Reflect and Remember on Holocaust Memorial Day

Posted on 20 January 2023

This week, we share stories in remembrance of those persecuted in the Holocaust, and reflect upon the horrors of the Nazi occupation.

The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die

The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Die by Peter Lantos

The story of an extraordinary journey, made by Peter, a boy of five, through war-torn Europe in 1944 and 1945. Drawn against a background of terror, starvation, infection and his father’s and grandmother’s deaths, this is a story of survival, of love between mother and son, and of enduring hope in the face of unspeakable hardship.

This true story is the first children’s book from Peter Lantos, one of the last of the generation of Holocaust survivors and recipient of the British Empire Medal in 2020 for ‘services to Holocaust education and awareness’.

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

In July 1942, thirteen-year-old Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the Nazi occupation, went into hiding in an Amsterdam warehouse. Over the next two years Anne describes in her diary the frustrations of living in such close quarters – until the fateful day in August 1944 when they were all betrayed.

This first-hand account of the Nazi occupation is a vital read for all; deeply moving and unforgettable, Anne Frank’s diary is an enduring book of the 20th century and an important historical document.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (YA Edition)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

When Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is dragged away to Auschwitz, he is given a number and a job: tattooing the other prisoners as they arrive. It’s not a choice, but it’s a stroke of luck; a rare stab at survival. As things turn out, it will not only save him from the gas chambers – but also give him a chance at true love.

The true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, this novel is heartbreaking, life-affirming, and unforgettable.

Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. In Nazi Germany, the country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier – and will become busier still.

An enduring story from award-winning Markus Zusak, The Book Thief is a deeply moving tale of hope in a time of darkness.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr

It’s 1933. Anna is too busy with her schoolwork and tobogganing to listen to the talk of Hitler. But one day she and her brother Max are rushed out of Germany in alarming secrecy, away from everything they know.

This extraordinary story of a family’s dramatic escape from Nazi Germany is based on author Judith Kerr’s real life experiences, and now a beloved classic.

Once

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad. Once I rescued a girl called Zelda from a burning house. Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh.

Once captures the hope and resilience of a young boy in the Second World War, telling the story of a young Jewish boy, determined to save his Jewish parents from the Nazis in occupied Poland.

You can find these books and more on the Scholastic shop.

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