{Synopsis} – One of the darkest periods in history…
In a Jewish ghetto, Max Rosen and his sister Zena struggle to live after their father is taken away by the Nazis. With barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape from Nazi soldiers into the nearby forest.
Max and Zena are brought to a safe camp by Jewish resistance fighters. But soon, bombs are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?
{My thoughts} – Max and his sister Zena go through a rough time. Their dad is rounded up by the Nazi’s and taken away from them. They are deposited in the Ghetto where they are more or less forced to fend for themselves. They have little to no access to food and drink and have to scavenge for what they need or want. Their Aunt Hannah had disappeared shortly before their father had been taken. Since the two of them had been on their own.
One afternoon they are out looking for food and come across a berry bush that is on the other side of the fence. Max decides he is going to go under the fence to get some of the berries so they can eat something. Zena is not okay with that, but he seems to get her approval because she is so hungry. He gets a handful and then gets popped across the head with the butt of a rifle. He is then taken by the Nazi soldier to the police station – although he never quite makes it there.
Zena gets his attention and then they end up running off together away from that Nazi soldier. They end up in a wheat field with a farmer finds them and then hides them in his barn. That farmer saved their lives. He helped to get them out of Nazi reach. Once the Nazi’s are through with searching the barn and the area they leave. The farmer comes back and then Max and Zena learn that they weren’t they only ones he was helping. They learn he was helping a group of others – those others included their Aunt Hannah.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I love nearly anything that has to do with helping children to learn more about WW2 and the tragic events that had taken place during. There are so many people in this world that have no idea about what had happened over the course of WW2 and it breaks my heart. It was a horrific time in history, but even the bad things are worth knowing and learning about. How else are we suppose to prevent such tragedies from occurring again?
I look forward to reading the next book in the series very soon!
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
