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The Greenies
It's 1947.
Danny, 17, survived the Buchenwald concentration camp, but lost his entire family. Now all he wants is to come to Canada, go to school and get a job.
Lilli, an Auschwitz survivor, has also been orphaned and is waiting patiently for a new life in Canada.
Marilyn is a Canadian teen for whom friends and high school are high priorities.
The worlds of all three are about to collide.
Dreaming of a place where food doesn't have to be secretly hoarded, where dogs are friendly and people don't treat you like cattle, Danny and Lilli just want to fit in. Marilyn just wants everyone to be normal. But normal for Canadians is strange and perplexing to the orphans who have survived such abnormal atrocities.
The Greenies is an inspiring novel based on real-life experiences of those "green" newcomers, a group of over one thousand orphaned Jewish children who, with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress, immigrated to Canada after World War II.
Danny, 17, survived the Buchenwald concentration camp, but lost his entire family. Now all he wants is to come to Canada, go to school and get a job.
Lilli, an Auschwitz survivor, has also been orphaned and is waiting patiently for a new life in Canada.
Marilyn is a Canadian teen for whom friends and high school are high priorities.
The worlds of all three are about to collide.
Dreaming of a place where food doesn't have to be secretly hoarded, where dogs are friendly and people don't treat you like cattle, Danny and Lilli just want to fit in. Marilyn just wants everyone to be normal. But normal for Canadians is strange and perplexing to the orphans who have survived such abnormal atrocities.
The Greenies is an inspiring novel based on real-life experiences of those "green" newcomers, a group of over one thousand orphaned Jewish children who, with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress, immigrated to Canada after World War II.
244 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
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111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 9, 2016
Worldview - Universally Acceptable
Read Aloud 12 yrs +
Independent Reader 13 yrs +
Setting:
Location - Vancouver, BC, Europe
Time Period - WWII, Post WWII
Review
The book opens several years after WWII. Europe is still in upheaval. Jewish orphans are displaced and being shuffled between refugee camps and children’s homes. Subjected to endless bureaucracy the children anxiously await approval to immigrate to foreign countries.
The story follows a group of six children as they travel to Canada then struggle to assimilate into their Jewish foster families and Canadian culture in Vancouver, BC where they have been placed. The host families are warned that the Nazi concentration camps and the children's past are taboo topics. They struggle to understand the issues facing the children with no personal information and little education regarding how to sensitively deal with the emotionally damaged children.
Between language barriers, fear of authority and their fear of abandonment the children struggle with their personal demons, while enjoying things that the Canadian children take for granted.
The sheer number of protagonists in this story make for a slow start, but as the book progresses the author focuses in more closely on several of the children. Gradually the reader comes to more closely understand these characters, rather than simply seeing a glimpse of what they have experienced.
The story really comes to life when survivor Lilli is juxtaposed against Marilyn, an average Canadian school girl. Marilyn comes to understand that her own “first world problems” are very superficial, as she realizes what her new friend has experienced. Lilli must realize that Marilyn genuinely cares about her.
As the story unfolds some of the atrocities the children have endured are gradually exposed as they experience nightmares and flashbacks. At times these seem somewhat impersonal, as the children generally use avoidance as their primary defense mechanism. The author’s choice to use only flash backs to tell these situations does create an arms-length approach to the subject allowing her to convey the facts honestly, without being overly graphic for the young audience. This also allows her to present the head-in-the-sand attitude prevalent among the Canadian people of the day, as they avoided openly discussing what had taken place in Europe and how this further served to emotionally isolate the war orphans.
Pleasantly, for a young adult war story, the author has not created a “happily ever after” ending. Although the book ends on a hopeful note with the children looking toward bright futures she also makes it very clear that the children have wounds and scars they will carry with them to their graves. It is obvious to the reader that these children will continue to struggle with memories, to fit in, to trust others or feel loved for many years to come.
Teacher Application
The Holocaust needs to be addressed in any study of WWII. Due to the disturbing nature of the subject this is an ideal book to look at this from a Canadian perspective. It creates a natural jumping off point for the teacher or parent to delve into the subject as in-depth as is age appropriate for the student. It touches on the atrocities through the eyes of the survivors, but does not focus on the horror, nor does it wander into graphic territory. This makes it ideal to introduce younger students to the history they should understand, without traumatizing them. Some people have argued that this book does not portray this horror thoroughly enough, but given that it is written for an early teen reader it seems to be an age appropriate telling, especially if paired with discussion and nonfiction resources on the subject.
Children old enough to read this book should begin to understand that the damage caused by war does not end the day a peace treaty is signed. There is no such thing as “happily ever after” for victims of war, but they can live fulfilling lives.
Canada’s treatment of Jewish immigrants during WWII was appalling. Groups of immigrants were turned away from our shores and sent back to die in Europe. Following the war Canada maintained an “arms length” approach to the war orphan crisis in Europe. Allowing only 1000 Jewish children into the country initially. The government funded none of these children, but required the Jewish community to arrange, transport, fund and house them.
This book presents the processing of refugees in a biased light. Students may misunderstand the beginning of the book thinking that the screening the children experienced was completely unreasonable. Although bureaucracy can be overkill and foolish at times, it was and still is important for the authorities to properly screen refugees in order to ensure that the Canadian populace is protected. The Nazi prison camps and refugee camps were filled with horrible, contagious diseases. To bring dangerous communicable diseases into Canada would be foolish.
It was important to treat these children and ensure they were no longer contagious prior to bringing them into the country. It was also important to ensure that the children were in fact orphans and that they had no living family members seeking them. With all the displaced persons following the war this was a massive undertaking that took a great deal of time.
Field Trip
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
There is a virtual tour of this museum available as well.
http://www.mhmc.ca/en
Questionable Language
“bloody cold” (ch 2, p 22) - Replace with “freezing cold”
“bastard” (ch 3, p 44) - Replace with “I’ll sock him in the jaw.”
“bedroom eyes” (ch 9, p 130) - Omit
Parental Warning
There is a paragraph discussing bras (ch 8, p 117, paragraph 4) - omit paragraph if concerned
This is a story about survivors of the holocaust. They remember terrible things they have experienced, but there is no overly graphic detail included. This may be disturbing for young and sensitive readers.
The book focuses in on the Jewish community of Vancouver. It includes information about the Jewish religion and culture. I do not know enough on this subject to determine if this is presented in an accurate light. I would be very interested to hear from someone who knows more about this.
Questionable Language - see Teacher Application above.
Read Aloud 12 yrs +
Independent Reader 13 yrs +
Setting:
Location - Vancouver, BC, Europe
Time Period - WWII, Post WWII
Review
The book opens several years after WWII. Europe is still in upheaval. Jewish orphans are displaced and being shuffled between refugee camps and children’s homes. Subjected to endless bureaucracy the children anxiously await approval to immigrate to foreign countries.
The story follows a group of six children as they travel to Canada then struggle to assimilate into their Jewish foster families and Canadian culture in Vancouver, BC where they have been placed. The host families are warned that the Nazi concentration camps and the children's past are taboo topics. They struggle to understand the issues facing the children with no personal information and little education regarding how to sensitively deal with the emotionally damaged children.
Between language barriers, fear of authority and their fear of abandonment the children struggle with their personal demons, while enjoying things that the Canadian children take for granted.
The sheer number of protagonists in this story make for a slow start, but as the book progresses the author focuses in more closely on several of the children. Gradually the reader comes to more closely understand these characters, rather than simply seeing a glimpse of what they have experienced.
The story really comes to life when survivor Lilli is juxtaposed against Marilyn, an average Canadian school girl. Marilyn comes to understand that her own “first world problems” are very superficial, as she realizes what her new friend has experienced. Lilli must realize that Marilyn genuinely cares about her.
As the story unfolds some of the atrocities the children have endured are gradually exposed as they experience nightmares and flashbacks. At times these seem somewhat impersonal, as the children generally use avoidance as their primary defense mechanism. The author’s choice to use only flash backs to tell these situations does create an arms-length approach to the subject allowing her to convey the facts honestly, without being overly graphic for the young audience. This also allows her to present the head-in-the-sand attitude prevalent among the Canadian people of the day, as they avoided openly discussing what had taken place in Europe and how this further served to emotionally isolate the war orphans.
Pleasantly, for a young adult war story, the author has not created a “happily ever after” ending. Although the book ends on a hopeful note with the children looking toward bright futures she also makes it very clear that the children have wounds and scars they will carry with them to their graves. It is obvious to the reader that these children will continue to struggle with memories, to fit in, to trust others or feel loved for many years to come.
Teacher Application
The Holocaust needs to be addressed in any study of WWII. Due to the disturbing nature of the subject this is an ideal book to look at this from a Canadian perspective. It creates a natural jumping off point for the teacher or parent to delve into the subject as in-depth as is age appropriate for the student. It touches on the atrocities through the eyes of the survivors, but does not focus on the horror, nor does it wander into graphic territory. This makes it ideal to introduce younger students to the history they should understand, without traumatizing them. Some people have argued that this book does not portray this horror thoroughly enough, but given that it is written for an early teen reader it seems to be an age appropriate telling, especially if paired with discussion and nonfiction resources on the subject.
Children old enough to read this book should begin to understand that the damage caused by war does not end the day a peace treaty is signed. There is no such thing as “happily ever after” for victims of war, but they can live fulfilling lives.
Canada’s treatment of Jewish immigrants during WWII was appalling. Groups of immigrants were turned away from our shores and sent back to die in Europe. Following the war Canada maintained an “arms length” approach to the war orphan crisis in Europe. Allowing only 1000 Jewish children into the country initially. The government funded none of these children, but required the Jewish community to arrange, transport, fund and house them.
This book presents the processing of refugees in a biased light. Students may misunderstand the beginning of the book thinking that the screening the children experienced was completely unreasonable. Although bureaucracy can be overkill and foolish at times, it was and still is important for the authorities to properly screen refugees in order to ensure that the Canadian populace is protected. The Nazi prison camps and refugee camps were filled with horrible, contagious diseases. To bring dangerous communicable diseases into Canada would be foolish.
It was important to treat these children and ensure they were no longer contagious prior to bringing them into the country. It was also important to ensure that the children were in fact orphans and that they had no living family members seeking them. With all the displaced persons following the war this was a massive undertaking that took a great deal of time.
Field Trip
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
There is a virtual tour of this museum available as well.
http://www.mhmc.ca/en
Questionable Language
“bloody cold” (ch 2, p 22) - Replace with “freezing cold”
“bastard” (ch 3, p 44) - Replace with “I’ll sock him in the jaw.”
“bedroom eyes” (ch 9, p 130) - Omit
Parental Warning
There is a paragraph discussing bras (ch 8, p 117, paragraph 4) - omit paragraph if concerned
This is a story about survivors of the holocaust. They remember terrible things they have experienced, but there is no overly graphic detail included. This may be disturbing for young and sensitive readers.
The book focuses in on the Jewish community of Vancouver. It includes information about the Jewish religion and culture. I do not know enough on this subject to determine if this is presented in an accurate light. I would be very interested to hear from someone who knows more about this.
Questionable Language - see Teacher Application above.
May 8, 2019
I think this is a good book overall but if you haven't read the book yet, please skip this review! The three stories that include Danny, Kurt, Max, Lilli and Marilyn are amazing but the book took me a while to get through because the start was a little bit boring but it got better. In chapter 1, Danny is at the doctor's office in Paris waiting for his test results to see if he is able to emigrate to Canada to re-start his life.
February 25, 2012
Great youth fiction about children who came to Canada during WWII and the holocaust ...
The Greenies is an inspiring novel based on the real-life experiences of those “green” newcomers, a group of over 1,000 orphaned Jewish teens who, with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress, immigrated to Canada after World War II.
The Greenies is an inspiring novel based on the real-life experiences of those “green” newcomers, a group of over 1,000 orphaned Jewish teens who, with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress, immigrated to Canada after World War II.
March 22, 2008
The writing isn't outstanding, but the story and characters are fascinating--anyone who likes WW2 and/or Jewish books will want to read this.
August 6, 2016
This was a good look at Jewish orphans who came to Canada after World War II. I liked it.
March 14, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting to be put in the shoes of an orphan of war, different per say. I thought it was very good and I was hooked!
August 16, 2013
great book, entertaining and teaches of history
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews