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Paper Hearts
Amid the brutality of Auschwitz during the Holocaust, a forbidden gift helps two teenage girls find hope, friendship, and the will to live in this novel in verse that's based on a true story.
368 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 2015
110 people are currently reading
5281 people want to read
About the author
Meg Wiviott
2 books50 followersMeg Wiviott is the author of the picture book BENNO AND THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS (Kar-Ben 2010) and PAPER HEARTS, a YA novel-in-verse based on a true story of friendship and survival in Auschwitz (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster). She holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Meg and her husband have two grown children and live in New Jersey.
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December 19, 2025
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
THIS BOOK, I HAVE CRIED AND CRIED
****SOME SPOILERS****
This is based on the true story of Zlatka and Fania who were in Auschwitz together, they had lost their families, they had lost everything, but they found each other. And they survived! They had some friends named Giza, Guta and Bronia that survived with them. They all took care of each other the best they could in such a horrible place!
Rules
Mama's good girl
Followed the rules.
At home.
At school.
in synagogue.
Even when the Germans came.
With their signs that read:
JUDEN VERBOTEN,
Jews Forbidden.
I did as I was told.
But in a world
Where girls were tattooed
With numbers.
And bodies were tossed away
Like garbage.
There were no rules.
They watched as people were taken to the furnaces, who were beaten to death, who died of starvation, so many atrocities, but they pushed on.. they had each other.
Eyes lowered
hands clasped before her.
Eta spoke just above a whisper
in German
to a boy in uniform
who looked no older than she
who might have smiled at her
on a street in Berlin
just a year or two ago.
His anger was harder than the crust of bread
harder than the boulders
harder than his fists.
Eta collapsed.
Jackboots stomped.
Fists clobbered.
Riding crops whipped.
Rifle butts smashed.
Billy clubs crushed.
Then the dogs.
and you just had to keep going or the same would happen to you.
The author tells at the end of the book that she got all of her information through family interviews, documentaries, etc. She also gave a wonderful glossary so we would know each thing that was put into the book.
The girl replied,
They are no more monster
than you.
My brother
was selected
for the Sonderkommando
when we first arrived.
I used to meet him
here at the fence
so he could unburden
his soul.
Yes,
he helped the Germans.
He led the people,
innocent people
children,
to their deaths.
He whispered
assurances to them,
Calmed them
so their last moments
were not filled with terror.
He spread their ashes
with respect
due to humans,
He said Kaddish for them
mourned them.
His first assignment
fresh off the transport
was to gas
the Sonderkommando
he replaced.
His last assignment
just three months later
was to walk
with dignity
into the gas chamber
so the new Sonderkommando
could replace him.
The Sonderkommando
are not monsters.
There were so many other things, I can't even say, but a lot of you know already from reading different things. I think the strength of these women are remarkable.
Here is the birthday card Zlatka made for Fania. She went through whatever she had to make this for her friend. This picture below is a picture of Fania with the heart that is still on display at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.
The Heart
A treasure.
Cut into four hearts
Like four-leaf clovers.
Folded
Into one heart.
Opening
Like origami.
Covered
With pretty purple cloth.
Embroidered
With my initial.
Small enough
To fit in the palm of my hand.
Big enough
To restore my faith
Friends replacing
The family I'd lost.
A reason to take risks.
A reason to keep living.
Here is a link to the interview with Zlatka on making the heart.
Interview With Zlatka After clicking on the link and it takes you to the page click on the floating heart on the page at the top and it will take you to her interview.
I recommend this book to EVERYONE!
THIS BOOK, I HAVE CRIED AND CRIED
****SOME SPOILERS****
This is based on the true story of Zlatka and Fania who were in Auschwitz together, they had lost their families, they had lost everything, but they found each other. And they survived! They had some friends named Giza, Guta and Bronia that survived with them. They all took care of each other the best they could in such a horrible place!
Rules
Mama's good girl
Followed the rules.
At home.
At school.
in synagogue.
Even when the Germans came.
With their signs that read:
JUDEN VERBOTEN,
Jews Forbidden.
I did as I was told.
But in a world
Where girls were tattooed
With numbers.
And bodies were tossed away
Like garbage.
There were no rules.
They watched as people were taken to the furnaces, who were beaten to death, who died of starvation, so many atrocities, but they pushed on.. they had each other.
Eyes lowered
hands clasped before her.
Eta spoke just above a whisper
in German
to a boy in uniform
who looked no older than she
who might have smiled at her
on a street in Berlin
just a year or two ago.
His anger was harder than the crust of bread
harder than the boulders
harder than his fists.
Eta collapsed.
Jackboots stomped.
Fists clobbered.
Riding crops whipped.
Rifle butts smashed.
Billy clubs crushed.
Then the dogs.
and you just had to keep going or the same would happen to you.
The author tells at the end of the book that she got all of her information through family interviews, documentaries, etc. She also gave a wonderful glossary so we would know each thing that was put into the book.
The girl replied,
They are no more monster
than you.
My brother
was selected
for the Sonderkommando
when we first arrived.
I used to meet him
here at the fence
so he could unburden
his soul.
Yes,
he helped the Germans.
He led the people,
innocent people
children,
to their deaths.
He whispered
assurances to them,
Calmed them
so their last moments
were not filled with terror.
He spread their ashes
with respect
due to humans,
He said Kaddish for them
mourned them.
His first assignment
fresh off the transport
was to gas
the Sonderkommando
he replaced.
His last assignment
just three months later
was to walk
with dignity
into the gas chamber
so the new Sonderkommando
could replace him.
The Sonderkommando
are not monsters.
There were so many other things, I can't even say, but a lot of you know already from reading different things. I think the strength of these women are remarkable.
Here is the birthday card Zlatka made for Fania. She went through whatever she had to make this for her friend. This picture below is a picture of Fania with the heart that is still on display at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.
The Heart
A treasure.
Cut into four hearts
Like four-leaf clovers.
Folded
Into one heart.
Opening
Like origami.
Covered
With pretty purple cloth.
Embroidered
With my initial.
Small enough
To fit in the palm of my hand.
Big enough
To restore my faith
Friends replacing
The family I'd lost.
A reason to take risks.
A reason to keep living.
Here is a link to the interview with Zlatka on making the heart.
Interview With Zlatka After clicking on the link and it takes you to the page click on the floating heart on the page at the top and it will take you to her interview.
I recommend this book to EVERYONE!
August 28, 2015
Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is beautifully haunting, inside and out.
The story follows two jewish girls who have been taken to Auschwitz during the holocaust, and their incredible will to survive. Although they've lost everything, friendship becomes weapon against oppression and hatred. Zlatka and Fania's story feels real, and then your stomach drops because you realize the are, and it is. It is all true, and it hurts.
It has been a long time since I read a novel written in verse, but Paper Hearts renewed my love for it.
Remember.
Remember.
Remember.
Knowing there were worse things than death
took away the fear.
Surviving was the best revenge.
Survive.
Survive.
Survive.
The language used in this novel is beautiful and it kept me glued into the story. The faster I turned the pages the more desperate I was for Fania and Zlatka. Their verse is sharp and searing. Heartbreaking and hopeful. The quick fast-paced nature of this style makes Paper Hearts compulsively readable, and stays with you long after you've finished.
Highly recommended.
The story follows two jewish girls who have been taken to Auschwitz during the holocaust, and their incredible will to survive. Although they've lost everything, friendship becomes weapon against oppression and hatred. Zlatka and Fania's story feels real, and then your stomach drops because you realize the are, and it is. It is all true, and it hurts.
It has been a long time since I read a novel written in verse, but Paper Hearts renewed my love for it.
Remember.
Remember.
Remember.
Knowing there were worse things than death
took away the fear.
Surviving was the best revenge.
Survive.
Survive.
Survive.
The language used in this novel is beautiful and it kept me glued into the story. The faster I turned the pages the more desperate I was for Fania and Zlatka. Their verse is sharp and searing. Heartbreaking and hopeful. The quick fast-paced nature of this style makes Paper Hearts compulsively readable, and stays with you long after you've finished.
Highly recommended.
January 27, 2016
An absolutely heartbreaking story, told in verse, about a group of young women held captive in Auschwitz. I think this is an important book for everyone to read, especially now with the current political climate in the USA. As the book simply states, "Never again. Never again. Never again."
October 16, 2015
When the Germans arrive in June 1941, life changed for the Jews living in Prużany, a small town in Belarus. For 17 year-old Zlatka Sznaiderhauz and her family - mother, father, younger brothers Iser and Lázaro, younger sister Necha - life became more and more difficult. Restrictions meant no freedoms, no school, no jobs, little food and eventually life in a Nazi-created ghetto. Before long, daily lists began to be posted for transports to Auschwitz-Birkenau. On the third day, the Sznaiderhauz family was on the list.
Separated from her father and brothers, when they arrive at Auschwitz, Zlatka and Necha are sent to the right of the selection, her mother and brother Lázaro to the left and immediate death.
As Zlaka's story unfolds, so does Fania's in alternate chapters. Fania, 18, is sent away from her home in Bialystok by her family to Augustów in the hope of saving her life since she looked the most Aryan. Fania is quickly arrested for being Jewish and sent first to Lomża Prison, later to Stuffhof, where she learns that the Bialystok Ghetto has been liquidated. Heartbroken, Fania realizes she has lost her entire family. Eventually, Fania, and the three friends she made in Lomża are transported to Auschwitz.
Finding themselves in the same barracks, at first Zlatka shuns Fania's offer of friendship, but after Necha's death, it is Fania who pulls Zlaka out of what could have been a fatal depression. The two become friends and family to each other, determined to survive the brutal treatment they are subjected to in Auschwitz.
For Fania's 20th birthday, Zlatka decides to make her an origami birthday heart, an act of defiance that could cost them their lives. Zlatka does whatever she needs to - stealing, bartering, swapping - to get the materials for the heart. When it was done, it was passed to every girl at their work table, 15 in all, to sign and add their wishes for Fania. Even those girls who didn't speak Polish understand the importance of signing the heart.
Fania, Zlatka and the birthday heart survived Auschwitz, survived the death marches they were sent on at the end of the war, and survived the war.
Paper Hearts is a novel based on a true story. It is written in free verse and I feel that the
form and content of the story coalesce so beautifully that the reader can almost feel as though they are travelling side by side with Zlattka and Fania through everything.
Meg Wiviott got the idea for this novel after seeing a 2010 documentary film called A Heart in Auschwitz. The film chronicles the filmmakers quest to find Zlatka and Fania and bring them together again. Intrigued, Wiviott began her own research, which included hearing Zlatka and Fania's Shoah testimonies (Zlatka's in Spanish, Fania's in Yiddish( and a visit to the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre to see the actual heart, which is on display there.
This is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story of friendship, hope and love in the midst of so much brutality, death and hate.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
Separated from her father and brothers, when they arrive at Auschwitz, Zlatka and Necha are sent to the right of the selection, her mother and brother Lázaro to the left and immediate death.
As Zlaka's story unfolds, so does Fania's in alternate chapters. Fania, 18, is sent away from her home in Bialystok by her family to Augustów in the hope of saving her life since she looked the most Aryan. Fania is quickly arrested for being Jewish and sent first to Lomża Prison, later to Stuffhof, where she learns that the Bialystok Ghetto has been liquidated. Heartbroken, Fania realizes she has lost her entire family. Eventually, Fania, and the three friends she made in Lomża are transported to Auschwitz.
Finding themselves in the same barracks, at first Zlatka shuns Fania's offer of friendship, but after Necha's death, it is Fania who pulls Zlaka out of what could have been a fatal depression. The two become friends and family to each other, determined to survive the brutal treatment they are subjected to in Auschwitz.
For Fania's 20th birthday, Zlatka decides to make her an origami birthday heart, an act of defiance that could cost them their lives. Zlatka does whatever she needs to - stealing, bartering, swapping - to get the materials for the heart. When it was done, it was passed to every girl at their work table, 15 in all, to sign and add their wishes for Fania. Even those girls who didn't speak Polish understand the importance of signing the heart.
Fania, Zlatka and the birthday heart survived Auschwitz, survived the death marches they were sent on at the end of the war, and survived the war.
Paper Hearts is a novel based on a true story. It is written in free verse and I feel that the
form and content of the story coalesce so beautifully that the reader can almost feel as though they are travelling side by side with Zlattka and Fania through everything.
Meg Wiviott got the idea for this novel after seeing a 2010 documentary film called A Heart in Auschwitz. The film chronicles the filmmakers quest to find Zlatka and Fania and bring them together again. Intrigued, Wiviott began her own research, which included hearing Zlatka and Fania's Shoah testimonies (Zlatka's in Spanish, Fania's in Yiddish( and a visit to the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre to see the actual heart, which is on display there.
This is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story of friendship, hope and love in the midst of so much brutality, death and hate.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
February 1, 2021
"Survival is a balance
between being good
and bad
between being strong
and weak.
You cannot be
too much of
anything"
between being good
and bad
between being strong
and weak.
You cannot be
too much of
anything"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2019
I have such conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, a verse novel about one of the most horrific events in human history seems, in many ways, a brilliant way to pierce the hearts of readers in an unfamiliar way. On the other hand, because of the nature of novels in verse, there is quite a bit lacking in terms of fleshing out characters, events, and other things you would expect in any book. Rather than being able to learn about specific characters, I only felt that I was reading about the prisoners as a conglomerate, which is one of the most common, and tragic, phenomena when studying historical events. I expected this book to share a beautiful story of friendship in the face of hatred, but instead was mostly met with merrely a tiny bit more than the things I grew up reading about in a textbook. The central story of the book is incredible (I do want to learn more about Zlatka and Fania, as I do find the tiny fragments of friendship I read in this book to be inspiring and well worth further exploration), but I believe it is one that requires more fleshing out in order to do justice to the miracle of the paper heart.
October 7, 2019
In Paper Hearts, two unforgettable girls find themselves tragically imprisoned at Auschwitz during the Holocaust and become friends. Through the bonds of friendship and a bit of defiance, Zlatka and Fania find bits of hope and a will to live. In this true story, Zlatka, along with the help of a few other girls, masterminds making a surprise birthday card for Fania. A secret project that would be a crime punishable by death if caught, each girl signed the paper hearts card with her hopes and wishes for happiness, love, and freedom. This heart is a symbol of defiance and is one of the few artifacts created in Auschwitz that has survived and can be seen today in the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre in Canada.
A story in free verse, Paper Hearts is a beautiful, memorable, and gently written story of friendship and survival. I don’t read a great deal of formal verse poetry, but I love stories told in free verse. I think the format of free verse works well for this story because in one sense it softens the harsh edges of the tragedy but in another sense, it makes the story even more poignant. The simplicity of the free verse helps to emphasize the innocence of these younger victims of the Holocaust.
Because Paper Hearts is written for a YA (and mature middle grade) audience, it is a gentler read than some other Holocaust stories that contain more graphic adult content. I love well written YA because readers 14-99 can appreciate and enjoy the stories.
Thoughtful themes are my favorite elements of a great read, and I love the strong themes of friendship, survival, and compassion in this story. Against all odds, these girls survive because of their determination to keep moving forward and living for one more minute. Their survival is their defiance. Zlatka and Fania become as close as sisters and help each other emotionally, physically, and mentally.
“Your kindness, Fania, makes me brave.”
“Your bravery, Zlatka makes me kind.”
Although Paper Hearts was not filled with page after page of horrific details and descriptions, it was emotional, powerful, and poignant from the opening sentences. My eyes were teary and my heart hurt with every page … but it wasn’t an “ugly cry,” it was simply touching and profound. An example of one of the tenderest moments is when a Jewish father says goodbye to his daughter as the family is separated at the camp, and he embraces her and prays a blessing over her. I will never be able to hear this blessing again without thinking of this mental image from the story. If you were a parent in this situation, would you think to pray this blessing over your child as your family is separated? What a remarkable man and father! Her father’s blessing brought her great comfort in her darkest days and planted a spark of hope in her fight to persevere. I have tears typing this.
May God bless you and keep you.
May God shine his face upon you and grant you graciousness.
May God’s presence be with you and grant you peace.
I highly recommend this beautiful story for all fans of poignant historical fiction, for readers who love beautifully written free verse, for parents who are searching for inspiring stories to read with their teens, and for book clubs. It will definitely be on my best of 2019 list. I should mention that it can be easily be read in one day….although I took my time with it. Don’t miss this memorable read!
For more reviews visit my blog readingladies.com
A story in free verse, Paper Hearts is a beautiful, memorable, and gently written story of friendship and survival. I don’t read a great deal of formal verse poetry, but I love stories told in free verse. I think the format of free verse works well for this story because in one sense it softens the harsh edges of the tragedy but in another sense, it makes the story even more poignant. The simplicity of the free verse helps to emphasize the innocence of these younger victims of the Holocaust.
Because Paper Hearts is written for a YA (and mature middle grade) audience, it is a gentler read than some other Holocaust stories that contain more graphic adult content. I love well written YA because readers 14-99 can appreciate and enjoy the stories.
Thoughtful themes are my favorite elements of a great read, and I love the strong themes of friendship, survival, and compassion in this story. Against all odds, these girls survive because of their determination to keep moving forward and living for one more minute. Their survival is their defiance. Zlatka and Fania become as close as sisters and help each other emotionally, physically, and mentally.
“Your kindness, Fania, makes me brave.”
“Your bravery, Zlatka makes me kind.”
Although Paper Hearts was not filled with page after page of horrific details and descriptions, it was emotional, powerful, and poignant from the opening sentences. My eyes were teary and my heart hurt with every page … but it wasn’t an “ugly cry,” it was simply touching and profound. An example of one of the tenderest moments is when a Jewish father says goodbye to his daughter as the family is separated at the camp, and he embraces her and prays a blessing over her. I will never be able to hear this blessing again without thinking of this mental image from the story. If you were a parent in this situation, would you think to pray this blessing over your child as your family is separated? What a remarkable man and father! Her father’s blessing brought her great comfort in her darkest days and planted a spark of hope in her fight to persevere. I have tears typing this.
May God bless you and keep you.
May God shine his face upon you and grant you graciousness.
May God’s presence be with you and grant you peace.
I highly recommend this beautiful story for all fans of poignant historical fiction, for readers who love beautifully written free verse, for parents who are searching for inspiring stories to read with their teens, and for book clubs. It will definitely be on my best of 2019 list. I should mention that it can be easily be read in one day….although I took my time with it. Don’t miss this memorable read!
For more reviews visit my blog readingladies.com
January 17, 2016
Written completely in verse, Paper Hearts is a heart breaking account of what occurred before, during, and after Auschwitz and what it means to survive such horrifying experiences told by two young Jewish girls. These accounts were based on a true story and as close to historically accurate as the author could manage, which made it all the more devastating to read. I didn't expect to read it so fast, but this quickly became a book I couldn't have put down even if I'd wanted to.
March 8, 2019
3.5*
This is an incredibly important story that taught me something new. It's haunting and terrifying while also surprisingly hopeful. However, though I usually enjoy poetry and stories in verse, I feel like I would have preferred it if it was written in prose instead.
This is an incredibly important story that taught me something new. It's haunting and terrifying while also surprisingly hopeful. However, though I usually enjoy poetry and stories in verse, I feel like I would have preferred it if it was written in prose instead.
April 13, 2020
This novel in verse is based on a true account of a group of women in Auschwitz during World War II. Zlatka and Fania meet shortly after they arrive at Auschwitz. Zlatka has fallen into a deep depression after her mother and brother are murdered by the Nazi's and her younger sister dies. Fania and a group of women form a friendship with her. This friendship and the bond that they form get them through their darkest days.
This story is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Fania and Zlatka. Their experiences are similar and both women have a strong will to survive. For Fania's 20th birthday, Zlatka makes her an origami birthday heart. It is not an easy task and becomes a team effort between Zlatka and the other women. They must lie, steal, and barter to get the materials for the heart. This act of defiance could cost them their lives, but they all take the risk. Each girl at their work table signs and adds their wishes for Fania. Fania is so moved by this simple gesture that she treasures the heart above everything else. She hides it and somehow miraculously manages to take it with from Auschwitz. Thankfully Fania, Zlatka and their friends survive Aushwitz and go one to live full lives. Fania's heart survived for many years and she was kind enough to donate it to a museum for all to see.
This book was a quick, but powerful read. It was heartbreaking at times. The novel is verse was beautifully written and conveyed this story in a short amount of words. I think young people will get a lot out of reading it. Even though it was written in verse, it packs in a lot of facts and events that took place in Auscwitz. I highly recommend it!
This story is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Fania and Zlatka. Their experiences are similar and both women have a strong will to survive. For Fania's 20th birthday, Zlatka makes her an origami birthday heart. It is not an easy task and becomes a team effort between Zlatka and the other women. They must lie, steal, and barter to get the materials for the heart. This act of defiance could cost them their lives, but they all take the risk. Each girl at their work table signs and adds their wishes for Fania. Fania is so moved by this simple gesture that she treasures the heart above everything else. She hides it and somehow miraculously manages to take it with from Auschwitz. Thankfully Fania, Zlatka and their friends survive Aushwitz and go one to live full lives. Fania's heart survived for many years and she was kind enough to donate it to a museum for all to see.
This book was a quick, but powerful read. It was heartbreaking at times. The novel is verse was beautifully written and conveyed this story in a short amount of words. I think young people will get a lot out of reading it. Even though it was written in verse, it packs in a lot of facts and events that took place in Auscwitz. I highly recommend it!
February 18, 2021
Such a beautiful and important story.
April 22, 2017
Generally I am a huge fan of novels in verse. Paper Hearts is not my favorite one. Maybe Holocaust stories just aren't meant to be told in verse. Zlatka and Fania's stories deserved to be told in full. I loved the courage of these two girls and their friends, but I just felt there were missing pieces in the story that simply don't lend themselves to this genre. The book was HIGHLY recommended to me by several students, but having read it myself now, I am wondering if they really understood the full impact of what the story was. Maybe that is the benefit of putting this story in verse -- it softens the blow and makes the troubles easier to bear, easier to read about. I don't know. It disappointed me. I feel there is a story here that deserves much more than it was given in this book.
July 20, 2016
Simply powerful. The writing style is beautiful. The simplicity of the poem format oddly enough adds to the power of the subject. Auschwitz and the Holocaust are not light subjects. This book is dark and heavy, but the writing style makes it so easy to read. I read this in one sitting. I finished this within a few hours. Highly recommended to anyone who loves reading stories involving the Holocaust and German history.
January 2, 2018
Paper.
Scissors.
Pencil.
Glue.
Simple things we didn’t have.
Simple things once taken for granted.
Stolen.
Bartered.
Traded.
Simple things bright great risks.
•
Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is a Holocaust novel in verse based on true events. The story is told by Zlatka and Fania, best friends in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Zlatka wanted to make Fania a birthday card for her upcoming birthday. But Zlatka knew making something so positive and uplifting for her friend could come at a deadly cost. Even though Fania cherished that origami heart card, she had to keep it hidden while in the camp and during the death marches. Will Fania be able to keep the card a secret or will she and her friends be caught and pay the ultimate price? A touching story of hope and friendship in the midst of tragedy.
Scissors.
Pencil.
Glue.
Simple things we didn’t have.
Simple things once taken for granted.
Stolen.
Bartered.
Traded.
Simple things bright great risks.
•
Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is a Holocaust novel in verse based on true events. The story is told by Zlatka and Fania, best friends in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Zlatka wanted to make Fania a birthday card for her upcoming birthday. But Zlatka knew making something so positive and uplifting for her friend could come at a deadly cost. Even though Fania cherished that origami heart card, she had to keep it hidden while in the camp and during the death marches. Will Fania be able to keep the card a secret or will she and her friends be caught and pay the ultimate price? A touching story of hope and friendship in the midst of tragedy.
May 11, 2021
This novel in verse was so heartbreaking, but filled with so much hope and love between all of the girls involved. The kindness that both Zlatka and Fania showed one another, helping each other survive while they were in Auschwitz, shows that even though they don’t have their own family with them, they can rely on one another for support. The pages that show the messages in the paper heart (made for Fania’s birthday) were amazing and inspiring to read. Since this was based on a true story, I am intrigued to learn more about both women and about the paper heart that survived with them ❤️
July 1, 2017
Paper Hearts was a touching story, and very sad. It walks you through the lives of young women who are taking to Auschwitz. The two in particular are Fania and Zlatka. You follow their journeys from the time they were taking to the camps all the way to the Red Army finding them and nursing them back to health.
April 17, 2017
All I can say is WOW. Great book, I hope you're ready to cry.
July 13, 2024
Good book! Always love historical fiction, and this one was heartbreaking but a great book. I also loved that it was poetry
October 14, 2016
This story of love and friendship in such miserable circumstances...is inspiring. I really can't describe how much I loved this book.
November 19, 2024
This is an objectively good book. Meg Wiviott performed the feat of writing an entire novel in verse and keeping it engaging from beginning to end. However, while I think the book does a good job of describing the details of life in the Holocaust, it felt as though the super-fast pacing (as well as the poetic style that runs from beginning to end) prevented the author from touching on some nuanced details, making the book lack emotional depth despite the good storytelling. If you are already widely-read on the Holocaust, you might be a bit jaded for this one. I'd recommend it to readers who are just venturing into the World War 2 phase of historical fiction.
November 6, 2016
"It would take longer
To learn to live
Again"
Okay, so I have an obsession with historical fiction novels, but more specifically, with books dealing with World War Two, the effects it had and events that took place in different parts of the world. I believe this fascination stems from a combination of many things. Mostly, it is the beauty that I find the darkness of this era can produce, as in, the way that humanity surpasses incredible suffering and retaliates in astounding and awe inspiring ways. This book is a clear and very strong example of that. Another factor would be the fact that my grandfather survived the Soviet Union's genocide in the Baltic states by escaping Latvia during the war, which made me appreciate Ruta Sepetys's work much more than I already did. Paper Hearts is a wonderful example of everything that I wish for in a historical fiction book, beautifully crafted, somber but radiant, and creating an immense sense of respect for itself and the people it represents.
I have, as well, come to appreciate the use of verse in novels, and after this novel, am certainly looking forward to continue reading in this style. Especially in dealing with such solemn voices and poignant subject, poetry served as a much more intimate, personal, and emotional style that reached through and fully delivered the intended message. I absolutely loved it.
The book is based on a true story, which was different in my experience with historical fiction, and I look forward to reading more on the lives of the amazing women that this book focuses on.
I have to say there were many, many quotes I adored in the book, and many things I have to go back and revisit, but the book was so good I couldn't help breezing through it.
I would highly recommend Paper Hearts to anyone, whether you are interested in history or not, or at least to give historical fiction a chance, because I can assure that it pays off. It is and always will be important to know about our past and the horrors that have occurred in our history in order to learn from them. I know that it's been well said already that history repeats itself, and while I don't think, and certainly hope, that the Holocaust will never be recreated in its magnitude and cruelty, I think that humanity is definitely far from perfect, and knowing about the struggles of others in the past can only help fix the mistakes we make as a community today.
"Wheels screamed at the
wreckage, at the
ruin. Eleven
million dead.
Never again.
Never again.
Never again."
To learn to live
Again"
Okay, so I have an obsession with historical fiction novels, but more specifically, with books dealing with World War Two, the effects it had and events that took place in different parts of the world. I believe this fascination stems from a combination of many things. Mostly, it is the beauty that I find the darkness of this era can produce, as in, the way that humanity surpasses incredible suffering and retaliates in astounding and awe inspiring ways. This book is a clear and very strong example of that. Another factor would be the fact that my grandfather survived the Soviet Union's genocide in the Baltic states by escaping Latvia during the war, which made me appreciate Ruta Sepetys's work much more than I already did. Paper Hearts is a wonderful example of everything that I wish for in a historical fiction book, beautifully crafted, somber but radiant, and creating an immense sense of respect for itself and the people it represents.
I have, as well, come to appreciate the use of verse in novels, and after this novel, am certainly looking forward to continue reading in this style. Especially in dealing with such solemn voices and poignant subject, poetry served as a much more intimate, personal, and emotional style that reached through and fully delivered the intended message. I absolutely loved it.
The book is based on a true story, which was different in my experience with historical fiction, and I look forward to reading more on the lives of the amazing women that this book focuses on.
I have to say there were many, many quotes I adored in the book, and many things I have to go back and revisit, but the book was so good I couldn't help breezing through it.
I would highly recommend Paper Hearts to anyone, whether you are interested in history or not, or at least to give historical fiction a chance, because I can assure that it pays off. It is and always will be important to know about our past and the horrors that have occurred in our history in order to learn from them. I know that it's been well said already that history repeats itself, and while I don't think, and certainly hope, that the Holocaust will never be recreated in its magnitude and cruelty, I think that humanity is definitely far from perfect, and knowing about the struggles of others in the past can only help fix the mistakes we make as a community today.
"Wheels screamed at the
wreckage, at the
ruin. Eleven
million dead.
Never again.
Never again.
Never again."
May 4, 2017
I ran across this book completely by accident. (I was straightening up the teen fiction shelves and this book was completely out of place so I decided to read the synopsis before I put it back which led me to deciding to check it out instead.) This book is about a group of girls, narrated by two specifically but really it's about all of them banding together, and their experiences before and during their internment at Auschwitz.
Now I don't know why but I am a sucker for books set during the Holocaust which sounds horrible but I suppose I'm just curious. One of those situations where something is awful but you just can't stop watching/looking up all the morbid details.
When I first opened up the book I was surprised. I had missed the fact that the novel was told in verse! But, even though I have little experience with books in such a format, I decided to stick with it and I was glad that I did.
Our main characters were Zlatka and Fania who were both, along the course of the novel, separated from their families and more or less grew up in Auschwitz. They learned what they had to do to survive while so many others were dying around them and noted the politics of the place. That girls who looked a certain way were treated differently (at least until they did something wrong.) That many of the officers were only doing what they were told because if they didn't they would be killed themselves.
and they ended up being assigned to a munitions factory, one of the "safest" places a girl could be. We are shown the horror and the loss and regaining of hope from the perspective of these girls and that, even in the worst of times, a little bit of friendship can go a long way. That certain things could be bought and bartered for.
Closer towards the end we finally discover where the title Paper Hearts came from. In the midst of all of the despair and oppression the girls decided to do a nice but very forbidden thing for their friend Fania. They made her a card, a set of paper hearts all folded up together with birthday wishes. Their messages were sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time.
And then I reached the actual end of the book and discovered that Fania, Zlatka, and the paper heart were all real. Of course some of the plot (timeline and different interactions) was fictionalized but quite a bit of it was real. Names, situations, who lived and who died. And man was that powerful. This was just such a powerful, beautifully written book about something awful and tragic and something that should never happen again. I definitely recommend it.
Now I don't know why but I am a sucker for books set during the Holocaust which sounds horrible but I suppose I'm just curious. One of those situations where something is awful but you just can't stop watching/looking up all the morbid details.
When I first opened up the book I was surprised. I had missed the fact that the novel was told in verse! But, even though I have little experience with books in such a format, I decided to stick with it and I was glad that I did.
Our main characters were Zlatka and Fania who were both, along the course of the novel, separated from their families and more or less grew up in Auschwitz. They learned what they had to do to survive while so many others were dying around them and noted the politics of the place. That girls who looked a certain way were treated differently (at least until they did something wrong.) That many of the officers were only doing what they were told because if they didn't they would be killed themselves.
and they ended up being assigned to a munitions factory, one of the "safest" places a girl could be. We are shown the horror and the loss and regaining of hope from the perspective of these girls and that, even in the worst of times, a little bit of friendship can go a long way. That certain things could be bought and bartered for.
Closer towards the end we finally discover where the title Paper Hearts came from. In the midst of all of the despair and oppression the girls decided to do a nice but very forbidden thing for their friend Fania. They made her a card, a set of paper hearts all folded up together with birthday wishes. Their messages were sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time.
And then I reached the actual end of the book and discovered that Fania, Zlatka, and the paper heart were all real. Of course some of the plot (timeline and different interactions) was fictionalized but quite a bit of it was real. Names, situations, who lived and who died. And man was that powerful. This was just such a powerful, beautifully written book about something awful and tragic and something that should never happen again. I definitely recommend it.
September 18, 2015
Overall Paper Hearts is not poorly written, though I think at times the poems could have been stronger. The only major issue I had with the writing was that the two main characters, which are the POVs in the book, sound exactly alike. Their poem structures differed at times but it was not enough to differentiate the women and I felt as though this weakened the book.
Exposing all readers to history is important and I think Wiviott did it in a manner that younger readers could absorb and understand the atrocities that took place. Showing the compassion and growing friendship of young women put into such heinous situations gives readers a more intimate look.
Exposing all readers to history is important and I think Wiviott did it in a manner that younger readers could absorb and understand the atrocities that took place. Showing the compassion and growing friendship of young women put into such heinous situations gives readers a more intimate look.
Read
March 10, 2015I mean, wow.
August 18, 2016
Beautifully done.
September 24, 2015
Beautifully done.
May 15, 2017
1. This is one of the best Holocaust books I have ever read. I loved the verse format, the figurative language, the characters. It was just beautiful.
2. Love the theme of friendship in this book. It is literally the thing that got them through the torture. If it wasn't for the small kindnesses they showed each other, would they have ever made it?
3. The paper hearts symbolism made me tell everyone about this book. Most of the Holocaust books I read say the same thing. They had to keep to themselves. Be nobodies. Don't stand out. Trying to help other people would most likely get your killed. But in this book the girls unfolded their hearts to each other. UGH!! It's just so good!
4. Favorite quotes:
-"Dayenu. It would have been enough." These small conveniences that we take for granted would have been enough for them to survive.
-"It was the begging that frightened me more than the gunshots, or the screams, even more than the tread of heavy boots on the floors above us."
-"The Germans are a civilized people, Papa said. Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner were German, Mama said. And Goethe, Nietzsche, and Karl Marx, Paper said. How could such a society produce such masters and such masters?"
-"As the train gained speed that girl with blond braids squeezed herself through the one high window and threw herself from the moving train. Only God knows now if she was a Jew or not."
-Heartbreaking line, "Mama and Lazaro to the left. Necha and I to the right."
-"Knowing there were worse things than death took away the fear. Surviving was the best revenge."
-"They avoided the belching black smoke, billowing stench, ash, impenetrable gray, incessant trains. Later, much later, people claimed, we did not know, I had no idea. I didn't do it. How could they not have known, when the birds did?"
-"ARBEIT MACHT FREI Work makes you free. The biggest lie the biggest truth."
-"The Weichsell Union Metallwerke Did not make buttons, bowls, or bicycles. We made armaments. Weapons. Bullets. Shells. Grenades. I'd volunteered thinking I'd be safe. Now I worked making weapons to fight those who tried to free us. We are no better than the Sonderkommandos. We are monsters, I said, doing dirty work for the Germans. No! Zlatka was firm. We are surviving."
5. Figurative language that really portrayed the Holocaust:
-"Soldiers pursued shooting mowing down the boys leaving them in the dirt like weeds.
-"The train rumbled. People pressed inside like a flower from a boy flattened inside a book.
-"Pointed to a murder of crows gathering in the sky like a black storm cloud."
-"Days spent in a cramped cell, no room to lie down, no information, no food. Worries for my family chewed at my heart, mice in the corners of the cell."
-"Transported like cattle. Shorn like sheep. Branded like livestock. Housed in a stall."
-"For hours we moved rocks. Eight Jewish girls wrestled with boulders Israel wrestling with God. The Aryan girls flirted with the soldiers, disappeared into the woods two by two like Noah's ark he returned with a smile and she with a cigarette."
-"I needed to fold up my heart as small as possible to survive."
-"The work was easy. Child's play. Empty shells from the Pressen, Warm and coated in yellow dust, needed to be measured. Precise. Monotonous. Continual. Mindless. My body moved like a marionette. The edges of my heart unfolded."
6. I love that this book isn't just in verse but it uses concrete poetry every once in awhile. The lines look like two trains, footsteps, division of lines, traingles,
7. I learned more about the color of the triangles everyone wore and what they meant.
8. I wish I knew the glossary was in the back sooner because I spent so much time looking terms and locations up. I would like to read a book on Josef Mengele. The Angel of Death.
9. I was picturing 12 girl old girls when really the girls were 18-20.
2. Love the theme of friendship in this book. It is literally the thing that got them through the torture. If it wasn't for the small kindnesses they showed each other, would they have ever made it?
3. The paper hearts symbolism made me tell everyone about this book. Most of the Holocaust books I read say the same thing. They had to keep to themselves. Be nobodies. Don't stand out. Trying to help other people would most likely get your killed. But in this book the girls unfolded their hearts to each other. UGH!! It's just so good!
4. Favorite quotes:
-"Dayenu. It would have been enough." These small conveniences that we take for granted would have been enough for them to survive.
-"It was the begging that frightened me more than the gunshots, or the screams, even more than the tread of heavy boots on the floors above us."
-"The Germans are a civilized people, Papa said. Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner were German, Mama said. And Goethe, Nietzsche, and Karl Marx, Paper said. How could such a society produce such masters and such masters?"
-"As the train gained speed that girl with blond braids squeezed herself through the one high window and threw herself from the moving train. Only God knows now if she was a Jew or not."
-Heartbreaking line, "Mama and Lazaro to the left. Necha and I to the right."
-"Knowing there were worse things than death took away the fear. Surviving was the best revenge."
-"They avoided the belching black smoke, billowing stench, ash, impenetrable gray, incessant trains. Later, much later, people claimed, we did not know, I had no idea. I didn't do it. How could they not have known, when the birds did?"
-"ARBEIT MACHT FREI Work makes you free. The biggest lie the biggest truth."
-"The Weichsell Union Metallwerke Did not make buttons, bowls, or bicycles. We made armaments. Weapons. Bullets. Shells. Grenades. I'd volunteered thinking I'd be safe. Now I worked making weapons to fight those who tried to free us. We are no better than the Sonderkommandos. We are monsters, I said, doing dirty work for the Germans. No! Zlatka was firm. We are surviving."
5. Figurative language that really portrayed the Holocaust:
-"Soldiers pursued shooting mowing down the boys leaving them in the dirt like weeds.
-"The train rumbled. People pressed inside like a flower from a boy flattened inside a book.
-"Pointed to a murder of crows gathering in the sky like a black storm cloud."
-"Days spent in a cramped cell, no room to lie down, no information, no food. Worries for my family chewed at my heart, mice in the corners of the cell."
-"Transported like cattle. Shorn like sheep. Branded like livestock. Housed in a stall."
-"For hours we moved rocks. Eight Jewish girls wrestled with boulders Israel wrestling with God. The Aryan girls flirted with the soldiers, disappeared into the woods two by two like Noah's ark he returned with a smile and she with a cigarette."
-"I needed to fold up my heart as small as possible to survive."
-"The work was easy. Child's play. Empty shells from the Pressen, Warm and coated in yellow dust, needed to be measured. Precise. Monotonous. Continual. Mindless. My body moved like a marionette. The edges of my heart unfolded."
6. I love that this book isn't just in verse but it uses concrete poetry every once in awhile. The lines look like two trains, footsteps, division of lines, traingles,
7. I learned more about the color of the triangles everyone wore and what they meant.
8. I wish I knew the glossary was in the back sooner because I spent so much time looking terms and locations up. I would like to read a book on Josef Mengele. The Angel of Death.
9. I was picturing 12 girl old girls when really the girls were 18-20.
April 23, 2017
Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is a poetic narrative written in verse and is based on true events. The story is written from the point of views of two young women, Zlatka and Fania, that become friends in Auchwitz-Birkenau after both of their younger sisters did not survive. The story gives the reader insight on what the prisoners of Auchswitz went through and how friendship can give someone strength to survive. The paper heart that Zlatka gave Fania for her birthday gave her enough strength to change her attitude about survival and to survive the long and unbearable marches that eventually led them to freedom.
I would read this book with my sixth graders after providing some background knowledge on the Holocaust. Some background knowledge would be needed just because of the heavy amount of inferences that need to be made in order to understand the fate of some of the minor characters in the novel. I believe this book would be a great resource to provide students with. A lot of students often have a lot of negative feelings toward poetry because of the strong figurative language. However, after reading this book students may change their attitude towards poetry. The standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2, requires students to determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. Since the main characters in this novel face multiple challenges and are able to overcome many of these challenges because of the strength and positive attitude that the friends were able to offer each other, I think students would be able to use specific details of the text to determine the theme of friendship, strength, and hope.
This book was a WOW book for me because when initially opening this book, I was disappointed that it was actually written in verse. I was not expecting the text to be broken up into stanzas. However, despite my typical dislike for poetry, I loved this book! The book being written in verse almost made the novel more emotional because of the strong language that was used and the inferences that were automatically made about some of the characters that died in Auschwitz. Ultimately, this story provided some perspective on how you can find strength even in the worst of times and the significance of attitude. It was eye opening that Fania was given so much strength because of a simple paper heart that is now on display at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.
I would read this book with my sixth graders after providing some background knowledge on the Holocaust. Some background knowledge would be needed just because of the heavy amount of inferences that need to be made in order to understand the fate of some of the minor characters in the novel. I believe this book would be a great resource to provide students with. A lot of students often have a lot of negative feelings toward poetry because of the strong figurative language. However, after reading this book students may change their attitude towards poetry. The standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2, requires students to determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. Since the main characters in this novel face multiple challenges and are able to overcome many of these challenges because of the strength and positive attitude that the friends were able to offer each other, I think students would be able to use specific details of the text to determine the theme of friendship, strength, and hope.
This book was a WOW book for me because when initially opening this book, I was disappointed that it was actually written in verse. I was not expecting the text to be broken up into stanzas. However, despite my typical dislike for poetry, I loved this book! The book being written in verse almost made the novel more emotional because of the strong language that was used and the inferences that were automatically made about some of the characters that died in Auschwitz. Ultimately, this story provided some perspective on how you can find strength even in the worst of times and the significance of attitude. It was eye opening that Fania was given so much strength because of a simple paper heart that is now on display at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.
July 30, 2021
Paper Hearts is the story two unforgettable girls and the friends they make while imprisoned at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. This story is YA, so it is not as graphic as some other books about this time in history, but it is still extremely emotional and heartbreaking. Zlatka and Fania become friends against all odds and help each other to survive the camps. This is based on a true story about how friendship, defiance and hope kept a group of women alive against all odds. In this story, Zlatka, along with the help of a few other girls, make a surprise birthday card for Fania. A secret project that is a crime punishable by death if caught. Each girl signed the paper hearts card with her hopes and wishes for happiness, love, and freedom. This heart is a symbol of defiance and is one of the few artifacts created in Auschwitz that has survived. The story was written much later than the end of the war, as Fania kept her card secret for many years. You can now see it at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre in Canada.
This story was told in free verse, which gives it a softness and beauty that you would not expect from this time and during these events. It reminds us that there were children and young adults caught up in the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. This story was written for YA or older MG readers, but as an adult, I was able to appreciate this story as well. The themes of friendship, hope, survival, courage and support resonate throughout this book. This was an emotional story, with families being torn apart and having to say good-bye as your loved one were dragged away or dying. The spirituality and strength of the parents in this book was amazing. As Zlatka's father blessed his children, not knowing what was in store for them, showed their belief and love of God. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading in free verse or enjoyed emotional and moving Historical Fiction.
This story was told in free verse, which gives it a softness and beauty that you would not expect from this time and during these events. It reminds us that there were children and young adults caught up in the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. This story was written for YA or older MG readers, but as an adult, I was able to appreciate this story as well. The themes of friendship, hope, survival, courage and support resonate throughout this book. This was an emotional story, with families being torn apart and having to say good-bye as your loved one were dragged away or dying. The spirituality and strength of the parents in this book was amazing. As Zlatka's father blessed his children, not knowing what was in store for them, showed their belief and love of God. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading in free verse or enjoyed emotional and moving Historical Fiction.
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