Thought of High Windows, The [Hardcover]

Lynne Kositsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

When trapped or frightened, Esther sees windows -- and flying out of them -- as her only salvation. Young, Jewish and on the run from the Nazis, Esther is one of a group of children who manage to flee Germany for Belgium and then France at the beginning of World War II. Despite her perilous situation, she frets over her frumpy looks, is ridiculed by the popular girls and loves a boy who -- at the best of times -- treats her like a sister. As the war rages on and Esther bears witness to its horrors, her pain and isolation grow -- until only the highest windows bring the promise of release. (200406)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-Esther describes her life as one of a group of Jewish children taken from Germany to France by the Red Cross during World War II. The novel begins when she is 15 and living in a French castle; her childhood in Berlin is described through flashbacks. After France's surrender to Germany, the situation becomes more dangerous for the refugees. Afraid that the Nazis will arrest her, Esther leaves the castle and eventually becomes involved with the Jewish Underground. Based on true events, this is an immediate, painfully honest story. Since she is from a more traditionally Jewish family, Esther is an outcast among the youngsters in her group, many of whom consider themselves to be "modern Jews." They also tease her about being overweight. Her relationship with her only friend, Walter, is complicated by his interest in another girl. Esther's longing for her family and feelings of depression make her a very real character and her increasing losses and loneliness draw readers into her experiences. The title comes from her many attempts to jump through windows, whether to hide from teasing or to save her life. An enigmatic ending brings closure without being overly optimistic. Kositsky has created an engaging, introspective narrator, and she uses detail to define even minor characters clearly. This is a mature novel, honest about the dangers and uncertainties of life for Jews during World War II. The inclusion of French, German, Yiddish, and Hebrew words adds authenticity, but there is no glossary to define them.
Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
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Review

Superb, wrenching Holocaust fiction. (Kirkus Reviews )

Kositsky’s focus on human imperfection and quotidian detail poignantly reminds readers that the Holocaust - in all it inhumanity - happened to real human beings. (Horn Book )

Kositsky deftly handles the irony of Esther’s maturation - that her girlhood tendency towards self-destructive acts is finally overcome by horrors greater than low self-esteem. The conclusion, which finds Esther committed to the Resistance and the war still raging, forces readers to supply their own ending; cautiously hopeful is as good as it gets. (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

Kositsky has created an engaging, introspective narrator, and she uses detail to define even minor characters clearly. This is a mature novel, honest about the dangers and uncertainties of life for Jews during World War ll. (School Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553376218
• ISBN-13: 978-1553376217
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,699,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different take on the Horror of the Holocaust, June 6, 2005

By 

Tamela Mccann "taminator40" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thought of High Windows, The (Hardcover)

The Thought of High Windows is not a typical Holocaust book. Told from the point of view of 16 year old Esther, this is the story of the teen leaving her family behind to try to find safety in France. It is a Holocaust story, but it is also a coming of age story; Esther feels fat and ugly, is mistreated by the other girls who are staying at the home, and is rejected by the boy of her dreams who only sees her as a little sister. At times Esther can be annoying in her self-pity, but that also makes the story believable. Esther must come to an understanding of her place in the world and what she has to offer. The backdrop of the Holocaust makes the story more poignant as Esther realizes it's all up to her. This is a good story and is recommended for its human elements.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly original!, March 29, 2004

By 

Marsha Skrypuch (Brantford, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thought of High Windows, The (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this novel and I loved it. I have read many Holocaust novels, and so many of them sound the same. Lynne Kositsky has been able to take the genre one step beyond. Her characters are real and complex, and the story is one that hasn't been told before. I like how she shows the bad in good people, and the good in the bad.

I have read many of Kositsky's novels, but this one is her best.

Bravo!