Shanghai Shadows

by Lois Ruby

When the Nazis occupy Austria, Ilse and her family escape to Japanese-occupied China where Ilse quenches her thirst for adventure as an occasional spy, but when harsh living conditions force them all to move to Shanghai's Jewish ghetto, a life-shattering secret is revealed.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Holocaust, 20th Century, China, Novels

282 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Lois Ruby is the author of fifteen books for middle-graders and teens, including STEAL AWAY HOME, SKIN DEEP, and THE SECRET OF LAUREL OAKS. She and her husband live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the foothills of the awesome Sandia Mountains. Lois explores lots of haunted places, including ghostly locations in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and even a few spooky spots in Australia and Thailand. No spirits have tapped her on the shoulder yet, but she hasn't given up hope.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and well-written story of European Jews surviving the Holocaust under Japanese rule in Shanghai, China. The story is told from the POV of a teen girl who learns that survival in wartime is difficult and requires some choices. This is definitely a YA novel as it describes the horror of war and starvation, resistance, incarceration in camps and prison, dubious moral choices by adults, and the overriding need of humans to survive. (few instances of language when describing enemy soldiers)

[Kathleen F · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this one. The author had a good idea, but ruined it with the characters. The main girl was a little over-obsessive about the boy she had a crush on. Her brother was always in a grumpy mood. Her mom was weird, and her dad locked himself in a cupboard all day to play his beloved violin. Like I said before, good idea, just a little over-done.

[low.light.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, we follow Ilse and her family since she gets to Shanghai fleeing from Austria before things turn really bad for the Jews. It´s a slow-paced book, where we get everyday pieces of life and how hard it got for refugees in the years of WWII.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

truly only began picking up towards the 3/4 mark, but it did make me feel so many emotions and was a page turner.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging story of a piece of history I didn't know about during WWII. Jewish people leaving Europe and ending up in China. Very interesting story and well- written.

[Tessa McMillan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ilse, Erich, and her Jewish parents arrive in Shanghai to escape Hilter’s domination of Austria. Ilse’s family wanted to go to America, but with no visa the only country that would accept them is China. After their arrival, Ilse is surprised by the thousands of other European refugees living in Shanghai. At first life is bearable for Ilse’s family, but Japanese soldiers single out Jewish refugees by making them move into a ghetto. In response to their treatment, Erich and Ilse do work for an underground resistance group. Ilse’s mother, who hid a past marriage to an American, is placed into an internment camp. Ilse becomes the mother and sole provider to her family. Erich is captured and imprisoned during a resistance mission. Ilse’s father sacrifices his beloved violin to get his son out of jail. In 1945 news arrives that Japan is defeated and their armies leave Shanghai. Ilse’s mother returns with news that her American husband wants them to come to America to divorce her and give her family a new life after the war. Ilse and her family board a ship to go to America.
Ruby’s book is beneficial to help readers learn about this forgotten piece of history. Yet the book has significant shortcomings in character development, story flow, and historical detail. Teachers and librarians can use this book to showcase what other events occurred during World War II, but there is little merit to Ruby’s writing style.
(Found on the Children's Book and Play Review)

[Arleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, well written story of family of Jewish emigrees from Vienna prior to WWII. Life is significantly less comfortable when they first arrive, but they learn to manage and accept the difficulty as a temporary situation. As the war progresses, life becomes more complicated, dangerous and inhumane. Told from the point of view of a young girl, some might compare to Anne Frank. Writing is directed to young adult readers, however, as an adult, I found the characters, plot lines and themes to be well written and an interesting departure from much of the the WWII holocaust survivor literature. Could be upsetting to adolescent readers but would be a good choice with adult/teacher/librarian discussion.

[Haim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois Ruby's novel of the escaping to and living in Shanghai during the Holocaust is quite accurate. My father spent his childhood years in Shanghai and I spoke with him and my grandmother about life in Shanghai, Ruby did a fine job depicting life as it was.

We follow Ilse Shpann from the moment she and her family land in Shanghai until the WWII ends and Ilse and her family board an American bound ship. We see the trials and tribulations, the difficult adjustments, the fear, starvation, and near death experiences as seen and felt by Ilse. This is a very good book to learn about one segment of the Holocaust.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been interested in the Jewish community in Shanghai during WWII, so I was delighted to hear about Shanghai Shadows. It's geared toward the young adult audience, but has some mature themes like prostitution. After reading the book, I felt like I had a better sense of what it was like to live in Shanghai during the war as part of the large Jewish community there. I've written a longer review on my website, www.susanbkason.com

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting take on WWII and the Jewish refugees. Ilse and her family escape from Austria to Shanghai where they are "stateless". Life is hard and it gets harder. Ilse and her brother become involved in a resistance movement and a deep secret of her mother's is revealed. Good writing and an excellent description of this particular place and time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all my reading about the Holocaust, I never learned that Jews ended up in Shanghai! The story of the Shpann's survival during the War is a great way for people to learn more about that time from a place/point-of-view that they probably were unaware existed.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an eye-opener for me. I didn't realize that the Japanese had put all the foreigners in Shanghai in internment camps. The author brought to life quite vividly the horrors that the people faced, and how they dealt with it.

[Rose]

JF Rub

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me realize what happened in WW2 that wasn't in Europe. I had no idea that so many people suffered in China. It kept me in suspense the whole time. I liked it a lot.

[Ken Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for its focus on the wartime plight of Refugee Jews in Shanghai

[Imogen S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Historical fiction is always interesting for me to read and this one satisfied my taste buds for good books.