Home Free

Our Canadian Girl: Margit #1

by Kathy Kacer

It is 1944, and Margit and her mother, who have fled from war-torn Czechoslovakia, are refugees in Canada. They are Jews, and although life is difficult in this unfamiliar land, they know it would have been much, much worse had they stayed behind. Margit manages to make some new friends but she cannot help wondering what will happen to her when the war ends. And what has become of her father, who was taken away by the Nazis?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens

Paperback

First published January 14, 2003

About the author

Kathy Kacer was born in Toronto and has lived there all her life (with the exception of three years in New Brunswick). She has a Master’s degree in Psychology and worked for many years with troubled teens and their families. She stopped working full time in 1995 to pursue her dream of becoming a children’s author. That dream came true with the publication of her first book, The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser, in 1999. She has been writing ever since.

Her parents were both survivors of the Holocaust. Her mother survived the war in hiding; her father was a survivor of the concentration camps. Their stories of survival were an inspiration to Kathy as she was growing up. As an adult, she was determined to write their stories and pass them on to young readers. She went on to write more than twenty books, all focused on the Holocaust. These books include The Night Spies, The Diary of Laura’s Twin, To Hope and Back, Hiding Edith, the Whispers series, and The Magician of Auschwitz. Many of her books have won awards in Canada, the United States, and Israel. Her books have been sold in over twenty countries around the world.

In addition to writing, Kathy teaches at the University of Toronto (Continuing Studies). She also speaks to children in schools and libraries around the world about the importance of understanding the Holocaust and keeping its memory alive. In addition, she lectures in universities and colleges on the topic of teaching sensitive material to young children.

She is married and has two children, Gabi and Jake. Both children share her family’s love of stories.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Our Canadian Girl book to actually make me tear up. Even in the simple words of this children's series, the trials and terrors that Jewish people faced in Europe, in this particular case, in Czechoslovakia, clearly comes through in Margit's story, and I haven't even read the other three yet. There are nearly 50 books in this series, I'm working on finishing them off after reading a handful as a kid, and I can already tell that Margit's story is going to be up there with my favourites.

[Beazer]

Awesome! It gives a perspective for young children who are entering new countries as refugees in which many can relate.