Os encariñaréis con Dita y no podréis evitar querer descubrir qué será de ella y de muchas de las personas con las que se cruza. Lo único que me faltó fue adentrarnos mejor en determinados acontecimientos, aunque puedo entender que era complicado condensar tantas cosas en una novela gráfica. In November 1942, thirteen-year-old Dita and her parents were sent to the Terezin ghetto, and from there to Auschwitz-Birkenau in December 1943. In the most violent and terrifying times, there will be people of all ages who show great courage and compassion and are willing to sacrifice themselves for others. The strongest athlete isn't the one who finishes first. That athlete is the fastest. The strongest athlete is the one who gets up again every time he falls, the one who doesn't stop when he feels a pain in his side, the one who doesn't abandon the race, no matter how far away the finish line is. That runner is a winner whenever he reaches the finish line, even if he comes in last. Sometimes, no matter how much you want it, being the fastest isn't an option, because your legs aren't as long or your lungs as large. But you can always choose to be the strongest. It's up to you - your willpower and your effort.” An unforgettable, heartbreaking novel." — Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

The only title Dita can remember is A Short History of the World, by HG Wells, in Czech. Her friend, Auschwitz survivor Ruth Bondy, who recently passed away, also remembered a geographical atlas and something by Sigmund Freud. Another survivor friend, Eva Merova, says there was a book of short stories by Czech writer Karel Capek. Educators would borrow books to teach the alphabet to the younger children. “As there were no pencils or papers to make notes I had to remember who took what at the end of each day.” This novel is one that could easily be recommended or taught alongside Elie Wiesel’s Night and The Diary of Anne Frank and a text that, once read, will never be forgotten. VERDICT A hauntingly authentic Holocaust retelling; a must for YA collections." — School Library Journal, starred review, on The Librarian of AuschwitzMy thoughts are definitely inadequate as to how to convey the horrific atrocities that occurred during this time in history that many would like to forget or ignore.

For readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Choice: this is the story of the smallest library in the world - and the most dangerous. But Dita's passion for learning and books shone through and despite the immediate danger she accepts the position.Es ist schön, wie der Autor es geschafft hat, die Magie, die Bücher ausüben können, in die Geschichte einzubauen (die im Übrigen auf wahren Begebenheiten beruht). This graphic novel was absolutely lovely. I haven't read the original version of the book yet, so I can't speak to it as an adaptation, but being brand new to this particular story, I thought this was brilliantly well done. The art was lovely and expressive, serving as a very effective vehicle for such an important story! Dita's circumstances broke my heart just as I knew they would, but I was amazed by how much hope she and some of the other characters held in their hearts. I couldn't imagine being in that position and still having so much heart and fight left in me.

Inspections are another matter altogether. Lines must be formed, and searches are carried out. Sometimes the youngest children are interrogated, the guards hoping to take advantage of their innocence to pry information out of them. They are unsuccessful. Even the youngest children understand more than their snot-covered little faces might suggest. Adults are corrupted. That's why young people are so important. You can still shape them, improve them.” Fredy, then aged 27, was an inspirational educator who created a small oasis of relative normality within the death camp. Dita had known him from her childhood in Prague, where he was her sports instructor. She had met him again in the Terezin Ghetto, where he was running the department for youths and children at the Jewish ghetto administration. E adevărat: cultura nu este necesară pentru supraviețuirea omului, necesare sunt doar pâinea și apa. Este adevărat că omul supraviețuiește dacă are pâine să mănânce și apă să bea, dar mulțumindu-se doar cu atât moare întreaga omenire. Dacă omul nu se emoționează în fața frumuseții, dacă nu închide ochii și nu-și pune în funcțiune mecanismele imaginației, dacă nu este în stare să-și pună întrebări și să întrezărească limitele ignoranței sale, fie că este bărbat sau femeie, atunci înseamnă că nu este o persoană; înseamnă că nimic nu-l distinge de un somon, de o zebră, sau de un bou.” Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Closeoverall, not quite the execution i would have like from this, but still a really important story that i am grateful was told. By 1941 they were evicted again from the rented flat where they lived with her grandparents. By now they were squashed into a room in an apartment shared by another family in the part of the city which in the past had been the Jewish ghetto. In due course she gets selected to manage a small library in the camp ( in hiding of course ). Joseph Mengele is shown in the graphic novel and is as horrible as we know him to be. He somehow lets her out his radar and when the war ends she is relieved to be free. Her Father unfortunately falls ill and dies while in the camp.

The vast majority of the characters are either German or Jewish. The story shows how the Nazis treated the Jews in both the Terezin ghetto in Prague and in the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. It focuses on the bravery of Dita and other prisoners to persevere and remain hopeful. First of all I just want to take a moment to admire the cover, it's absolutely stunning and I think it represents the book perfectly. This story needs to be known because it’s one of survival amongst such evil, as well as an amazing feat of triumph despite the astronomical losses. Not only is the novel as powerful as any novel from this era is, it also holds a special power. It spreads the love and passion of books that only those with a true adoration can admire. Dita is a spectacular character, brave and compassionate, but also stubborn and caring. Based on a real person, Dita is someone a reader can easily root for.

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This is a haunting, heartbreaking, and unforgettable Holocaust story -- a powerful testament to the courage of a teen girl who risked her life to preserve eight forbidden books. Even teens who don't love reading or share Dita's passion for books are sure to be caught up in a gripping storyline that features secret meetings, a possible traitor, daring escapes, and even romance. I found the actual story took awhile to find its rhythm. About midway through however it succeeded in getting my attention and at that point was hard to put down. The plot is also unique from other Holocaust books in that it continues past Auschwitz and into other camps and liberation. Given that the story is based on Edita Krause's actual experience, and her life intersects with other historical prisoners at Auschwitz, other accounts are weaved into the storyline such as Freddy Hirsch and Anne Frank. The narrative closely follows Dita Kraus, a 14 year old girl in the Auschwitz family camp and her experiences as the keeper and protector of eight forbidden books. I was interested that one of them was a history text by H.G. Wells, as I have been cataloguing a large collection of Wells’ writing during my work hours. I was also glad to see that they had several people that they designated as “living books” because they could tell certain stories (one woman could recount The Count of Monte Cristo). The concept of living books has recently been used at our city’s public library, so I was thrilled to see an example of the history of the practice. Dita, as she is called for much of the novel, is living with her parents in Czechoslovakia when WWII starts. Eventually the family is restricted in movement and then deported. Once in Auschwitz, Dita becomes a librarian helping out with lending books out to people, a form of resistance. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious books the prisoners have managed to smuggle past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the secret librarian of Auschwitz, responsible for the safekeeping of the small collection of titles, as well as the 'living books' - prisoners of Auschwitz who know certain books so well, they too can be 'borrowed' to educate the children in the camp.