara and her family take only what they can carry and travel by night to the Swiss border, where they hope to escape to freedom. Soldiers are everywhere, adn it is Clara's heroism that carries the family across teh border, thier lives adn few precious posessions intact.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in Austria in 1938, Ackerman's ( Song and Dance Man ) tale of a Jewish family's escape to Switzerland is long on drama but somewhat short on facts. When Clara's father decides the family must leave their home in Innsbruck, he begins by selling their valuables--except for an heirloom pair of silver Sabbath candlesticks. He uses the money to arrange for the family to travel to Switzerland, on foot; they will tell the border guards that they are Swiss citizens returning from an Austrian holiday. They hide the candlesticks in Clara's sister's petticoats--but the silver clinks. Clara saves the day by suggesting that they hide the candlesticks inside her two straw-filled dolls, and then she cleverly and courageously evades the Nazi guard who asks her a trick question about her toys. The plot has plenty of heartstopping moments, and the story line about the dolls is sure to engage many. Given the neatly established premise, it is a pity that the historical details are treated lightly. For example, Ackerman throws in casual references to "the Resistance," and much is made of the yellow stars sewn to the characters' coats (the stars were not introduced until 1941). Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-4-Clara treasures the two antique dolls that came with her grandmother when the family fled from the pogroms in Russia to Austria. Now the family is planning to escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, and Clara intends to take them with her. When Mama sews her treasured silver candlesticks into the petticoat of her oldest daughter, they make noise and Papa is afraid they will clank and alert the border guards. Clara then suggests hiding the candlesticks in the dolls' straw stuffing since this is their second "night crossing," and they are not afraid. This is a suspenseful escape story written for transitional readers. The danger is clear but not belabored. The stress is on the family's closeness and courage. The dolls and candlesticks are tangible representations of continuity and tradition, which comfort and sustain the family. An epilogue reveals the fate of the Jews who did not escape, including Clara's grandmother. Ackerman's writing is clear and direct; despite its simplicity, it is never banal. This is an excellent fictional introduction to the Holocaust that is slightly easier to read, but for the same audience as, Claire Bishop's Twenty and Ten (Peter Smith, 1984). It will also be a good choice for less proficient older readers wanting World War II novels.
Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067983169X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679831693
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,199,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What Price Life and Liberty?, October 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Crossing (Turtleback)

Not an ocean, but the mountains. How much must one sacrifice to keep the twin treasures of life and liberty in Nazi Europe? Not exactly The Sound of Music minus the score, but...a good, short read. A brave Jewish family, with two quick-witted daughters, determines to escape Austria in 1938, before they are relocated into a concentration camp. A brief introduction to elementary children about racial atrocities without the gore. Many historical details are quietly woven into this modest tale of familial determination. This book should stimulate questions and interest in the Holocaust.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clara is trying to escape Hittler her family finaly makes it, February 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Crossing (First bullseye book) (Paperback)

WOW, what a great book. I think it was deffenatly intended for little children becuse it was'nt that discriptive and was'nt that gross. So after that I rate it about a 8-9. I realy recomend it to any one who realy wants to hear of a girl who grows up in a war zone.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Night Crossing, May 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Crossing (First bullseye book) (Paperback)

I like The Night Crossing by Karen Ackerman. It showed how hard it was to escape for freedom. It was a short book, but people probuly went through more then what happened to then in the story. Some families may not have had as many people and then they couldn't carry a lot of their things. Some people didn't have place to stop for safety. These people had their hard times and easy times that is what makes this book good. I hope you read and enjoy it because it is great!