Steve Sheinkin

I made it my goal to read all of the 2022/2023 Battle of the Books titles, and this is one I was able to find on Libby since I was out of town and unable to access my school library.

I can definitely appreciate the way Sheinkin presents history for younger readers (I had no idea that Lincoln was actually in the wrestling hall of fame), and I can see how this would be a good series to inspire readers to dive deeper into learning about historical figures and events. The illustrations are funny, and the concept of the characters being able to jump back and forth between past/present is interesting. The book ends with the box in the storage closet shaking, which means that Abigail Adams is going to jump out and become a pirate...

Will I read the other books in this series? Probably not. But now I have a better idea of what I can recommend to my students, especially my sixth graders who are also struggling readers.… (more)

I try to read most of what Steven Sheinkin writes. As a middle school librarian, he's such a great narrative non-fiction writer for students who are 12 - 15 and are interested in history.

In this trip into history, we meet Rudi Vrba, a Jew, who wants to fight against Hitler. He leaves home only to get captured. Twice. He ends up in Auschwitz. We learn that people live about five months here; Rudi makes it 18 months before escaping. His story tells what it was really like to live in Auschwitz, probably the most infamous camp. He tells of the other Jews and what happened to them as well as the jobs that he has. I truly believe that luck determines much during war. So many Jews were killed; Rudi was lucky to live. There's no other way around it. He admits it. He believes that the world needs to know what is happening to the Jews who are "relocated." He wants the truth to be revealed, which is why the security is so tight and cruel. He believes the Nazis don't want the world to know. Because of his escape, Rudi tells the world and saves Jews that would have been transported in some of the last transports of Jews to concentration camps. The world pressures Hungary to stop aiding Hitler in moving the Jews. It works. So many had already been killed, but many believe 100,000 were saved because of Rudi's testimony. Quite honestly, it's hard to hear about life in the camp and then go eat, sleep in a good bed, and live an easy life.

Gerta stays safe, hiding by lying low with her family, hoping they don't get relocated. Gerta believes her family don't understand what's truly happening and living their lives without seeming to care about then people suffering. She worries constantly about being taken. Eventually, Gerta's father is arrested. Gerta and her mother keep moving about and trying to stay unnoticed. Toward the end of the war, Gerta begins helping with the resistance and gets arrested for hiding her identity as a Jew. She and her mother remain together.

All in all, this book tells the story of bravery, chance, and luck in the face of try evil. It's a story that cannot be forgotten, for history is doomed to repeat itself. These atrocities should not be repeated. As hard as it is, continue to read history and to learn.… (more)