What do you think?
Rate this book
The Choice
Thirteen-year-old Jakob's family has hidden their true identity as Jews and are living as Catholics in Budapest during World War II. One day, in a burst of loyalty, Jakob decides to reveal that he is Jewish, putting his whole family in danger. Jakob hopes his best friend Ivan, a Christian, will help his family but comes to believe that Ivan has abandoned them. Sent as a prisoner to Auschwitz, Jakob is kept alive by his passion for revenge against Ivan. When Jakob is finally freed, he discovers that Ivan, too, made a choice that day, a choice that changes everything Jakob thought was true.
200 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 1, 2015
Based on the experiences of the author's father, this story of the impact of one choice is riveting and original. When thirteen-year-old Henrik decides to visit his family across the river in the Jewish ghetto of Budapest, Hungary, he is torn between the safety that his family's hidden identity has afforded him and claiming his real identity as a Jew. Like many youngsters, he doesn't think his actions through, and the thirteen-year-old is scooped up as he leaves the house. Too proud for his own good, he proclaims that his name is Jakob, to the astonishment of his best friend, Ivan, and his father, a leader in the Arrow Cross. Too late, he realizes that his rash actions have doomed him to a concentration camp and likely spelled death for his family across the river. As Jakob learns more about his faith from Levi, another prisoner, he continues to vow revenge on Ivan once he leaves the camp. It could well be that this desire for revenge is part of what helps him survive the horrors of Auschwitz. When he and another prisoner, Aron, manage to use the uniforms of two German officers to escape, he finds that his city has completely changed, but he also discovers that his thoughts about Ivan are wrong, and that his friend is actually far more loyal than he ever dreamed. I enjoyed reading this story about an aspect of the Holocaust with which I was not familiar, and pondering how what seems to be an unimportant choice or action can have huge repercussions that bring life--or death--to others.
July 9, 2015
Well-written, compelling Holocaust fiction based upon the experiences of the author's father.
February 11, 2020
The Choice
by Kathy Clark
The Choice, written by: Kathy Clark is a book about a boy named Hendrik who will soon find out his actual name is to be Jakob. He grew up in the 2nd world war as a Jew in Budapest, but his family decided in the beginning of the war to move to the other side of the Danube river.
Jakob’s father got fake papers for Jakob, his mom and their maid Magda.They crossed the bridge and forgot they were ever Jewish. A few years later, Jakob made a decision to go and see how his aunt Mimi and two cousins Lilly and Gabor were doing. He crossed the bridge safely with the same false papers his father used. He then walked down the sidewalk seeing people begging for food. He then finds his aunt's house and knocks on the door. His heart pounding, his aunt answered the door and welcomed him in. Jakob and his aunt talk for a bit then, his aunt Mimi hears a bunch of loud bells ringing, she instantly demands Jakob to leave the house as soon as possible. Jakob only then takes a few steps out the door but then is suddenly caught by his friend Ivan’s dad. Ivan sees them getting taken away but does absolutely nothing.
Jakob, his aunt and Lilly were put on a bus and then bussed to a train station, where there they waited for a train.The train came, and they were demanded to get in the train and, anyone who argues, gets shot on the spot.They were then sent to a concentration camp in Auschwitz which was in Poland. There, Jakob makes friends with 2 other boys named Aaron and Levi. Levi gets picked to sing at a gathering for the Nazi, the Nazi gives Levi extra food and warmer clothing to have. Levi secretly sneaks some food and clothes for Aaron and Jakob. Soon after, Aaron and Jakob were chosen to go to a different camp, where they would have to clean up a bombed area. Jakob and Aaron figured out a way to escape the camp and so they did, with some dead Nazi’s uniforms. A few days later they had made it to a woods, and when they were half way they ended up fainting due to the lack of food.The second they woke up they were found by a large group of russian soldiers, who helped bring them back home. Soon enough Jakob would be faced to with his former friend Ivan. And that day came quite quickly.The second Jakob saw Ivan he instantly started to fight him. People started to pull Jakob off of Ivan,as soon as people got Jakob off of Ivan, Ivan then started to talk about what happened and that he was sorry for not doing anything when he saw his family get taken away. Ivan then explained to Jakob that his parents,aunt and cousin Lily were still safe, and that he could go and visit them! Jakob agreed and apologized for falsely accusing him.Ivan then took Jakob to go and see his parents and said that Ivan would now be living with them,and soon Jakob would be able to talk to his family after 6 months.
I really enjoyed reading this book because I really liked the way the author wrote this book,because she wrote this book so well that I can feel every emotion the characters feel whether it be sadness,happiness or anger. I felt it all and only a good author can make you feel every emotion every character feels. Another reason I enjoyed this book was that it showed that we should not judge someone just because of their religion,interests,skin,gender or anything else and to just love one another.
The genre of The Choice is action and adventure. But this book is based on the second world war.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about the second world war. I also recommend this book because it's very interesting and it's very hard to put the book down, especially when you get to the middle of the book. But I would only recommend this book to people 12 and older because there are things in the book that they might not understand and this book has quite a lot of difficult words.
When I was reading this book I felt anger and sadness. I was angry because of what the Arrow Cross and Nazi’s had done. I was also angry because they were killing innocent people daily and most of them had smiles on their faces when they killed Jews. I was sad because so many people lost their lives and or lost someone close to them.
My favorite character in this book would have to be Jakob. Because he kept going no matter what. He also thought about a lot of things I would never think of doing like escaping or speaking up to the kapo or all the other smart and brave things he did in the book.
I would give this book 4 stars out of 5, because I really enjoyed it but the beginning was kind of slow and boring. This book is 206 pages long,so I suggest that you go and read this book right now.
By K.S.
by Kathy Clark
The Choice, written by: Kathy Clark is a book about a boy named Hendrik who will soon find out his actual name is to be Jakob. He grew up in the 2nd world war as a Jew in Budapest, but his family decided in the beginning of the war to move to the other side of the Danube river.
Jakob’s father got fake papers for Jakob, his mom and their maid Magda.They crossed the bridge and forgot they were ever Jewish. A few years later, Jakob made a decision to go and see how his aunt Mimi and two cousins Lilly and Gabor were doing. He crossed the bridge safely with the same false papers his father used. He then walked down the sidewalk seeing people begging for food. He then finds his aunt's house and knocks on the door. His heart pounding, his aunt answered the door and welcomed him in. Jakob and his aunt talk for a bit then, his aunt Mimi hears a bunch of loud bells ringing, she instantly demands Jakob to leave the house as soon as possible. Jakob only then takes a few steps out the door but then is suddenly caught by his friend Ivan’s dad. Ivan sees them getting taken away but does absolutely nothing.
Jakob, his aunt and Lilly were put on a bus and then bussed to a train station, where there they waited for a train.The train came, and they were demanded to get in the train and, anyone who argues, gets shot on the spot.They were then sent to a concentration camp in Auschwitz which was in Poland. There, Jakob makes friends with 2 other boys named Aaron and Levi. Levi gets picked to sing at a gathering for the Nazi, the Nazi gives Levi extra food and warmer clothing to have. Levi secretly sneaks some food and clothes for Aaron and Jakob. Soon after, Aaron and Jakob were chosen to go to a different camp, where they would have to clean up a bombed area. Jakob and Aaron figured out a way to escape the camp and so they did, with some dead Nazi’s uniforms. A few days later they had made it to a woods, and when they were half way they ended up fainting due to the lack of food.The second they woke up they were found by a large group of russian soldiers, who helped bring them back home. Soon enough Jakob would be faced to with his former friend Ivan. And that day came quite quickly.The second Jakob saw Ivan he instantly started to fight him. People started to pull Jakob off of Ivan,as soon as people got Jakob off of Ivan, Ivan then started to talk about what happened and that he was sorry for not doing anything when he saw his family get taken away. Ivan then explained to Jakob that his parents,aunt and cousin Lily were still safe, and that he could go and visit them! Jakob agreed and apologized for falsely accusing him.Ivan then took Jakob to go and see his parents and said that Ivan would now be living with them,and soon Jakob would be able to talk to his family after 6 months.
I really enjoyed reading this book because I really liked the way the author wrote this book,because she wrote this book so well that I can feel every emotion the characters feel whether it be sadness,happiness or anger. I felt it all and only a good author can make you feel every emotion every character feels. Another reason I enjoyed this book was that it showed that we should not judge someone just because of their religion,interests,skin,gender or anything else and to just love one another.
The genre of The Choice is action and adventure. But this book is based on the second world war.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about the second world war. I also recommend this book because it's very interesting and it's very hard to put the book down, especially when you get to the middle of the book. But I would only recommend this book to people 12 and older because there are things in the book that they might not understand and this book has quite a lot of difficult words.
When I was reading this book I felt anger and sadness. I was angry because of what the Arrow Cross and Nazi’s had done. I was also angry because they were killing innocent people daily and most of them had smiles on their faces when they killed Jews. I was sad because so many people lost their lives and or lost someone close to them.
My favorite character in this book would have to be Jakob. Because he kept going no matter what. He also thought about a lot of things I would never think of doing like escaping or speaking up to the kapo or all the other smart and brave things he did in the book.
I would give this book 4 stars out of 5, because I really enjoyed it but the beginning was kind of slow and boring. This book is 206 pages long,so I suggest that you go and read this book right now.
By K.S.
December 17, 2020
I hate to give such a low rating to a Holocaust book, but seeing as I cannot find a lot of the true facts to compare with this book and it reads as more historical fiction than a true story I cannot give it a better one. Parts of this story are even recognizable as another person's story which I must say annoyed me to no end as it feels like the book stole another man's true story to make this story more exciting. Was it a true event? Yes. Did it happen to this boy? Not a chance. I am aware that this is supposed to be for middle grades, but there are better and far more accurate stories out there.
August 4, 2023
This was a sparse text, yet it had so much depth to it about choices made and the consequences of them during the Holocaust.
The book brought us into occupation and the camps, yet its description of the horror and violence was age appropriate. I loved seeing that although it's a short book, it's highly engaging, well written, and a great intro to the Holocaust for my students.
The book brought us into occupation and the camps, yet its description of the horror and violence was age appropriate. I loved seeing that although it's a short book, it's highly engaging, well written, and a great intro to the Holocaust for my students.
October 15, 2024
Great book for young people to understand the holocaust, yet see a positive outcome in the final choices made by this impressive young man. The first hand accounts this book is based on are an important component of this book.
February 17, 2016
Set in Budapest, Hungary beginning on October 30, 1944.
As Brother Ferenc begins to counsel the boys in Hendrik’s class about their upcoming confirmation, he tells them that in the future their religious life will not be governed by their parents, but that they themselves will have to take responsibility for it, that they will have to make a choice to follow the church. Hendrik remembers his cousin’s Bar Mitzvah and his mind begins to focus on his family in the Jewish quarter, in Pest. Following his Uncle Peter's detention and deportation to a work camp in 1939, Hendrik’s father had moved them to Buda. He and his parents had taken on Christian identities complete with false identity cards. He was told never to talk about his old life or the relatives they had left behind. From the moment he moved into their new apartment, Hendrik became best friends with Ivan, son of a ranking member of the Hungarian Nazi Party, the Arrow Cross. Brother Ferencs’ words cause Hendrik to wonder if his father's decision had been the right one. Would his choice have been different?
Hendrik wants to sort all of this out for himself. He wants to confide in Ivan, who is preparing to join the Arrow Cross, but has second thoughts. He decides to visit his aunt and cousins in the Jewish Quarter in Buda and bring them food. After being asked for his papers, and finding a way to get over the ghetto wall being built around the Jewish Quarter, Jakob finds that life has changed. Jews are wearing yellow stars on their clothes, emaciated people are huddling in doorways. Jakob makes it to his aunt's apartment where Aunt Mimi rushes to greet him but his cousin hides nervously in the shadows. When it becomes time for the Arrow Coss's daily patrols, Aunt Mimi hurries him out, but as he is leaving, he runs into Ivan's father. When asked what he's doing there, he responds that he's not Hendrik, but rather Jakob Kohn and a Jew. As Jakob and his family are being taken away in a truck, he sees his friend Ivan coming around a corner. Ivan's father orders him to go back to their neighborhood and alert the patrols that the Vargas family is Jewish, and should be rounded up immediately along with their Christian housekeeper.
Jakob winds up being taken to Auschwitz, where he makes two friends though he understood that making friends was not a safe thing to do. Antol rescues him at his first roll call, and who, having been there for several months already seems to know how to survive the horror. The other is with an observant Jewish boy who teaches him Hebrew prayers. What keeps Jakob going, though, are his plans to seek revenge against Ivan when the war is over.
Jakob's story is based on the experiences of the author's father, Frigyes Porsht. Although ably told as a novel, there are several points that bother me.
One is the title, The Choice . I cringe to think that some readers may think that Hendrik made the “choice” to be taken by the Nazis. Clearly his own parents had failed to explain the situation to him, but how could a child have begun to understand.
The other problem I have with the book is the use of documentary photographs. Mostly they are prewar and post war photographs of the city of Budapest, barracks at Auschwitz. I found it strange that these were used; in some ways the story was more powerful than these photos. These give the book the look of a nonfiction book and I wonder why it wasn’t written as such. Perhaps they were used to bar against holocaust deniers. In fact, the Holocaust is barely taught in high school these days; many young people first encounter it in literature.
As Jakob witnesses first hand the starvation, killing and gruesome humiliation of people he knows and other Jews, I would recommend it for grade 8 and up.
As Brother Ferenc begins to counsel the boys in Hendrik’s class about their upcoming confirmation, he tells them that in the future their religious life will not be governed by their parents, but that they themselves will have to take responsibility for it, that they will have to make a choice to follow the church. Hendrik remembers his cousin’s Bar Mitzvah and his mind begins to focus on his family in the Jewish quarter, in Pest. Following his Uncle Peter's detention and deportation to a work camp in 1939, Hendrik’s father had moved them to Buda. He and his parents had taken on Christian identities complete with false identity cards. He was told never to talk about his old life or the relatives they had left behind. From the moment he moved into their new apartment, Hendrik became best friends with Ivan, son of a ranking member of the Hungarian Nazi Party, the Arrow Cross. Brother Ferencs’ words cause Hendrik to wonder if his father's decision had been the right one. Would his choice have been different?
Hendrik wants to sort all of this out for himself. He wants to confide in Ivan, who is preparing to join the Arrow Cross, but has second thoughts. He decides to visit his aunt and cousins in the Jewish Quarter in Buda and bring them food. After being asked for his papers, and finding a way to get over the ghetto wall being built around the Jewish Quarter, Jakob finds that life has changed. Jews are wearing yellow stars on their clothes, emaciated people are huddling in doorways. Jakob makes it to his aunt's apartment where Aunt Mimi rushes to greet him but his cousin hides nervously in the shadows. When it becomes time for the Arrow Coss's daily patrols, Aunt Mimi hurries him out, but as he is leaving, he runs into Ivan's father. When asked what he's doing there, he responds that he's not Hendrik, but rather Jakob Kohn and a Jew. As Jakob and his family are being taken away in a truck, he sees his friend Ivan coming around a corner. Ivan's father orders him to go back to their neighborhood and alert the patrols that the Vargas family is Jewish, and should be rounded up immediately along with their Christian housekeeper.
Jakob winds up being taken to Auschwitz, where he makes two friends though he understood that making friends was not a safe thing to do. Antol rescues him at his first roll call, and who, having been there for several months already seems to know how to survive the horror. The other is with an observant Jewish boy who teaches him Hebrew prayers. What keeps Jakob going, though, are his plans to seek revenge against Ivan when the war is over.
Jakob's story is based on the experiences of the author's father, Frigyes Porsht. Although ably told as a novel, there are several points that bother me.
One is the title, The Choice . I cringe to think that some readers may think that Hendrik made the “choice” to be taken by the Nazis. Clearly his own parents had failed to explain the situation to him, but how could a child have begun to understand.
The other problem I have with the book is the use of documentary photographs. Mostly they are prewar and post war photographs of the city of Budapest, barracks at Auschwitz. I found it strange that these were used; in some ways the story was more powerful than these photos. These give the book the look of a nonfiction book and I wonder why it wasn’t written as such. Perhaps they were used to bar against holocaust deniers. In fact, the Holocaust is barely taught in high school these days; many young people first encounter it in literature.
As Jakob witnesses first hand the starvation, killing and gruesome humiliation of people he knows and other Jews, I would recommend it for grade 8 and up.
January 21, 2016
He just doesn’t understand and I felt frustrated for him because no one explained it to him. Hendrik was young yes, but he deserved to know as his world was changing right before him and it would never be the same. His father thought he was doing the right thing by keeping everything from him but in the long run, Hendrik had to learn it on his own. This book had me; I devoured it and I loved every minute of it. Hendrik was fighting his way through this novel but my emotions captured more, as each of the characters stories came into play and I was battling a war on many fronts.
Hendrik can’t see his extended family. His father took his mother and him away to keep them safe as word that the Nazi’s were soon arriving. Leaving his previous life, his extended family and his best friend behind, Hendrik has secretly now returned to see his aunt. Hendrik wants to see his family again and learn about his heritage. He never realized the harsh conditions that they are now living in vs. the conditions that he now lives in on the other side of the wall. Vowing to return soon, Hendrik begins to leave but is met by a member of the Arrow Cross. This sergeant is his best friend’s father who knows that Hendrik is a Jew and immediately arrests him. The tension in the novel rises as there is no turning back now. A disagreement between Hendrik and his best friend who was there with his father emerges, as the drama of Hendrik’s arrests plays out. Hendrik is not alone as they attempt to arrest other members of his family. I don’t want to ruin this fantastic story but I will tell you that Hendrik finds himself inside a boxcar and his experiences are disturbing and the individuals that he meets are interesting. His relationship with Levi was to me the best. Levi was a man with dignity and pride and he tries to instill his qualities in others. Hendrik’s experiences were alarming and remarkable, a journey that I would never want to live but glad that I was able to read about. This book is definitely a great story and I highly recommend if you like books about this time period.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review.
Hendrik can’t see his extended family. His father took his mother and him away to keep them safe as word that the Nazi’s were soon arriving. Leaving his previous life, his extended family and his best friend behind, Hendrik has secretly now returned to see his aunt. Hendrik wants to see his family again and learn about his heritage. He never realized the harsh conditions that they are now living in vs. the conditions that he now lives in on the other side of the wall. Vowing to return soon, Hendrik begins to leave but is met by a member of the Arrow Cross. This sergeant is his best friend’s father who knows that Hendrik is a Jew and immediately arrests him. The tension in the novel rises as there is no turning back now. A disagreement between Hendrik and his best friend who was there with his father emerges, as the drama of Hendrik’s arrests plays out. Hendrik is not alone as they attempt to arrest other members of his family. I don’t want to ruin this fantastic story but I will tell you that Hendrik finds himself inside a boxcar and his experiences are disturbing and the individuals that he meets are interesting. His relationship with Levi was to me the best. Levi was a man with dignity and pride and he tries to instill his qualities in others. Hendrik’s experiences were alarming and remarkable, a journey that I would never want to live but glad that I was able to read about. This book is definitely a great story and I highly recommend if you like books about this time period.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review.
January 18, 2016
Jakob's father knew that trouble was coming and was able to get new identities and a new life for his family. Jakob became Henrick and was told to never talk about the past. But Jakob is confused. He wants to know about his heritage and reunite with his relatives. He decides to seek answers by visiting the ghetto but while there the Nazis come to arrest his relatives and Jakob reveals his true identity. He is then sent to Aushwitz and other camps where the consequences of his choice play out. He lives only with thoughts of revenge on his friend Ivan who he feels could have saved him.
This was a powerful story of friendship, choices, and forgiveness. I liked the way that this was portrayed.
This was a powerful story of friendship, choices, and forgiveness. I liked the way that this was portrayed.
August 19, 2016
The Choice is a well-written story of a young Hungarian Jewish boy and his family during the WWII. Based on the true events of the author's father's childhood, The Choice is a powerful book for helping young readers learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews