From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 5–8—When resistance fighters assassinated the highest ranking Nazi officer in Czechoslovakia, Hitler sought revenge on the small village of Lidice. All 173 men and teenage boys were executed while the women were sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ten Lidice children, who exemplified Aryan traits, were selected for "Germanization." They were sent to Lebensborn training centers, forced to speak only German, given new names, and indoctrinated into the Nazi ideology. They were then adopted by German families. The rest of the children of Lidice were gassed. Based on extensive research and interviews with survivors, Wolf tells the heart-wrenching story of the fictional Milada, who is sent to a Lebensborn center and adopted by the commandant of Ravensbruck. Readers are quickly immersed into her character, gaining a painful understanding of her intense struggle to hold onto her true self and identity. Students who have read stories of Jewish persecution and survival during the Holocaust will be enlightened by this portrait of how Hitler's Final Solution affected these innocent children. This amazing, eye-opening story, masterfully written, is an essential part of World War II literature and belongs on the shelves of every library.—
Rachel Kamin, Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center, West Bloomfield, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Review
Starred Review. Grade 5–8—When resistance fighters assassinated the highest ranking Nazi officer in Czechoslovakia, Hitler sought revenge on the small village of Lidice. All 173 men and teenage boys were executed while the women were sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ten Lidice children, who exemplified Aryan traits, were selected for "Germanization." They were sent to Lebensborn training centers, forced to speak only German, given new names, and indoctrinated into the Nazi ideology. They were then adopted by German families. The rest of the children of Lidice were gassed. Based on extensive research and interviews with survivors, Wolf tells the heart-wrenching story of the fictional Milada, who is sent to a Lebensborn center and adopted by the commandant of Ravensbruck. Readers are quickly immersed into her character, gaining a painful understanding of her intense struggle to hold onto her true self and identity. Students who have read stories of Jewish persecution and survival during the Holocaust will be enlightened by this portrait of how Hitler's Final Solution affected these innocent children. This amazing, eye-opening story, masterfully written, is an essential part of World War II literature and belongs on the shelves of every library.—
Rachel Kamin, Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center, West Bloomfield, MI (
School Library Journal )
Eleven-year-old Milada lives with her family and plays with her best friend in Czechoslovakia. Life seems to be normal, with stories of Hitler and Germany far away. But one night, soldiers come into the house and take the family in different directions. Milada finds herself in a room with other girls who look surprisingly like herself--blond hair, fair skin, light colored eyes. Milada and the other girls are taught to be good German girls and prepared to fit into their new lives. But as she becomes German Eva, Milada realizes she is forgetting who she really is. Danger is never far away, even in her new family, as the war continues to destroy the country. How can Milada remain true to her identity as everyone around her wants her to become someone else? Is anyone from Milada's real life left? Based on a true story, the book is compelling and readers will easily feel the struggles faced by children in a horrible time. Reviewer: Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger (
Children's Literature )
