Kindertransport

by Olga Levy Drucker

Mama and I climbed aboard. I waved to Papa until he was only a tiny speck in the distance. The train turned the curve, and he was gone.

The powerful autobiographical account of a young girls' struggle as a Jewish refugee in England from 1939-1945.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Biography, World War II, Biography Memoir

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Elisabeth Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindertransport

I chose to rate this book highly for two reasons. First for the historical value. Second for the flow of the story.

[Colin Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one I'm thinking of for our history/historical fiction book clubs. I really liked it and I think it could be a great text for ELLs. She discusses in pretty good detail her experiences learning English and the language of the book is simple enough that it shouldn't be a barrier. It also does a good job mixing the normal adolescent experiences with the horrible things she went through as a German Jew in the 1930s and 40s. And her narration as a child with a few interruptions as her adult self looking back I think really adds to the story. And her afterword connects her experiences to more modern refugee experiences.

[Hanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was very cute and very sweet: gave me The Upstairs Room vibes

I wouldn't say it's unrealistic, especially since IT'S NONFICTION (/based on the author's actual life) but it was really nice seeing a wwii "success" story, which was unfortunately /very/ rare.

[Tristen Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindertransport (pgs 146)- Olga Levy Drucker
Tristen Pratt
English Honors B4
Mrs. Wyckhuyse

The events that took place in World War 2 were horrific, and are things that most of us have learned or are learning about today. Some people though don't know the events that took place during this time, and for this I know just the book. In this non-fiction book "Kindertransport" written by Olga Levy Drucker, we get into details of what happened according to the memories of Olga Drucker.

(Literary Element 1: Protagonist) Olga Levy Drucker the protagonist, and matter of fact author of this story was born Ollie Levy in Germany. Throughout this story we see through her eyes the hardships, and trials she had to face. We get to see her side of the story as she grows up, suffers hardships, and in the end happily get married.

(Literary Element 2: Setting) This year takes place starting in 1927, the year Olga Levy Drucker was born, this story later taking place during the events World War 2. Throughout this book as you can guess we visit Germany, England, and even in the end, end up in my home country- The United States of America.

This book is great, and you can feel the emotion written by the hands of someone who witnessed the terrible events of World War 2 first hand. This book is incredibly educational, and I would recommend this to anyone, particularly interested in history, and non-fiction reading.

[Randon Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randon Anderson
B4
5/19/17
Kindertransport
Olga Levy Drucker’s book Kindertransport is a nonfiction book about Olga as a young girl. Kindertransport is German for “children's transport”. It is full of literary elements. The most prominent probably being the setting and tone.
The book starts in 1927, it takes place in Germany, England, and America. It follows the events of World War II. “Mama and I climbed aboard. I waved to Papa until he was only a tiny speck in the distance. The train turned the curve, and he was gone.” The powerful autobiographical account of a young girls' struggle as a Jewish refugee in England from 1939–1945. The setting helps to show the trials Olga goes through.
The tone of the book is very deep and sad. “Mama and Papa said they were coming soon. The card was sent over a month ago." She missed her family and did not know when she would get to see them again. The tone helps us to see how hard life was for her during WWII.
The setting was in a couple of places and over a long period of time and the tone was deep and sad. It is a good read.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew about the Kindertransport but I didn't realize how many children over such a short time frame, nor the other side of the train ride (meaning where the children went and who they were with, etc). Thank you Olga for sharing your story. I am so grateful for the kindness you experienced, your Afterword brought tears to my eyes.
We can only hope that one day the world will learn that children should be exempt from the atrocities of their countries and that even their enemies should take them in even though they may grow to be adults taking up space. I long for a world in which we see the big picture, we are one world connected, whether we like that or not.
My reviews don't tell readers a synopsis, they are more for me to help me remember the book. But this is an engaging, thought provoking, and informative book that you won't regret taking a short time to read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindertransport by Olga Levy Drucker is a fantastic story of survival written by a woman who as a little girl, went through a traumatic time in her life and had to fight and be strong in order to survive World War II. The purpose of this book was a combination of entertaining while also educating. This story is based on true historical events that were written directly from experience.

I think the theme of the book was realizing what is really important in life. She always wanted to fit in. She wanted to ride horses and have friends. She wanted to be normal. However despite all of those things, she wanted her family. I think this shows that she was a little girl who was always mature for her age and wise beyond her years. She portrayed a good message that was deep. She realized what was more important to her. Drucker was not caught up in her image more so than wanting her family and not losing herself to what was not important. I think it has a very good theme.

KIndertrasnsport was written in a combination of descriptive and narrative writing. The author goes on to tel her personal experiences of a specific time and place. The book describes her early life in Stuttgart, Germany and when things started going terribly wrong for the Jewish people in the country. Drucker says that she didn’t pay a lot of attention to the war and events that were taking place around her. Unlike Anne Frank's diary, which is one of the most well known autobiographies from the time period full of vivid details and everyday life experiences, Drucker doesn’t exactly have that progression of her life and maturity in the story. Olga does describes her surroundings, her thoughts, emotions and events that took place in her every day life, but even after a 6 years of being away from her parents, the language does not change. It was odd that her maturity level did not seem to increase through out the many years she was writing. It showed that even after 6 years of her many trials while still trying to learn and adapt to a foreign nation’s culture that she was still a little girl despite growing up. The styles of writing were very effective. It made the book more personal and easier to connect to the writer since she used her own real life experiences,which I really liked. I think the book was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to others.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful, quick, interesting, true story and well written little book! It is written for children about the transport of children out of Germany in World War II. Even thought it was written for younger readers, any reader of any age or reading level could get something out of this. I sure did. Olga is a young child when WWII starts. Her parents are sending her on the trains taking kids out of the area, and she then shuffles around from many families and schools until finally reuniting with her parents in the United States, years later. It tugs at your heart, like many WWII stories, and it’s written from such an innocent child’s perspective. I would recommend this book to readers, teachers and students. It’s not too gory, but it’s factual. Death is talked about.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew from previous readings that there were trains delivering children to safe places during the German occupation but had no idea of the numbers of children and trains involved in excavating them to safety. Olga suffered not only separation of family members and the difficult situations of culture, strangers and language barriers she was faced with. Her viewpoint shows that she was one of the "lucky" ones in terms of her caregivers than some other children experienced.

[Maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, easy read about a Jewish family from Germany who had to move their children to England to be safe during WWII. I didn’t realize kids were moved around this much, nor did I know about the English sending their kids to Guernsey until a few years ago. Such a scary time period for everyone to live through.

[Amber Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great memoir! I have read a lot about WWII but never knew about the Kindertransport. Fresh, new perspective of the world at that time through a child's eyes!

[Maddie Reiser]

When writing Kindertransport Olga Levy Drucker displays every set of emotions she felt during her time as a refugee. Olga, called Ollie by her parents, was part of wealthy family in Stuttgart, Germany. Hans, her brother, and her mama and papa were living in a newly built house, and as far as Ollie was concerned everything was perfect. However, her life as she new it was about to change, Ollie was a Jewish German, and Hitler was rising to power. She did not know it then, but her world was going to crumble. Drucker explains her extremely unstable life during the start of the Holocaust. Based on erratic and historical plot, we can conclude that Drucker is trying to inform the world of her nightmares as a young Jewish child in Nazi Germany. The theme of this novel is to always trust in your family, that they will always find their way back to you. Throughout the novel, Olga is shipped off to many different homes, she had one constant, and that was the letter she was receiving from her brother, Hans, but also the postcard she was getting from her parents in Germany. Even after not opening anything from her family in over three months, Olga still believed that her parents would make it back to her. Ollie says, "It took a long time to get her. Mama and Papa said they were coming soon. The card was sent over a month ago" (87). She never gave up hope, and she always believed that find her one day. The way Olga writes is with all the emotions she feels. We are never left in the dark about how she truly feels. Drucker writes "For the first time in eleven years, I knew what envy was" (57). She almost always tells us directly about her feelings. The style in which she writes is both narrative and description. She gives us exact date to when her story began to change, such as "November 9, 1938" (21). This was the night her father was taken away from her, and taken to a Nazi concentration camp. There is little humor in this novel, granted it was during one of the worst time periods of world history. It is also narrative because we are told about all of the terrible places she has been, and this creates a timeline for us. Once aboard the Kindertransport train, Olga begins her journey towards her new life. She then makes it across the English Channel, and is placed with a poor Jewish family in the slums of London. There she encounters a horrible "sister" who teases her and eventually gives her louse, or lice. She is then rescued by Mrs. Gordon, a socialite in the British community. She was moved into a gigantic house. However, there she encountered Lydia, a spoiled brat that she envied from the moment she saw her. This made Ollie angry, and her and Lydia began to fight frequently. Mrs. Gordon became angry and sent Ollie to boarding school. She was met with hatred and bullying, but there was one shining star, and her name was June. Soon after her arrival, Ollie met another friend named Prissy, with whom she spent the summer with. Upon her return to school, there were very few girls, that was because most stayed home to help their mothers. After the school was forced to close, Ollie was once again moved to Aunt Mona and Uncle Larry's house. Even though she was Jewish, she was forced to go to church with Aunt Mona. However, after hearing this she was moved again because she was not supposed to learn anything other than the Jewish religion. Finally, some luck was given, and she was placed with a loving family, even though the mother was very ill. Olga, now sixteen, could not go to school, and soon decided to drop out. Her next dream was to become a babysitter, and in the end she accomplished her dream. She had met the Woltons, they hired her and she was employed right into her dream job. Sadly, she soon left to make her way to New York, where her parents were meeting her. Here, she met her husband, and had three children, and eventually she grew old very happily. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was written in a way that was very easy to understand, yet it still painted an amazing picture of the tough times for Jewish children in the 1930's. Drucker mostly ends her chapters with a cliffhanger, which really compels me to keep reading. It was a quick read, and that was perfect. I also enjoyed that there were specific dates included in the novel. The one thing I disliked about this book was poor explanation of the events happening in Germany. However, the pros immensely out way all of the negatives. Finally, this novel is unlike any I have read.

[Noble Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindertransport by Olga Levy Drucker is a memoir composed by an older woman whom, as a little girl, went through a hellacious trial in order to survive World War II. One can obviously not judge the experiences that Olga went through for it is her own unique story. However the way she paints the canvas for her readers is rather interesting from my perspective.

The opening of the book details her early life in Stuttgart, Germany and the beginning of the end for the Jews in that country. From Kristallnacht and the constant persecution from both a historical point of view as well as that of a young girl's is quite engaging. The feelings that she describes about her teacher or fellow classmates is one of confusion as to why the events were occurring. It is also interesting to note, that Olga herself, in a straightforward manner, says that she didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the war’s ongoing. Now fast-forward to her experiences in England, the language and tone of the story still remains the same.

Unlike Anne Frank's diary, which is one of the most popular and well-known work regarding personal experiences from a young person, Olga’s memoir doesn’t seem to have that… progression to maturity in her writing, which I think is a good thing in her work. By maturity I mean – in Anne Frank’s diary, you go from a young little girl, to a woman whose thoughts are extremely sophisticated for a girl of that age (in terms of writing and language used) Olga describes her surroundings, even her feelings and events, but even after a 6 years of being away from her parents, the language does not change. Whether or not that was done intentionally, since Olga has said that she wanted to write the book for young people to read, the effect is rather good. It demonstrate that even after 6 years, many trying ordeals especially trying to learn and adapt to a foreign nation’s culture and language, the she was still a little girl, despite growing up and maturing into a young lady.

Her yearnings and desires never truly change. She wanted to fit in, to ride a horse, to wear a uniform to have stability, yet despite all of this, she wanted her family. So while the language and style seems elementary to some, the underlying meaning – that she is still a little girl at heart – is a resoundingly strong message.
This might disappoint adult readers since we are used to and expect more complexity in a story. But like stated above, the gem is in its language and style which Olga conveys her story to us.

4.5 out of 5 stars

[Linda Lipko · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Kristallnacht, it became more and more obvious that Hitler meant business. His business was the elimination of Jews. One month from that terrifying event, a rescue of children was hastily orchestrated by Jews, Quakers and Christians.

From the first Kindertransport on 12/1/38 through the last on 9/1/1939, miraculously 10,000 children were taken from Germany and transported to England.

Sorely missing their parents and entering a new country with little or no concept of the English language, these children were accepted into the homes of strangers whose purpose was to help save their culture and their lives. Most children were treated well, some were not.

Most children (9,000) were never reunited with their parents, some were exceedingly fortunate to see their parents again.

Olga Levy Drucker tells her story as seen through the eyes of young child. In a moving, yet undramatic manner, Olga chronicles her eventual understanding that her family, friends and all Jewish people were in grave danger.

Waving goodbye to her grandmother, she takes the long journey to England where, barely adjusting, she is moved from one home to another. Finally when finding a level of comfort and acceptance from a large loving English family, she receives word that her parents survived and are safe in New York, NY.

Highly recommended!

[David Finger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young readers book that painted a very touching and realistic portrayal of a young woman's time in England as one of the a Jewish children bright out of Germany as part of the Kindertransport. A fast read for an adult, it still tells a powerful and haunting story which so effectively captures not only the horror of Jewish life in Nazi Germany, but the innocence of those children who lived through it. For example, when the author talks about being homesick for Germany in her early days in England you can't help but sympathize with her and her plight. But even more powerful, you can't help but understand why she misses home. The Holocaust is happening back in Germany but she is still a young girl forced to live in a new country where she doesn't speak the language and where she doesn't have any family except her brother. History tells us that she was one of the lucky ones. But Levy shows us another side. A complete picture of this young girl and her harrowing journey during the Second World War.

[Allison Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Kindertransport was a book about a rescue mission that went on during the months before the holocaust and during. This story talks about how right before the war began the Unite Kingdom took in Jewish children in order to save them from a horrible fate. This book also happens to be a dramatic play that even played at the Manchester Opera House. I believe the purpose of this book I believe to was to tell a tale from long ago in a entertaining and informing way. In the story the children brought to the UK were put in either foster homes, hostels, schools, and farms. Sadly often they were the only survivors of there family. I would easily would tell my friends to read this book, it has a very interesting way to tell its story. It caught my attention within seconds and kept it the whole time. I do hope if my friend read it, they will enjoy it as much as I did. Even if it had a sad concept.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time Tisha b'Av rolls around, I seek out a meaningful, poignant book I can read while my fellow congregants and I drone on mindlessly with the Kinnot, while also passing their perfunctory inspections to make sure the material is on their nosyface level. This book fit the bill very well, and gave me a good, brief background on the Kindertransport, which is important for me to know about, because my wife's grandfather survived through this means. The book is written with a child's wonder, in the author's old age, which makes sense, because the POV of such traumas usually remain fixed in time, and told as such. Books like these are important, for they take the fuzzy, overwhelming, giant death statistics, and turn them into singular, human stories, which is known as the reason for Anne Frank's diary success. Turns out the author was one of the relatively lucky ones, in a world of abject horror.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

book review :

Kinder transport was a very good book, it's a biography of a younger girl having to move away from her family to another country. The author, Olga Levy Drucker try's to the best of her ability to remember all of her past, her purpose of writing the book I think is to tell her story and make sure history doesn't repeat it's self. The theme of the book I would say is bravery, like Olga talks about her hard times during the holocaust and everything she's gone through and I think it's pretty brave through it all. Kinder Transport is a description because she's very detailed and always makes it feel like you're feeling what she's feelings. The book I would say is a 8 out of 10 because there we're a few parts of the book that weren't very interesting but a lot of books are like that but it was a well written biography, and I did enjoy the book.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ollie comes from a wealthy, non-religious Jewish family in Germany. As she loses her non-Jewish friends, she starts to sense her world is changing but it is after Kristallnacht that her mother makes plans for her to leave the country via kindertransport, the program that took 10,000 Jewish children to live in England. She eventually joins her family in the United States after the war. I like the feistiness of this little girl and her descriptions were not of life-and-death events (once she had left Germany and survived the air raids), but mostly her life was intensified versions of what most of us del with growing up—loneliness, adults who don’t understand, and learning about oneself. I especially thing this book was important to show that not all rescuers were saints—many had flaws.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olga Levy Drucker was one of teh thousand children who were rescued from Nazi Germany. They were sent across the ocean to safety. From the beginning descriptions in the book, one can tell that Olga's parents had money. Then enter Hitler. Jews everywhere lost their rights. Many lost their lives. This book is the true story of Olga's survival and the hardships she faced. It is a story of perseverance and hope. I am glad this is one of the books listed on our curriculum's reading circle list. I will highly recommend it. Maybe some of my students will look into this fascinating event that saved so many lives.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

During World War II thousands of Jewish German children were sent by their parents to other countries in order to escape the Nazis. It took courage for Olga's parents to see what was happening in Hitler's Germany and send her away to safety. Their faith in humanity, hoping Olga would be safer with strangers, makes this an uplifting story as Olga found caring people to support her for six years. Olga's personal coming-of-age story as a teenage refugee is one of thousands. Makes me think about all those kids not as lucky as Olga whose lives are being disrupted while stuck in war torn countries today.

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentler look into World War II and the Holocaust for middle school students. This memoir would pair well with the historical fiction novels Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald and My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve.

Grade 6 and up.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another strand of stories from the social upheaval during the second world war. In this case, thousands of children from Germany were sent by their parents out of country, as Hitler tightened his control. This story is a first person account of one such little girl sent to England, and the kindnesses that she encountered.

Unlike so many stories of that time, Olga was eventually reunited with her parents, who had also escaped but to the U.S. The tale itself is about her own years in England during the war, waiting and hoping to be united again with her family.

[Rachelle H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have learned that the holcaust was a mean thing back then and that a lot of peaple died frome it. The girl in this family had to go to live with someone else beacuse the Nazis where taking over. But in the end they all where a family again. I didnt like the nazis because there mean becausethe hurt the little girls parents and almost killed there parents. They also put them in labor and make them so hard time. I like this book because in the end the parents got to go back to the parents.

[Mrs. Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindertransport is a good book that tells the story of Olga, a young girl who was sent away from Germany during WWII. It is a true story. Olga lived in Stuttgart, Germany with her parents, but when Hitler and the Nazi party started to put Jews in concentration camps, it was decided that she would go to England on the Kindertransport. The Kindertransport helped over 10,000 children get out of Germany. Olga had to go in order to save her life, and her story is a very good one.

[RileyV · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ever there was a better time to read this, I wouldn't know. The afterword hits the hardest when Olga writes, "But most of all, I hope and pray that a day may come soon when there will be no more need for people to become refugees. I thank my parents, in particular Mama, who had so much courage and foresight in sending her little girl across the sea to safety and survival. I hope and pray that future mamas, the world over, will never have to make such decisions again." (1992). A keeper.

[Susan Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting memoir of a woman who was one of 10,000 Jewish children sent from Germany to England without their parents to keep them safe as the persecution of Jews became more frequent. This evacuation stopped after Hitler actually declared war. Author Drucker eventually emigrated from England to the United States where she reunited with her parents and, finally, her brother.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book. Drucker didn't dwell on the emotional toll of being shifted to so many different families, but it's clear that the children who escaped the Holocaust had a very strange and difficult childhood. Knowing that she and her parents were able to have "new" lives in the U.S. is gratifying.

[Heatherk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is following the life of a young girl through the times of World War ||. It starts when Olga moves to her new home when her family finally settles in her life starts turning upside down when her family gets split up. She has to later live in boarding schools and foster homes. Then she finally is able to go to America and restart her life.

[Brandon O'Neill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very much reminded me of The Endless Steppe - WWII child's memoir that was not my favorite. It is written at a lower level, so maybe I wanted something with some more meat on it. I have never read a story like Olga's however - her parents sent her to Britain before the war - she was part of the Kindertransport. It was interesting - just on a surface level.