I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (I Survived #9) (2014)

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 is the 9th book in the I Survived series. This series is a great educational tool for kids (and adults, too!). Each book tells a fictional account of children at the scene of a historical event or disaster. Facts about the event are included in the fictional eyewitness account. After the story, the author has an afterward where she gives more facts, her thoughts on the event and information on how she researches her books. I can see how these books would be an awesome classroom resource for reading, learning history and discussion.

In this book, Max and Zena are Jewish children living in the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland. Nazi guards patrol, shooting anyone who goes past the walls. Max tries to get some fruit from beyond the wall and gets caught. He and Zena flee into the forest, joining partisan rebels who are fighting the Nazis. The children survive all sorts of harrowing events and eventually end up immigrating to America. The author is Jewish so her afterward is very heart-felt.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. The book is quick listen at just short of 1.5 hours. Jonathan McClain narrates. His voice is clear and easily understood. He reads at a nice steady pace with good inflection. I have hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book.

This series is informative and enjoyable. I'm definitely going to read more of this series! There are 17 books in all. Topics range from more modern events like the Joplin, MO tornado to long-past history such as the destruction of Pompeii. While thinking about children in a disaster situation is scary and sad, I think this series can bring historical events alive for kids because the stories talk about the events from the view point of other children. Great educational tool! ( )

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This is a great book to introduce young adults history. Presented in detail, but not overwhelmingly so, this gives the reader an overall sense of what it was like to lose your parents and try to survive the Polish ghetto, to narrowly escape and then find a way to get to the forest where others were hiding.

This is the kind of book I would have loved to read when I was young and very interested in history. ( )

Eleven-year-old Max Rosen and his younger sister Zena live in the Esties Jewish Ghetto in Poland. Their mom is dead and their dad was taken by the Nazi’s and is nowhere to be found. One day, Max sneaks out of the ghetto to get raspberries for he and his sister. When picking the berries, max is found by a Nazi soldier who takes Max further away from the ghetto. When an accident occurs, and the soldier accidently shoots himself in the leg, Max realizes Zena followed him and the soldier. The two siblings then go into hiding and find a farmer who hides them along with resistance fighters. The illustrations are on every couple pages and help the reader to visualize the story as it is happening. They are in black and white. This book, although short, had lots of action and was a very good read. I like how the story was told through the eyes of a boy who lived through the holocaust and his hardships he endured. This book has a good connection to WWII and the holocaust and would be a good addition to World War II activities.