It is not uncommon in New York for a young girl approaching her Bat Mitzvah (Bar Mitzvah is for boys) to be twinned with a child of the holocaust so that she can understand the horror that was the Holocaust.
Laura is given the diary of Sara Gittler a girl of Laura's age who went through the Warsaw ghetto and was later taken to Treblinka with her young sister Hinda. Sara Gittler's story is written in diary form that Laura reads while living her own life leading up to her Bat Mitzvah. The contrasting lives, hopes and aspirations of both girls gives drama to the story and adds a novel dimension to the Holocaust story which should be remembered for ever.
A stunning story that will move and surprise the most cynical of readers. A very good follow up story to Once by Morris Gleitzman and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. Suitable for intermediate and junior secondary students.
Reviewed by Bob
Published by Allen & Unwin (2009)
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