Escaping the Holocaust: A True Story

by Julian Padowicz

When the Nazis invade Poland in 1939, Yulian and his mother flee their home. They find momentary refuge in the country side. But as a Jewish family, they know they won't be safe for long.

In desperation, they decide on a risky escape attempt, hiring a guide to take them secretly over the snow-covered Carpathian Mountains to a neighboring country. But a mother and child have never tried this dangerous route before.

You will never forget their true story of courage and heroism.

Genres: Holocaust, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Memoir, Historical, Middle Grade

134 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Isabellg]

This book was awesome!!!

[Austin W · Rating 5 out of 5]

i thought it was a very nice book

[Gouett's 5'S · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Escaping the Holocaust" is written by Julian Padowicz. The main characters in this book are Yulian and his mother. This book is based on a true story about a mother and a son trying to Escape the Germans and Russians and getting out of Poland as fast as they could for their safety. But the only way to Escape Poland is through the mountains where there are Russian guards and wolves. The Russian guards are making sure no one will cross the border to Hungary. But if they get caught they will either be arrested or shot by the Russians! I think you should read this book because it is exciting and you will always be coming back to read more!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julian tells the story of how he and his mother escaped Poland into Hungary during World War Two. (Not sure which was the greater Evil the Nazi's or the Soviets. Anyway they faced both.) I greatly admired their courage and the loving relationship they had between each other. I was delighted with this book!

[Jennifer Plummer]

A coworker asked me to read this and give an opinion on using it in an intermediate classroom. The language is age-appropriate. I prefer not to rate it as reading it from an adult perspective is completely different from how a child would view this story. I have immense respect for the people this story tells the story of and I am definitely giving the other teacher the go ahead to use it. It's a good introduction but it may be a little hard to understand the background for kids at such a young age. I read Anne Frank as a fifth grader and have been interested in the Holocaust since then but it gave more facts. I think even at a fifth grade level, a little more fact can be given.

[Caden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Escaping the Holocaust by Julian Padowicz, is a book about a Polish Jewish family that lives in Warsaw, Poland. I found this book at a store and bought it because I like learning about the holocaust and the Nazi’s so I thought it would be good.
Yulian lives with his mom, stepdad, nanny and cook. His stepdad owns a factory so the family has lots of money. When the Nazi’s invade Poland the family stayed in Warsaw but when the Nazi’s started to bomb the city they felt that they should leave. Yulians nanny, Kiki was more like a mother to him and taught him how to be Catholic and live a Catholic life even though he knew that his parents would approve of it. His mom was never really home or around him to teach him things. When Kiki left Yulian was very depressed and always thought of all the good times they had together. When they start their journey to escape Poland, Yulians Aunt and Cousin go with them. His Aunts sister-in-law and her daughter also joined them. On the first two days of the escape they travel in a truck owned by his step-father and end up in a place near the town of Tarnopol, which is in southeastern Poland. When they arrive at the farm they are staying at, Yulian and his cousin go to play and they find a old piece of farm machinery, and heard people talking and started to silently freaked out. “They weren’t speaking Polis. Fredek was moving back to me now. ‘Run!’ he said as he passed me. ‘Run!’ he said as he passed me. ‘Run! They’re Germans! Real Germans!’” When they returned home and told their mothers that they scared them very much because the Nazi’s weren’t suppose to be in this part of Poland yet. Later after they talked about it they found out that it was just Ukrainian boys. When there living in Tarnopol they find out that the Soviets are occupying the part of Poland they are in and end up being forced to move Lwow. The whole time they were disguised as peasants and Yulian wasn’t allowed to talk around other people because he spoke proper polish and not the polish the peasants talked. Once they get out of Lwow they start their journey across the snow covered Carpathian Mountains and into Hungary. There first part of the journey is when they go to live with a rabbi and his wife for a few days in a little village on the Polish Border. Yulian’s mother has set up plans that there would be a guide to take them across the mountains into Hungary, he had a plan that went into every detail very precisely and Yulian and his mother trusted and believed in him. After they start their journey the guide takes them past the Soviet Troops and up to the start of the mountain and when it was time to get off the sleigh and go up the mountain into Hungary but as soon as Yulian and his mother Barbara got out the guide took off with her money. This was their problem and they didn’t get any better as time went on. When they finally found a village in Hungary they spent the night and then went to the police station. At the police station Barbara talks to a officer who treats her nice at first but when he tells her that she has to go back to Poland she freaks out and she believes that he is secretly a Nazi. Barbara was right about the police officer and she later finds out that most of Hungary supports the Nazi’s and there ways. Because of this they have to go into hiding in the place where they thought they could start a new life. Because of his mothers connections and friends across Europe she is able to get a visa in Yugoslavia. From there they went to Italy, then to Spain, then to Portugal, and finally Brazil. By 1941 they landed in America and his mother wrote the book Flight to Freedom and it was one of the first books about escaping the Nazi’s and World War II.
My new favorite part of the book was when Yulian and his mother were climbing down the mountain and her foot got stuck under a fallen tree. Yulian and his mother were both scared but Yulian tried to go and find something to help her out. When he found a pipe he lifted up the tree and set his mother free. This was one of my favorite parts because the mother treated Yulian like her son which was unlikely. As time went on in the book both Yulian and his mother got closer to each other and realized how much they meant in each others lives.
My personal opinion on this book is kinda iffy because I like it but with some parts I think they could’ve added a lot more detail than what they have. I think that it’s an interesting book because a mother and her younger child that are use to leading a rich lifestyle are dressing as peasants and are gonna try to climb a mountain with 3 feet of snow on it. The courage that the mom shows is kinda inspiring because she thinks that she can trick the Soviets and the Nazi’s that she is going to get married in Hungary. She believes that they won’t think a women and a child would try to escape the country at such a troubling time like this.

[Chelsea Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: This histoical non-fiction book tells the story of the Holocaust from the perspective of a very young boy named Yulian. The Nazis invade his home-town of Warsaw, forcing his family to flee to the country side to find the rest of his family. But, they can't stay there for long. Yulian and his mother are forced to take a treacherous journey across mountains in an attempt to survive. Overall, this book offers great insight into the terrors of the Holocaust, and I definitely plan on using this book to teach my students about WWII.

Content Areas: This book would be a great tool for learning about history. The Holocaust and WWII are very important components of the worlds history, and as I remember were mostly taught by lecture or video. While incorporating both video and discussion, after reading this book, I would have students look at a map to identify what areas of the world participated in the war, as well as what places were overtook. I would also have students make a timeline of the important dates and topics that influenced, or occured, during the war.

Comprehension:
Q: How do you think Yulian felt knowing he was loosing his home, and everything he loved? Why?
A: Scared, and devastated. He was loosing his home, KiKi left, he wasn't sure what was going to happen or if they would make it.

Q: What lesson can you take away from Yulian?
A: When being brave and strong, it's okay to be afraid. He didn't know if they were going to live or die and he still pushed forward.

Wonders:
1. I wonder if the author was related to the character of the story?
2. How did the machine gun(in the begining of the story) not shoot through the truck they were under?

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a boy and his mother who escaped the Holocaust. The Concentration Camps are not in this book. Most of the book is about the characters avoiding being captured with no drama what so ever. The book is true as no bad things happen in the entire novel, and nothing really happens. In the end, the protagonists do not get caught up in the Holocaust.
I was not a big fan of Night, but at least stuff actually happened in that book. It is obvious this is a true story because of how boring it is. There are a few character arcs in it, but not very entertaining. This is a quick, boring read. The ending was too happy, most of the characters live, and they don't even go to the Holocaust! I kept reading because I thought it would get interesting later in the novel, but no. If this book was food, it would be bread, not olive garden bread, but normal bread with nothing on it. No spice, no garlic, just bread. I would only recommend it to someone who wants to sleep because the first sentence will bore you to sleep.

[Brecken Coady · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel Escaping the Holocaust by Julian Padowicz is his story of survival during World War 2 in Poland. This novel portrays 2 main characters, Yulian and his mother. Yulian is a young boy from Poland. Mother is also from Poland and lives with Yulian and other family members. As the book starts it pulls you in with a bombing scene. As you read you learn the plan to escape Poland and go to Hungary. The escape won’t be easy though, the duo need to escape through the snow covered Carpathian Mountain range. Along the way they will face the challenges of freezing, starvation, wolves, and being captured by Soviet guards. Their story of heroism, courage, and grit will keep you coming back to read more. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys reading about adventure, bravery, and survival stories.

[Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jullian Padowicz wrote this book to show the struggles that Yulian and his mother went through to try to find a better life away from Hitler. “I was Jewish not Catholic” (7) , in that time Hitler ordered for all jews to be killed. He wanted to present the reader with a personal story from WWII told by a child. The book was very well written and told from a cool perspective. It is very interesting to be able to read what was going through Yulian’s head at such a young age in a terrible situation. Jullian Padowicz writes with lots of detail. He is very descriptive with everything he talks about. I think that he writes like this to show that Yulian was a curious child and always paying attention to his surroundings.

[Sulhai]

This is a true story about a Jewish mother and son who are escaping the holocaust by trying to get into a neighboring country. They are faced with dangerous obstacles like trying to get through without getting arrested or killed. This book talks about the real-life struggles children went through during this horrendous time and makes you think about how sometimes we take life for granted and don't think about people who we went through life-threatening experiences. I love this book and was immediately intrigued. If you're looking for an easy to read book that talks about the struggles of the holocaust then this is the perfect book for you.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective. Good for young readers. Did not get into actual concentration camps but told of the fear about war from the perspective of a 7 year old boy and his mother whom he does not know well.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for younger middle school kids. What an incredible story of a mothers love and determination! She’s smart and brave. This is a must read. I had heard of people getting guides and escaping. It was risky. And most of the guides took money and just ran off. So sad.

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I’m not usually intrigued by B/A/M’s but this was a very interesting book that kept you wondering what happens next or do they get caught!! Over all I would read it again and still thoroughly enjoy it!

[Olivia H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot! I love that it's a true story written by the person who experienced it. It's a very quick read and has a wonderful story to tell. If anyone likes Autobiography/Biography/Memoir books, then I definitely recommend reading this book!

[Keegan Bilanchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

vVery interesting and exciting book. However I think the book should have been longer.

[Adrianna Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was very confusing at parts but was written well and was a very interesting story.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative is tiold in the astyle of a novel. I wonder how much artistic license was taken to write it in that style. Riveting enough stpory.

[Joe Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I applaud the folks who are stepping forward and telling their story of this most horrible time in history. They need to be heard. And we need to read their stories.

[Jolie Tessenear]

Wonderful book! Kinda has an abrupt ending!

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very interesting and a little scary. It reminds you of how much bad stuff people went through in the Holocaust.

[Addy Inscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book about a boy who escapes the Holocaust by hiking a mountain to freedom

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really good but also slow at first. The ending was quite superb though because I thought they were done for.

[Karl B]

A breezy story of a young, 7-year old boy, Julian, and his socialite mother, Basia, who escaped from World War II Warsaw, Poland, by climbing over the Carpathian Mountains into Hungary.

[Ayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never forget this book

[Abbey Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8 year old daughter just finished this and asked if there were more books like this. She rated it 4 stars because she really enjoyed it and liked that it was based off a true story.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like WW2 and this is a interesting story about the holocaust

[Katie Perlmutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adrian's first introduction into the Holocaust. It took us awhile to get through, there were a lot of pauses for explanations and recapping. I feel like she was torn when we finished this because she didn't understand how someone could be such a hate filled person and do the horrible things that he did to the Jews. Escaping the Holocaust is about a 7 year old boy who lives in Poland when Hitler attacked in 1939. He walks us goes through the trials and tribulations he went through with his mother while they were trying to escape the Nazi's.

[Semih Sen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a true story based on the events Yulian and his mother went through to escape the holocaust. As you read you read about his mother befriend a Soviet soldier and up by doing so makes herself not so much of an interest for the Soviets occupying that part Poland. You also read about how she uses close friend and connections to narrowly escape through the surveillance of the occupying soviet and not get caught by them or the Nazi army occupying the rest of country.

[Parker K]

Escaping the Holocaust . I rated the book 5 stars because it describes how and when he lived like.It was amazing the reason was because they all loved and cared for each other. Although all but one of his family members or neiboers lived by hiding in a secret room.The nazis who had taken over more than two country's. Adolf Hitler was in charge of the army he made to invade he also hated the Jewish even though they did nothing to Germany. It would be a book to recommend a book to a person who loves history and adventure and detailed books and war.