Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Cat with the Yellow Star by Susan Goldman Rubin

This is the true story of a young girl, Ela Weissberger, and the time she spent in Terezin concentration camp during World War II. It is written for upper elementary students.
This book is very well researched, with lots of photographs of the people and places in the story at that time as well as interesting drawings done by Ela and other girls while at the camp. Ela's story is inspirational and helps children understand how humans can still blossom in the worst conditions.
Ela and her friends are allowed to perform an opera, Brundibar, in the concentration camp. Singing and acting helps the children forget their problems and they actually have fun and build life-long friendships during the three years they spend in the camp. The musical becomes a symbol for their struggle and eventual triumph over the Nazi's and imprisonment. I would recommend this story for students to read when they study the Holocaust in order to see how strong children can be and what really matters in life.

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