To Build a Land

by Sally Watson

In 1947, Leo and Mia Morelli, young Italian Jews who survived World War II on the streets, come to Israel where they meet many other young people, both Jews and Arabs.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Israel, Historical, Middle Grade

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Watson is a YA historical fiction writer, mostly about the British royals. She moved to England in 1964 and lived there for 24 years. Her most well-known works are parts of her English Family Tree series. Most of her books went out of print in the 1970s, many eventually reprinted by Image Cascade. She has also written YA novels set in ancient Egypt.

Her most recent book is The Angry Earth, an adult story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this many times as a child. There aren't too many books on what Jews did after the Holocaust but this one covers that subject. Leo and Mia have both been affected badly by the Holocaust and having to depend on a gang for food and living areas. Leo ran the gang as I remember and could be ruthless and was barely civilized in many ways. He had one goal in life: to protect his little sister. Mia is terrified of the world as well as more specific things. Both end up going to Palestine and being there for the beginning of Israel. It was an excellent book. I must try to find a copy to buy. Update 10/25/14 I just finished reading the last copy in my library system while waiting for my copy to arrive from Alibris. It is as good as I remember, compounded that as an adult, I'm rather appalled at what children were put through. Of course, the book is fiction but it was very definitely based on historical facts. Leo and Mia were ragamuffins in Naples, Italy right after WWII where they lost their parents. Mia and Leo had already been sent to safety before that happened. Mia was living with friends when their house was bombed and she was buried in it. Leo eventually found her and got her out. So, yes, Mia is terrified of darn near everything, especially being separated from Leo. In an incident of begging, Mia breaks her arm and both children are brought to I suppose the Red Cross. One thing this story does well is show how devastated all parts of Europe were after the war. We forget...and so do the Europeans....that things were really bad right after the war. If the Marshall plan hadn't gone through, European history would have been much worse. The beginning of the state of Israel is described, as is the reason why Jews are passionately defensive of Israel. Right or wrong, it is the one reliable place where Jews are not the persecuted minority. And before someone gets enraged and says that doesn't happen in the United States, I'll point out both my adult sons have described antiSemitic comments when they were in school. In any case, the story does an excellent job of explaining why Jews regard the state passionately.It also shows that not all Arabs by any means were ready to drive the Jews into the sea, even if those Arabs were very much a minority. This is a well balanced story that I wish would be brought back into print. It has well formed characters, a nicely done plot, and solid history.
On rereading again, I realize one of the strengths of the book is the way all the many characters are well developed, not just the 4 main characters. There is Rachelle (who became Rachell) who survived the camps, the only survivor of her family who adores children and is a terrible hiker. There is Tamara (Who became Tamar) who no one can reach emotionally and who doesn't talk about her terrible past but turns out to be unusually talented in Ballet. All this combined to give an unusually broad viewpoint of the beginning of the state of Israel. Again, I wish they would republish this! It is a well balanced view of the beginning of Israel and why to this day, Jews will passionately defend Israel.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever read about the battle between the Arabs and Israelis over their right to the Holy Land. I was 10 years old when I encountered the story, and it left a huge (yet uninformed) impression on my young self. I had no knowledge at the time of the politics and religious history of the events, yet it made an indelible impression on me because of the sacrifices the young characters endured. In retrospect, it taught me about the power of story more than anything else. I lived Leo and Miriam ' s experience in their time and in real time. This book woke me up to something I knew nothing of before I read it - a powerful experience in my life as a reader.

[Thakshi Jayasinghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really touched my heart...

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific, well-researched children's book about the founding of modern Israel. It also paints a vivid picture of the lives of children in the aftermath of war. Exciting, uplifting, and educational.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

After WWII, young Jewish orphan refugees settle in Israel and help to build the new state.

[Tinita · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some things wrong and incomplete but I absolutely love the story tho

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know how many times I've read this.... it was published in 1957 so it's older than I am.... Was it a Scholastic Book Club offering (?) Something on my parent's shelves (?)