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Before the start of World War II, ten-year-old Ziska Mangold, who has Jewish ancestors but has been raised as a Protestant, is taken out of Nazi Germany on one of the Kindertransport trains, to live in London with a Jewish family, where she learns about Judaism and endures the hardships of war while attempting to keep in touch with her parents, who are trying to survive in Holland.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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April 16, 2017
Almost eleven-year-old Franziska Mangold sees herself as a typical German girl living in Berlin in 1938. She doesn't understand why she had to leave her school with two Jewish classmates or why boys who were once friends taunt her and beat her. She's not Jewish! All 4 grandparents became Protestant in the last century. She doesn't understand what being Jewish means. Ziska's best friend Bekka knows. She knows being Jewish means she needs a survival plan. Bekka and Ziska map out every escape route, nook and cranny in Berlin. They never dream that map will mean the difference between life and death. When the Nazis come for Ziska's father one night, she flies into the night to save herself. Her parents made plans to go to Shanghai but her mother believes in having many eggs in many baskets. Frau Mangold's last option is to send Ziska on the Kindertransport to safety in England. In England Ziska must learn a new language, a new culture and a new religion. It's just for the war, of course. The war will end soon and Frances will become Ziska once again and be reunited with her family and friends. As months turn to years and Ziska becomes more adjusted to England and her new family, the thought of leaving becomes harder.
I could not put this book down. I've read many Holocaust novels but wondered how being raised Protestant would affect the Mangolds and whether it would save them. I was in tears at the end when characters recite the names of those who died in the Holocaust. Obviously there are many. This book doesn't shy away from the horrific events of the 1930s and 40s. Ziska's story hit close to home in many ways. My grandfather was of German and Jewish heritage. Though his mother converted and he was baptised Protestant, he would have been considered Jewish in Hitler's eyes. Fortunately, he was born and raised in the United States but I'm sure his mother and grandparents were aware of what was happening back in Europe. Like Ziska I lived in Finchley in London. I can picture the Shepard family's home and Ziska's tube station! I also traveled to Tottenham Court Road. I stayed with a Jewish host family. My host mother's mother was a Holocaust survivor. The story made me think of Syrian refugees and my country's response. I learned a few things from this novel that I hadn't read in any other Holocaust novel so I liked how the author was able to make her story unique. The period details were all excellent and I certainly felt I was transported to 1930s/40s Berlin and London. I also liked all the details about Orthodox Jewish life.
Ziska's story focuses more on her personal journey and questions of identity. I found it terrible that the refugee association and other officials never took into account the trauma the children had already suffered. Ziska has an identity crisis in the beginning of the novel and the rest takes her on a journey from childhood to adulthood. She experienced so much. Though she lost much, she also gained a lot. I liked her journey of growth but as a character, she didn't entirely appeal to me. Ziska/Frances is ornery, cantankerous and selfish at times. In other words- a teen with the added baggage of post traumatic stress. She's also burdened with worry about her best friend and how the parted and also how she parted from her mother. I certainly felt for her and wanted her to find a way to be adjusted and happy in her own skin. One thing I didn't like about her was how she had crushes and had played spin the bottle already at 10! She seemed much older than that even before she was labeled Jewish and experienced all she did. I really liked her relationship with Amanda. It was beautiful the way it blossomed. That wasn't expected. I disliked how Frances reacted when Amanda tells her something important at the end. I wanted someone to say to her "You're an adult now. This is what adults do." In the end she makes the right decisions but her experiences changed her and made her different from Jews who were left behind, even those who survived.
I loved Amanda and Matthew. I didn't expect such kindness. I liked how patient they were with "Frances" and how they helped her find her Jewish identity. They wanted children so desperately they were able to welcome a new child into their home and hearts. It wasn't easy to love Frances at first but the relationships slowly and subtly unfold. Amanda is a strong and amazing woman to do all she had done. Gary seemed a bit forced into the story. He was very eager to have a little sister which didn't seem realistic to me. What 17 year old boy wants a tween girl hanging around him? I did enjoy how they learned to communicate through the dictionary. I didn't buy Ziska's crush on him at all. As a brother, he was great. I felt for him all the things the family felt as the story went on.
Bekka, Ziska's best friend in Berlin is the kind of character I like. She's bold, daring, strong and brave. She gives Ziska courage and pushes Ziska. Their friendship was a bright spot in the darkness of the Holocaust. I kept reading to find out what happened to her. As Frances, in London, Ziska makes new friends, including Walter, an older boy from the Kindertransport. Walter is a little too proud at times, a little flat towards the end but in the middle, he's an interesting and fun character. I would have liked some of the story from his point-of-view. Frances's best friend "for the war" is Hazel, a Sikh girl. Like Frances/Ziska, she doesn't quite fit in. She's very kind but two dimensional. She falls victim to the rushed pace of the last half of the novel.
I can't say I ENJOYED this novel because of the subject matter, but the writing and plot gripped me enough to keep reading. I would recommend this to teens and adults with an interest in Holocaust fiction.
I could not put this book down. I've read many Holocaust novels but wondered how being raised Protestant would affect the Mangolds and whether it would save them. I was in tears at the end when characters recite the names of those who died in the Holocaust. Obviously there are many. This book doesn't shy away from the horrific events of the 1930s and 40s. Ziska's story hit close to home in many ways. My grandfather was of German and Jewish heritage. Though his mother converted and he was baptised Protestant, he would have been considered Jewish in Hitler's eyes. Fortunately, he was born and raised in the United States but I'm sure his mother and grandparents were aware of what was happening back in Europe. Like Ziska I lived in Finchley in London. I can picture the Shepard family's home and Ziska's tube station! I also traveled to Tottenham Court Road. I stayed with a Jewish host family. My host mother's mother was a Holocaust survivor. The story made me think of Syrian refugees and my country's response. I learned a few things from this novel that I hadn't read in any other Holocaust novel so I liked how the author was able to make her story unique. The period details were all excellent and I certainly felt I was transported to 1930s/40s Berlin and London. I also liked all the details about Orthodox Jewish life.
Ziska's story focuses more on her personal journey and questions of identity. I found it terrible that the refugee association and other officials never took into account the trauma the children had already suffered. Ziska has an identity crisis in the beginning of the novel and the rest takes her on a journey from childhood to adulthood. She experienced so much. Though she lost much, she also gained a lot. I liked her journey of growth but as a character, she didn't entirely appeal to me. Ziska/Frances is ornery, cantankerous and selfish at times. In other words- a teen with the added baggage of post traumatic stress. She's also burdened with worry about her best friend and how the parted and also how she parted from her mother. I certainly felt for her and wanted her to find a way to be adjusted and happy in her own skin. One thing I didn't like about her was how she had crushes and had played spin the bottle already at 10! She seemed much older than that even before she was labeled Jewish and experienced all she did. I really liked her relationship with Amanda. It was beautiful the way it blossomed. That wasn't expected. I disliked how Frances reacted when Amanda tells her something important at the end. I wanted someone to say to her "You're an adult now. This is what adults do." In the end she makes the right decisions but her experiences changed her and made her different from Jews who were left behind, even those who survived.
I loved Amanda and Matthew. I didn't expect such kindness. I liked how patient they were with "Frances" and how they helped her find her Jewish identity. They wanted children so desperately they were able to welcome a new child into their home and hearts. It wasn't easy to love Frances at first but the relationships slowly and subtly unfold. Amanda is a strong and amazing woman to do all she had done. Gary seemed a bit forced into the story. He was very eager to have a little sister which didn't seem realistic to me. What 17 year old boy wants a tween girl hanging around him? I did enjoy how they learned to communicate through the dictionary. I didn't buy Ziska's crush on him at all. As a brother, he was great. I felt for him all the things the family felt as the story went on.
Bekka, Ziska's best friend in Berlin is the kind of character I like. She's bold, daring, strong and brave. She gives Ziska courage and pushes Ziska. Their friendship was a bright spot in the darkness of the Holocaust. I kept reading to find out what happened to her. As Frances, in London, Ziska makes new friends, including Walter, an older boy from the Kindertransport. Walter is a little too proud at times, a little flat towards the end but in the middle, he's an interesting and fun character. I would have liked some of the story from his point-of-view. Frances's best friend "for the war" is Hazel, a Sikh girl. Like Frances/Ziska, she doesn't quite fit in. She's very kind but two dimensional. She falls victim to the rushed pace of the last half of the novel.
I can't say I ENJOYED this novel because of the subject matter, but the writing and plot gripped me enough to keep reading. I would recommend this to teens and adults with an interest in Holocaust fiction.
August 28, 2024
If you know me, you know I love a good WW11 book. Like love. This met expectations. It was really good and sounded like a biography, although obviously it is historical fiction. It was also really sad, with All in all, it was very good and i 100 percent recommend.
March 7, 2012
For a short time between December 2,1938 and September 1, 1939, trainloads of Jewish children under the age of 17 were sent from Germany to Great Britain for safety. Altogether, almost 10,000 children and teens made the trip. My Family for the War is a novel about how the Kindertransport changed the life of one child.
Frnaziska Mangold,10, thought of herself as a Protestant girl living a comfortable life in Berlin. Her family, originally Jewish, had converted generations ago, and though she considered herself to be Christian, now the Nazis don’t. Marked as a Jew, life has become precarious for her and her best friend Bekka Liebich. They have even mapped out as many hiding places as they could find in their Berlin neighborhood, just in case they needed to escape from some Nazi bullies.
When a sponsorship to come to America fell through for the Liebich family, Bekka is registered for the Kindertransport, and at the last minute, so is Ziska. But only Ziska is chosen. Just before she leaves for Britain, her mother gives her the cross she had received years ago at her confirmation to remember her by. Ziska promises never to take it off until they are together again.
It takes a while in Britain before Ziska finally finds a place in a family. The Shepards, Matthew, Amanda and the teenage son Gary are orthodox Jews, so when Amanda sees Ziska’s cross, she doesn’t really want her to stay with them. But it is Gary who decides he wants her as a sister, and Anglicizes her name to Frances.
Life eventually settles down for Frances, and becomes even better as she begins to learn English. But it is not without its troubles, too. First, Frances has to contend with the guilt she feels about being chosen to go to Britain and leaving Bekka behind.
Later, remembering her promise to try to find a way to get her family sponsored to come to England, Frances starts sneaking off to the Cafe Vienna, a expat hangout for Germans and Austrians. She never finds help there, but she does meet Professor Schueler, who becomes a good friend to her. Frances had been told about the Cafe Vienna while crossing the English Channel to Britain by a boy named Walter Glücklich, who, with his father, also becomes good friends.
As the war begins in earnest, and things go from bad to worse, Ziska must struggle to grow up and survive the war at the same time. An the surrogate family she has surrounded herself with as the war intensifies help her do this?
For the most part, I found My Family for the War to be a very interesting novel, though I had a few problems with it. There is a long bit about Ziska mistaking the Mezuzah hanging on the door frames in the Shepard house for the mailbox, which seemed somewhat forced to me, given that a Mezuzah is only about 2 inches long as a rule. I was also disturbed by a feeling that Ziska’s real family receded into the background too quickly, and too easily replaced by the Shepards.
On the other hand, this novel is a real coming of age story, showing Ziska/Frances‘ transition from childhood to young adulthood, but it is more than that. Condemned for being a Jew in Germany, she discovers this part of herself living with the Shepards, proudly learning what being a Jew really is about.
To her credit, however, Voorhoeve has provided the reader with a perspective of the Kindertransport program that is rarely written about for young readers. Though not everything is easy for Ziska/Frances from the beginning, the point is made that she has a better life with her foster family than many of the other Kindertransport children have, case in point is her friend Walter Glücklich.
This book is recommended for readers age 12 and up.
This book is an ARC received from the publisher
Frnaziska Mangold,10, thought of herself as a Protestant girl living a comfortable life in Berlin. Her family, originally Jewish, had converted generations ago, and though she considered herself to be Christian, now the Nazis don’t. Marked as a Jew, life has become precarious for her and her best friend Bekka Liebich. They have even mapped out as many hiding places as they could find in their Berlin neighborhood, just in case they needed to escape from some Nazi bullies.
When a sponsorship to come to America fell through for the Liebich family, Bekka is registered for the Kindertransport, and at the last minute, so is Ziska. But only Ziska is chosen. Just before she leaves for Britain, her mother gives her the cross she had received years ago at her confirmation to remember her by. Ziska promises never to take it off until they are together again.
It takes a while in Britain before Ziska finally finds a place in a family. The Shepards, Matthew, Amanda and the teenage son Gary are orthodox Jews, so when Amanda sees Ziska’s cross, she doesn’t really want her to stay with them. But it is Gary who decides he wants her as a sister, and Anglicizes her name to Frances.
Life eventually settles down for Frances, and becomes even better as she begins to learn English. But it is not without its troubles, too. First, Frances has to contend with the guilt she feels about being chosen to go to Britain and leaving Bekka behind.
Later, remembering her promise to try to find a way to get her family sponsored to come to England, Frances starts sneaking off to the Cafe Vienna, a expat hangout for Germans and Austrians. She never finds help there, but she does meet Professor Schueler, who becomes a good friend to her. Frances had been told about the Cafe Vienna while crossing the English Channel to Britain by a boy named Walter Glücklich, who, with his father, also becomes good friends.
As the war begins in earnest, and things go from bad to worse, Ziska must struggle to grow up and survive the war at the same time. An the surrogate family she has surrounded herself with as the war intensifies help her do this?
For the most part, I found My Family for the War to be a very interesting novel, though I had a few problems with it. There is a long bit about Ziska mistaking the Mezuzah hanging on the door frames in the Shepard house for the mailbox, which seemed somewhat forced to me, given that a Mezuzah is only about 2 inches long as a rule. I was also disturbed by a feeling that Ziska’s real family receded into the background too quickly, and too easily replaced by the Shepards.
On the other hand, this novel is a real coming of age story, showing Ziska/Frances‘ transition from childhood to young adulthood, but it is more than that. Condemned for being a Jew in Germany, she discovers this part of herself living with the Shepards, proudly learning what being a Jew really is about.
To her credit, however, Voorhoeve has provided the reader with a perspective of the Kindertransport program that is rarely written about for young readers. Though not everything is easy for Ziska/Frances from the beginning, the point is made that she has a better life with her foster family than many of the other Kindertransport children have, case in point is her friend Walter Glücklich.
This book is recommended for readers age 12 and up.
This book is an ARC received from the publisher
May 25, 2020
It is currently almost 1:00 a.m. right now, but whatever. I stayed up all night to finish this book. I was expecting a little more from this book, I must say. Although the book did get better towards the end, I was a little let down. I didn't like the character of Ziska at all. The deaths made me cry. Overall, My Family for the War is a great edition to the WWII book selection. I am really tired, so I'm not going to do a basic summary of the book. So, goodnight!!!!
July 29, 2012
I absolutely loved this one, perhaps because I am so fascinated with portrayals of religious groups that aren’t frequently portrayed in American children’s literature. The contrasts between being ethnically Jewish, culturally Jewish, and religiously Jewish even span the portrayals of four different Jewish families in two different countries. This does an excellent job of showing a wide variety of different ways of being, even within one religious/ethnic group. The story itself is great as well- it feels real and emotional without becoming overwhelming, at least for this reader. I liked the depiction of Frances’s post-traumatic stress disorder as well as her humanness- She certainly doesn’t emerge from the war unscathed either in mind or body. She actually was a rather likeable, spunky and not-always-good protagonist. In many ways, I felt like the story as a whole was rather sharp and pointy in a way that I doubt an American author would feel comfortable writing about either Germany or Britain. I do wish that the book had physically been broken up into several volumes as indicated by the different “books.” It just felt like it might be too much for a child to read at once and I’d hate for someone to be turned off this wonderful story based on the size of the book.
July 24, 2015
Das hatte ich auch lange nicht mehr. Ich hab mich den kompletten Tag vom Leben abgemeldet und das Buch außer für die kurze Dauer der Nahrungsaufnahme nicht zugeklappt.
February 3, 2020
I located this book using the Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature (DAWCL.com).
It was the winner of the Buxtehuder Bulle in 2007 and the Mildred L. Batchelder medal for most outstanding children's book in translation in 2013. It was originally published in Germany. I read this book in a non-digital format.
Franziska Mangold goes through some trying times during the year 1938 where World War II breaks out in her hometown of Germany. Her friends go through turmoil as they are Jewish and so does her family as her family has ties to ancestors of Jewish lineage. Escape is the talk amongst her inner circle, but time is running out. With an event that stops her family's escape, her family decides to have Franziska board the kindertransport, the train that secretly transports thousands of children to safety in England. She is taken in by strangers who become like her own family. In England she has to learn a whole new life for herself with her new family. A thrilling and moving story about one’s journey through the havoc of war and the resistance of a culture and race.
This book is historical fiction, in a chapter book format, and I would recommend this book for reader’s 12 years and up. It is a great introduction to World War II, shows the injustices that occurred, and Orthodox customs. The themes include finding oneself and family.
It was the winner of the Buxtehuder Bulle in 2007 and the Mildred L. Batchelder medal for most outstanding children's book in translation in 2013. It was originally published in Germany. I read this book in a non-digital format.
Franziska Mangold goes through some trying times during the year 1938 where World War II breaks out in her hometown of Germany. Her friends go through turmoil as they are Jewish and so does her family as her family has ties to ancestors of Jewish lineage. Escape is the talk amongst her inner circle, but time is running out. With an event that stops her family's escape, her family decides to have Franziska board the kindertransport, the train that secretly transports thousands of children to safety in England. She is taken in by strangers who become like her own family. In England she has to learn a whole new life for herself with her new family. A thrilling and moving story about one’s journey through the havoc of war and the resistance of a culture and race.
This book is historical fiction, in a chapter book format, and I would recommend this book for reader’s 12 years and up. It is a great introduction to World War II, shows the injustices that occurred, and Orthodox customs. The themes include finding oneself and family.
March 27, 2012
Originally published at www.apatchworkofbooks.com
When WWII begins, 10-year-old Franziska's family is terrified for their safety. Choosing to be separated while awaiting passage out of Nazi Germany for their entire family, they place Franziska on the kindertransport, a train taking Jewish children to Britain to stay with foster families until Germany becomes safe again. She doesn't understand why she has to go, since her family doesn't even practice Judaism and she wears a cross around her neck!
Taken in by an Orthodox family that, over the years of the war, becomes closer to Franziska than her actual relatives, she is not only faced with confusion and heartache over being separated from her parents, but she's also forced to deal with the concept of religion and what it really means to be Jewish and Christian.
I was super impressed with Anne Voorhoeve's book. I had picked it up a couple of times and read the first few pages, not necessarily being drawn into the story right away, but once it got going, I was completely hooked. The kindertransport was something I had heard of, but never really read about, and it was just an amazing learning experience for me, not to mention an emotional roller coaster.
I felt for Franziska's parents having to make the decision to save their child by sending her away and the absolute devastation and feeling of abandonment felt by the main character. Even, years later, after hearing the stories of what she had been spared, she still just didn't quite understand how her parents could send choose to send her to live with strangers.
I think this was a completely realistic portrayal of what it meant to be a Jewish, German child being sent out of the country during WWII. I believed her story and I can imagine there are so many other stories almost just like this one out there. The story felt like it was being written from a child's perspective and then from a teen's perspective as Franziska grew, both physically and emotionally. The religious aspects were perfect and I could feel her indecisiveness throughout the story in regards to those elements.
It's hard to say I loved a book on such a tough subject, but I definitely did. Even with the young protagonist, I would probably be more apt to give this to kids 14 and up, only because of the heavier subject matter. It may go over the heads of anyone much younger.
When WWII begins, 10-year-old Franziska's family is terrified for their safety. Choosing to be separated while awaiting passage out of Nazi Germany for their entire family, they place Franziska on the kindertransport, a train taking Jewish children to Britain to stay with foster families until Germany becomes safe again. She doesn't understand why she has to go, since her family doesn't even practice Judaism and she wears a cross around her neck!
Taken in by an Orthodox family that, over the years of the war, becomes closer to Franziska than her actual relatives, she is not only faced with confusion and heartache over being separated from her parents, but she's also forced to deal with the concept of religion and what it really means to be Jewish and Christian.
I was super impressed with Anne Voorhoeve's book. I had picked it up a couple of times and read the first few pages, not necessarily being drawn into the story right away, but once it got going, I was completely hooked. The kindertransport was something I had heard of, but never really read about, and it was just an amazing learning experience for me, not to mention an emotional roller coaster.
I felt for Franziska's parents having to make the decision to save their child by sending her away and the absolute devastation and feeling of abandonment felt by the main character. Even, years later, after hearing the stories of what she had been spared, she still just didn't quite understand how her parents could send choose to send her to live with strangers.
I think this was a completely realistic portrayal of what it meant to be a Jewish, German child being sent out of the country during WWII. I believed her story and I can imagine there are so many other stories almost just like this one out there. The story felt like it was being written from a child's perspective and then from a teen's perspective as Franziska grew, both physically and emotionally. The religious aspects were perfect and I could feel her indecisiveness throughout the story in regards to those elements.
It's hard to say I loved a book on such a tough subject, but I definitely did. Even with the young protagonist, I would probably be more apt to give this to kids 14 and up, only because of the heavier subject matter. It may go over the heads of anyone much younger.
September 5, 2023
This book was on my TBR list for years and I don't even know where I first saw it. For some reason, I thought it wouldn't be that interesting, but since it was on my TBR list for so long, I wanted to read it. It surpassed my expectations! This was definitely worth a read!
April 13, 2013
The winner of the Mildred Batchelder Award, given to the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States. The book tells the story of 11-year-old Ziska whose family has been Protestant for generations but because of her Jewish heritage (which she is mostly unaware of) must flee Nazi Germany via one of the secret trains called kindertransports. When she joins an Orthodox Jewish household in London, she gains a new family for the war and a appreciation of Jewish tradition. My Family for the War is an outstanding book about terrible choices. It is a story of hope, humor, endurance and even romance.
Ziska is a difficult child, and not always likable. She is headstrong and makes stupid choices like a real kid. It's funny how she exclaims, "Jesus!" all the time, to the consternation of Christians and Jews alike.
I admit that I was unfairly suspicious of a German writer expressing the feelings of a Jewish girl in World War II. But putting one's self in another's position is a great way to sympathize and forgive (even oneself), if not forget. One aspect of the book stuck in my craw. The grandmother in Ziska's family for the war refuses to associate with the child because she is not Orthodox. Of course, prejudices of all kinds exist. But I can't believe an older Jewish woman would treat a child who has left her family behind and barely escaped the Nazi's death grasp this way. I don't think it's an appropriate moment to introduce the subject of 'reverse' prejudice.
Best of all, the book couldn't have been written by an American. The sensibility and even writing (though in translation) is quite different from what our young readers have come to expect. That's what makes the Batchelder winners so much fun, as well as a meaningful form of cultural exchange.
Ziska is a difficult child, and not always likable. She is headstrong and makes stupid choices like a real kid. It's funny how she exclaims, "Jesus!" all the time, to the consternation of Christians and Jews alike.
I admit that I was unfairly suspicious of a German writer expressing the feelings of a Jewish girl in World War II. But putting one's self in another's position is a great way to sympathize and forgive (even oneself), if not forget. One aspect of the book stuck in my craw. The grandmother in Ziska's family for the war refuses to associate with the child because she is not Orthodox. Of course, prejudices of all kinds exist. But I can't believe an older Jewish woman would treat a child who has left her family behind and barely escaped the Nazi's death grasp this way. I don't think it's an appropriate moment to introduce the subject of 'reverse' prejudice.
Best of all, the book couldn't have been written by an American. The sensibility and even writing (though in translation) is quite different from what our young readers have come to expect. That's what makes the Batchelder winners so much fun, as well as a meaningful form of cultural exchange.
March 18, 2012
During the midst of the Nazi initial persecution of the Jews, but before travel was prohibited, Jewish children were sent from Germany to England on a Kindertransport. Using this as her backdrop, Anne Voorhoeve puts Franziska a young German in the midst of this turmoil. Unlike other refugees, Frances (as she is known in England) is a Protestant. Her grandparents converted and so she doesn't consider herself Jewish. Not knowing the traditions and beliefs of the religion makes the experience even harder for her as she is for the first time living in a Jewish community in a foreign country where she doesn't know the language.
The depths to this story are truly amazing and unusual even for this topic. Frances feels abandoned and misunderstood by her mother. Her persecution in Germany has scarred her, making it difficult to relate and develop healthy relationships. Voorhoeve deftly weaves the complexities of Frances situation, relationships, and events of the time together in an accessible book for young teens. I highly recommend it to anyone 7th grade and up. Voorhoeve is German and this book is a translation. Usually I avoid German translations because the writing in English is so poor. Not so for this one - I couldn't tell. However Voorhoeve brings a sympathy and sensibility to the book that is authentic and profound that is often missing in the literature.
The depths to this story are truly amazing and unusual even for this topic. Frances feels abandoned and misunderstood by her mother. Her persecution in Germany has scarred her, making it difficult to relate and develop healthy relationships. Voorhoeve deftly weaves the complexities of Frances situation, relationships, and events of the time together in an accessible book for young teens. I highly recommend it to anyone 7th grade and up. Voorhoeve is German and this book is a translation. Usually I avoid German translations because the writing in English is so poor. Not so for this one - I couldn't tell. However Voorhoeve brings a sympathy and sensibility to the book that is authentic and profound that is often missing in the literature.
February 11, 2015
An amazing tale of love, hope, survival, perseverance, devastation and loss. 'My Family for the War', set in Europe during WWII, shows yet another side to the many stories of Jewish persecution and turmoil. Franziska(or Ziska or Frances) is a young girl of Jewish descent who leaves Nazi Germany via kindertransport and travels to London where she anxiously awaits a foster family to take her in. To her surprise and by mere accident Ziska 'runs into' an amazing Jewish family who opens their home and their hearts to her. Though she experiences many trials, Ziska(Frances) continues to press onward and flourishes in ways most young girls her age never even got the chance to.
I would recommend this book to young girls, ages 12 and up. Even though war is mentioned and young men are visibly present, I feel this book was written for girls who are strong in character yet soft at heart. As a teaching tool, this is an excellent Historical Fiction novel to use when teaching WWII and the Holocaust. The events contained within this book show another side to what was happening during this time period and offer more insight into who all was involved so that peace could become a reality.
I would recommend this book to young girls, ages 12 and up. Even though war is mentioned and young men are visibly present, I feel this book was written for girls who are strong in character yet soft at heart. As a teaching tool, this is an excellent Historical Fiction novel to use when teaching WWII and the Holocaust. The events contained within this book show another side to what was happening during this time period and offer more insight into who all was involved so that peace could become a reality.
May 2, 2015
This was an incredible story about family, friendship, and courage. A young girl named Ziska must be separated from her parents during the onset of World War II and the Holocaust. Her friends are taken from her and she is turned on at school by her peers because she is Jewish. Her best friend, Bekka, and herself came up with a survival plan in case anything were to happen to them. This plan came in handy when her apartment was raided. Ziska's father is taken to a concentration camp by the Nazis and it is up to Ziska to take the kindertransport to England to obtain Visas for her parents to come and work. This story is nothing short of triumphant with Ziska's courage and love for her family. Also, Ziska is able to learn about herself and her culture from her new families. This book is an excellent read for students 12 and above to supplement learning about World War II and the Holocaust. I highly recommend it!
February 23, 2015
I don't read a lot of historical fiction. I have no idea why, but whenever I do, the book I read is always amazing. 'My Family for the War' was no exception. It documents part of the life of Franziska Mangold, who is put on a kindertransport to England in order to escape persecution in Germany, despite not being a Jew, only having Jewish ancestors. In England, Franziska changes her name to Frances, and meets many challenges while attempting to assimilate into British society. I honestly have no words except this book was amazing, and not only were the characters realistic, but they also had a certain quality that made them hard to forget. If you're a fan of 'The Book Thief' and looking for another WWII-era book about a German child, then this is the book for you.
July 16, 2013
Audience: Intermediate
Genre: Historical Fiction
Remembering:
Who is Franziska Mangold?
Understanding:
Why does Ziska, and the other children of the Kindertransport, go to England?
Applying: Like Ziska, have you ever felt like a bad friend even though the situation was completely out of your control?
Analyzing:
Compare/contrast the relationship Ziska had with Mamu and with her host-mother, Amanda.
Evaluating:
How would you have felt if you knew you had to leave your family in order to stay safe? Would you have wanted to go to stay safe or stay and be with your family and risk the unknown?
Creating:
Tell the story from Bekka's point of view.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Remembering:
Who is Franziska Mangold?
Understanding:
Why does Ziska, and the other children of the Kindertransport, go to England?
Applying: Like Ziska, have you ever felt like a bad friend even though the situation was completely out of your control?
Analyzing:
Compare/contrast the relationship Ziska had with Mamu and with her host-mother, Amanda.
Evaluating:
How would you have felt if you knew you had to leave your family in order to stay safe? Would you have wanted to go to stay safe or stay and be with your family and risk the unknown?
Creating:
Tell the story from Bekka's point of view.
July 14, 2013
Audience: Intermediate
Genre: Historical Fiction
Remembering: What is the program called that took Ziska to England?
Understanding: How would you compare Mamu and Amanda?
Applying: What would have happened if Bekka had made it to England to live with Ziska and the Shepards?
Analyzing: What conclusions can you draw about Hitler's views of the Jews?
Evaluating: Based on what you know, how would you explain the ceremony with the wreath in the epilogue?
Creating: How would you rewrite the scene between Ziska and Gary sitting behind the movie screen from Gary's point of view.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Remembering: What is the program called that took Ziska to England?
Understanding: How would you compare Mamu and Amanda?
Applying: What would have happened if Bekka had made it to England to live with Ziska and the Shepards?
Analyzing: What conclusions can you draw about Hitler's views of the Jews?
Evaluating: Based on what you know, how would you explain the ceremony with the wreath in the epilogue?
Creating: How would you rewrite the scene between Ziska and Gary sitting behind the movie screen from Gary's point of view.
January 23, 2015
this book was a great look at the holocaust from a very different angle. it was very well written
February 11, 2015
An historical young adult book describing the life of a teenage girl that was sent on a kindertransport from Germany to England during World War II. Loved it!
January 2, 2017
Spændende, rørende, velskrevet, trist, fin historisk roman. Svær at lægge fra mig!
May 2, 2019
Although Franziska (Ziska) is not Jewish, she has Jewish ancestors. Therefore, her family is at risk during the Nazi rule in their hometown of Berlin. To keep her daughter safe, Ziska’s mother sends Ziska away as a child refugee to England. In England, Ziska lives with an Orthodox Jewish family. She soon bonds with her new ‘brother’, ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’. Ziska adopts a new English name, Frances, and begins to assimilate to her new family’s way of life, including learning English and practicing Orthodox Jewish customs. Although Frances is safer in England than Germany, she is still living at the forefront of the war and faces many conflicts that challenge and ultimately shape her identity.
Anne Voorhoeve crafts an incredibly powerful page-turner. She touches on cultural themes such as the Jewish experience, survival, the Holocaust, immigration and assimilation. The characterization and character change is powerful and readers will become enthralled with Ziska’s journey. My Family for the War offers a child’s perspective from such a horrendous part of our world’s history. The book is better suited for older students (5-8). It would be a great supplement to a unit focusing on the Holocaust or a reading unit focusing on characterization and character change.
Anne Voorhoeve crafts an incredibly powerful page-turner. She touches on cultural themes such as the Jewish experience, survival, the Holocaust, immigration and assimilation. The characterization and character change is powerful and readers will become enthralled with Ziska’s journey. My Family for the War offers a child’s perspective from such a horrendous part of our world’s history. The book is better suited for older students (5-8). It would be a great supplement to a unit focusing on the Holocaust or a reading unit focusing on characterization and character change.
January 30, 2023
Recommended to me by my mom, I started reading the book and was immediately invested, as the author does an incredible job at detailing the story in such a way you are sucked into the book. My Family for the War has some very conflicting parts of the book that even I was confused about what Frances should do. These confusing parts also get pretty intense, as you see her gut instinct take over from years of Nazi treatment, flinching and running when a dear friend grabs her by the back. It makes you feel wrong about what is happening to her, and even worse thinking about how she escaped, while many others did not. The most touching part of the book is when she goes door to door asking for jobs for her parents, at first only having broken English to speak, and knowing that what she is doing probably will not work. This book is an incredible read, and I recommend it to war story lovers, and anyone looking for a book where everything seems to go wrong. I give this book five stars, it is written very well, and kept me entertained and worried about the tangible main character.
May 3, 2019
Ziska, a ten-year-old girl, lives in Berlin as Hitler and the Nazis are rising to power. Ziska's family follows Protestant religious practices, but somewhere in their religious history, their family practice Judaism, which made Ziska and her family very unpopular in her neighborhood. As Hitler gains more and more power, Ziska's Papa is taken from their home and placed in a concentration camp. Ziska is then sent to England on a Kindertransport to stay with a foster family. This new foster family is devout Jewish, and Ziska begins to practice the Jewish religion much more strictly and even begins to view herself as a Semi-Jewish person, even during a time when Hitler and the Nazis made being Jewish something horrible. Read as Ziska struggles through finding her identity, gaining acceptance by her foster family, forgiving her mother for sending her away, and overcoming the grief of loss.
December 18, 2018
This book was part of my assignment for A Long Walk to Water. When I first got this book, I thought that it would be boring and dull. However, as I continued reading, I realized that it was deep and filled with stories that I can make connection to a long walk to water. One of the connections is that both Ziska and Salva had to flee their home country due to excessive fighting in their area. They had to give up their family to go with people they don’t know in order to be safe and away from the fighting. Another connection is that when they fled their home country, they had to leave all their family and friends behind. They both ended up finding their family later on in the story.
November 14, 2018
Holocaust stories are endlessly compelling and varied - this one focuses on a kindertransport child who arrives in London just in time for the Blitz. Her gradual adaptation to a new family and the losses she suffers makes for a bittersweet novel of growing up and surviving.
March 20, 2021
Lesen! Auf jeden Fall lesen! Ich musste weinen. Es hat mich so mitgenommen.
Und es ist so wichtig, dass dieser Teil unserer Geschichte nicht vergesse wird.
Und es ist so wichtig, dass dieser Teil unserer Geschichte nicht vergesse wird.
August 3, 2022
the end repeats the beginning oh my GOSH I am DYING
sobbing. screeching. shaking. I love the name of this book. I Love Everything About This Book.
sobbing. screeching. shaking. I love the name of this book. I Love Everything About This Book.
January 8, 2025
Week 1:
I chose the book “My Family for the War” because I thought it would be very interesting and it would discuss important topics such as World War Two and the Holocaust. It was standing on the “War and Conflict” shelf in our school’s library, and I am fond of such themes in literature. It isn’t the first time I noticed this book, but I had never read it before. I felt like it was a good time to finally start reading it and decided to pick the book for my Independent Reading assignment.
On the cover of the book, there is a black and white picture of a little girl with a suitcase in her hand. It made me feel sad and compassionate towards the innocent child who had to face one of the most tragic conflicts in history and had to become a refugee at such a young age, all by herself. The information on the back helped me to gain a deeper understanding of what the book is about. It seemed like a very interesting and thoughtful work of literature by a modern author, Anne C. Voorhoeve. Thus, I decided to pick this book for my assignment.
I think that this book is at my reading level. It uses simple phrases and words, is written from the point of view of a little girl and is an appropriate choice for my knowledge of English. The more English books I read, the better I know the language; it is of a great importance to my speaking and writing skills to read English books. It is a fun and compelling way to learn languages and read more great books.
I hope to finish this book earlier than in twelve weeks because I like to read a lot and it is quite interesting. At first it was a bit boring to me, but, with pages, my interest in the story rises and it becomes more intriguing. I am also planning to read the book on my own during the weeks in between classes.
Week 2:
The main character of this story is Franziska Mangold, a Protestant Jewish girl from Germany, who is only ten years old in the beginning of the book. When World War II breaks out, the little girl and her family are persecuted for their Jewish ancestry. Franziska leaves Germany by Kindertransport with other persecuted children.
The main obstacle of the story is the Second World War, ruthlessly taking the lives of at least six million Jews. As the war advances throughout Europe, everyone is affected, even little kids. Franziska’s life turns upside down when she is offered a spot on a kindertransport, instead of her friend Bekka. She understands that she possibly took her friend’s spot and feels a lot of survivor’s guilt. Ziska makes a decision to go, a decision we have not a right to judge, for we have not been through what she has been through and can not fully comprehend the realities of war.
The story takes place in Germany, later splitting in two and moving to London, where Franziska arrives on the kindertransport and finds her foster parents, and to the Netherlands, to where her Mom and Dad are evacuated from Germany. The reason for these locations is obvious – World War Two is about to break out and Europe is the conflict’s epicenter. The time period of the story is from the late 1930s all the way until 1945.
Week 3:
I think that, by the end of this book, Franziska would learn a lot of new life skills and become very mature and strong, as it, sadly, often happens to children in times of war. We also know that she will become older, because the time period of the book is quite long. She, at a young age, had to face a lot of struggles like war, loneliness, being far from her parents, death of her father and even unrequited love, which will probably lead to a great character development seen in her.
The story takes place in Europe during the 1930s and the 1940s. We all know about how horrible this time was, especially for the countries actively involved in the war, for example England, Germany, Poland and the USSR. In the story, the main character is evacuated from Germany to England on one of the kindertransports. By the knowledge of history, we understand how tragic the outcome has a high chance of being.
I think that the author wrote this book for educational purposes. There are many people nowadays that deny the fact of Holocaust happening, which is extremely disheartening and disrespectful. But, unlike from a textbook, from this book we do not only learn the plain, soulless facts, but actually get to read about the events described in the 1st person, told from the perspective of a little Jewish girl.
Week 4:
When I read about the air raids, it reminded me of all the people in my country who have to live (“survive” would probably be a better word) through the air raids in their homes, sometimes not even being able to get to a shelter on time. I feel extremely sorry for my brothers and sisters who are not like me, a person was able to immigrate, and aren’t able to live without the constant possibility of death at any moment.
I find my book especially relatable to the current situation in our world because it is about the Second World War. Even though what we are going through today isn’t exactly a world war, I think it is quite close to becoming one. There are wars all over the globe and it isn't getting better. I don't think we are any close to a complete peace, and it doesn't seem to me that we will ever be, until the End Time. There is a war going on in my Motherland too.
Franziska Mangold is, like me, a refugee since a young age. I am, however, lucky that, when I was leaving my country, my parents were able to leave with me. During the Second World War, things were very often extremely different for refugee children. They had to escape their countries on a kindertransport all alone and were under a constant pressure to find work for their parents in a foreign country and help them to immigrate.
In some ways, I can relate to the problem the main character faces. Franziska is not wanted in her country because she is Jewish, and is forced to run to England. There, however, instead of the expected peace, love and acceptance of her nationality, she quite often finds hatred for an entirely new reason – she is from Germany and speaks German, therefore, an enemy. In Germany, she is bullied for being Jewish; in England, with her Orthodox Jewish foster parents, she has to hide her Cross from the grandmother. The story is a tragedy of a little girl in a midst of two identities, belonging to both; she feels too Jewish to be a German and too German to be a Jew.
This story kind of reminded me of me having Russian as my mother tongue in a Ukrainian school and being a Ukrainian in a Russian school. But, unlike the main character, I was never bullied for speaking Russian in a Ukrainian school and managed, with the help of God and others, to learn Ukrainian quite quickly. Therefore, I don't dare comparing my tiny, microscopic, in the comparison, struggles, to what the Jewish people had to face during the Holocaust, and even now am feeling guilty for doing that in my response.
Week 5:
There are some characters that were not explicitly mentioned, but the very existence of the main character, Franziska Mangold, proves the fact of their existence. I’m talking about the grandparents of Ziska. It would be very interesting and valuable to learn who they were and how they were getting around, as Jews in the older times. Another interesting detail about them is that they are the generation that converted the family to Protestantism and influenced the religion of their descendants. We can know it from the book blurb on the back; there, it states that “Franziska Mangold has lived in Germany her whole life. For two generations her family has been Protestant”. I’m very curious about how it happened and what were the things that influenced their choice to leave Judaism and convert to Christianity.
I wonder how the story will end. When there is such a thing as war involved, all scenarios are possible. One of my predictions is that Ziska would come back home to her mother, who ran to the Netherlands. I am, however, concerned that there might be a plot twist and that she would not find her mother alive. Another prediction I have is that Ziska would meet Bekka, her best friend, again and they would probably stay friends their whole lives. My predictions are based on the fact that the book is composed of three parts, and the third part is called “Returning Home”.
While reading this book, I felt all sorts of different emotions. I felt very compassionate and extremely sorry for the little Franziska who had to leave everything behind in order to save her family and went to England alone on a Kindertransport. I felt angry towards the Stones family who treated the poor child very badly and were not nice to her at all, but, at the same time, they accepted her into their family for some time as a refugee, which, in my opinion, deserves respect. The main thing I’ve felt was gratitude for the fact that, even though I’ve also had to leave my country, at least both my parents are with me in Canada.
Week 6:
In chapter 17, on pages 284-285 of the book, there is a truly heartbreaking scene. After hiding in the London subway during an air raid, Franziska and her foster mother, Amanda, go home by taking one of the trains. As the subway rolled out of the tunnel onto the tracks above ground, they pressed their faces against the glass, horrified. A description of what they saw has a lot of vivid images that, as you read them, make you feel like you are right there, seeing it together with the characters.
“There was only one fire: a thin, black trail of smoke, a shattered roof outlined against flickering orange light. The house stood right alongside the tracks, and as we approached I watched pointed tongues of flame leaping out of the upper story. Behind broken windowpanes, a glowing chandelier swayed gently.”
By describing this in such detail, the author is trying to make the reader feel present where the scene is placed, face it together with Ziska and even, to some degree, feel what she felt. Through reading this, you somehow travel in time and space and absorb the information like if you’ve survived it yourself. Of the five senses, the imagery used mostly appeals to vision. Images such as “a thin, black trail of smoke”, “pointed tongues of flame”, “flickering orange light” talk about colors and shapes to represent the subjects better. “A shattered roof” and “broken windowpanes” evoke a sense of anxiety in the reader and establish a feeling of sorrow. Finally, the use of “a glowing chandelier”, a subject of warm light, dinners with family and a cozy living room, in my opinion, clashes the two worlds: a world of war, destruction and madness, and the world of regular, everyday life, showing us how, during World War II, they existed side by side, constantly switching, replacing each other back and forth every day.
Another scene worth mentioning is the bombing of London on page 282. It uses vivid imagery in order to shock the reader and show how terrifying war is, especially from the perspective of a little girl.
“The bombs fell without a sound. There was just the muted rumbling of distant destruction, the cracking and quaking of hits right near us – and the fearful cries of fleeing people. I held tight of Amanda’s hand, entirely focused on not letting go of her as we were pulled along with the pack. A penetrating stench fell over us and left a disgusting taste of fire and gunpowder in our mouths.”
Unlike the other scene, here the main senses targeted are hearing, smell and taste. Phrases such as “the muted rumbling”, “the cracking and quaking of hits right near us” and “the fearful cries of fleeting people” create a sense of great terror and enable you to hear them and almost witness the scene together with Ziska and Amanda. Later, “a penetrating stench” and “a disgusting taste of fire and gunpowder” literally make you feel like you can smell and taste it. Even as I was writing this, inside my mouth, it seemed as if I tasted the bitter, sickening taste of gunpowder.
The author’s goal in using this technique, in my opinion, was to make the reader feel as if being present during the bombing and to show us all the terror and dread of surviving the war as a little Jewish child.
Week 7:
Chapter 19: Lost
Summary
The chapter begins with a terrifying and unexpected plot twist that no reader could have expected based on reading previous chapters. The author uses past tense in order to shock the reader and make the awful event even scarier. The opening line reads: “On the day Gary’s ship went down…”, and proceeds with a series of normal, daily things, such as reading a book aloud in school, washing dishes, wanting to visit a friend. All those plans of the characters, however, turned out to be in vain, since Ziska’s brother, Midshipman Gary Shepard, “has been reported as missing since the demise of the HMS Princess of Malta on the 7th of August 1942 off the Portuguese Azores”.
A boy in a uniform, one of those many young boys who deliver telegrams, came to the Shepards’ house. Right after receiving the telegram, Amanda, Gary’s mother, was sitting on the stairs in the hall and staring at the thin piece of paper. She seems strangely calm and distant, unable even to cry, a perfect illustration of the first stage of grief: shock. Ziska forces Amanda to lie down for just a few minutes and, holding her feeble hand, leads her up the stairs to the bedroom. As Ziska shares, this was not the first time in her life when she had to be stronger than the person who gave her strength and security: the other time was when her father was arrested and put in a concentration camp.
Mrs. Beaver, the neighbour of the Shepards, came to their house and offered help. She was the one to call Matthew, Gary’s father and Amanda’s wife, who came home “silent, pale, and resolute, and closed the bedroom door firmly” behind himself and Amanda. In the evening, he finally emerged from the bedroom, eyes red from crying. As it turned out in a few minutes, a decision was made for Ziska to spend a few days in her best friend’s house. The family of Hazel, her best friend, greeted her warmly and prepared her a room to sleep in. Ziska couldn’t sleep because of a creeping sense of being sent away, a sense she knew all too well ever since the day her mother sent her away on the kindertransport.
Later, a shiva was held, where Ziska was deeply moved by the fact that she was one of the mourners; thus, a part of the Shepard family. Her foster mother, Amanda, with a “vacant, withdrawn expression” in her eyes, took the material in both hands, and in one quick motion tore it, according to a Jewish ritual of burial. Ziska saw a wave of pain wash over the poor woman’s tired, grieving face, as the sound of the torn cloth magnified a thousand times in her ears, ears of someone who had to bury their child.
After that, Ziska wrote a letter to her friend Walter. In it, she told him how she would love him to be here now. She shares how Matthew “can’t stop crying after the visitors leave at night”, and how “nothing seems to reach” Amanda anymore. She has bottled up her anger and, as Matthew told Ziska, can not even pray right now. Ziska’s feelings grow more and more complex, as she confesses that she misses Amanda even more than she misses Gary. The young girl is struggling to understand why God lets bad things happen.
The night after the shiva, Ziska woke up to screams in the middle of the night. Looking out of the window, she sees Amanda outside in the garden. She trampled and tore down the chicken fence in a soaking wet nightgown. She was yelling with a broken voice, angry at God. She was convinced that Gary’s death was God’s punishment for her for disobeying a Jewish Law in order to conceive her son, but she screamed at the Heavens that she does not regret anything. Then, all of a sudden, she fell on her knees and started to cry loudly. Matthew put an arm around her and led her into the house.
After leading his wife into the house, Matthew noticed Ziska in the garden. There, she said to her foster father very wise words: “It isn’t God, Matthew. The destruction, losing Gary. It’s humans alone that have the power to destroy. I don’t know why God didn’t plan it differently, but that’s the way it is.”
In the morning, Ziska went to the garden and got to work. She “rolled up the chicken wire, stacked up the rest of the posts, and gathered the unripe potatoes that were lying around,” throwing them in a bucket to plant again later. Her friend Hazel visited her in the garden and helped with cleaning up. As soon as they were done, the girls went into the house and Hazel ran to hug Amada, who, strangely, seemed completely normal again. Despite Amanda’s invitation, Hazel decided not to stay for lunch, willing to give Ziska and Amanda some time and space alone.
During lunch, after an awkward moment of silence, Amanda said a short blessing. She seemed to be in a better state and mood and even was joking sometimes. Ziska said next to her, hugged her and so they sat, holding each other without saying anything or crying. A little later, she asked Ziska if she had seen the obituary in the newspaper yesterday. Silently, she put the page in front of her. It read: Midshipman Gary Aaron Shepard
HMS Princess of Malta
12 June 1920 – 7 August 1942
Beloved son of Matthew G. Shepard
and Amanda, nee O’Leary, brother
and best friend of Frances.
Lost at sea.
I chose the book “My Family for the War” because I thought it would be very interesting and it would discuss important topics such as World War Two and the Holocaust. It was standing on the “War and Conflict” shelf in our school’s library, and I am fond of such themes in literature. It isn’t the first time I noticed this book, but I had never read it before. I felt like it was a good time to finally start reading it and decided to pick the book for my Independent Reading assignment.
On the cover of the book, there is a black and white picture of a little girl with a suitcase in her hand. It made me feel sad and compassionate towards the innocent child who had to face one of the most tragic conflicts in history and had to become a refugee at such a young age, all by herself. The information on the back helped me to gain a deeper understanding of what the book is about. It seemed like a very interesting and thoughtful work of literature by a modern author, Anne C. Voorhoeve. Thus, I decided to pick this book for my assignment.
I think that this book is at my reading level. It uses simple phrases and words, is written from the point of view of a little girl and is an appropriate choice for my knowledge of English. The more English books I read, the better I know the language; it is of a great importance to my speaking and writing skills to read English books. It is a fun and compelling way to learn languages and read more great books.
I hope to finish this book earlier than in twelve weeks because I like to read a lot and it is quite interesting. At first it was a bit boring to me, but, with pages, my interest in the story rises and it becomes more intriguing. I am also planning to read the book on my own during the weeks in between classes.
Week 2:
The main character of this story is Franziska Mangold, a Protestant Jewish girl from Germany, who is only ten years old in the beginning of the book. When World War II breaks out, the little girl and her family are persecuted for their Jewish ancestry. Franziska leaves Germany by Kindertransport with other persecuted children.
The main obstacle of the story is the Second World War, ruthlessly taking the lives of at least six million Jews. As the war advances throughout Europe, everyone is affected, even little kids. Franziska’s life turns upside down when she is offered a spot on a kindertransport, instead of her friend Bekka. She understands that she possibly took her friend’s spot and feels a lot of survivor’s guilt. Ziska makes a decision to go, a decision we have not a right to judge, for we have not been through what she has been through and can not fully comprehend the realities of war.
The story takes place in Germany, later splitting in two and moving to London, where Franziska arrives on the kindertransport and finds her foster parents, and to the Netherlands, to where her Mom and Dad are evacuated from Germany. The reason for these locations is obvious – World War Two is about to break out and Europe is the conflict’s epicenter. The time period of the story is from the late 1930s all the way until 1945.
Week 3:
I think that, by the end of this book, Franziska would learn a lot of new life skills and become very mature and strong, as it, sadly, often happens to children in times of war. We also know that she will become older, because the time period of the book is quite long. She, at a young age, had to face a lot of struggles like war, loneliness, being far from her parents, death of her father and even unrequited love, which will probably lead to a great character development seen in her.
The story takes place in Europe during the 1930s and the 1940s. We all know about how horrible this time was, especially for the countries actively involved in the war, for example England, Germany, Poland and the USSR. In the story, the main character is evacuated from Germany to England on one of the kindertransports. By the knowledge of history, we understand how tragic the outcome has a high chance of being.
I think that the author wrote this book for educational purposes. There are many people nowadays that deny the fact of Holocaust happening, which is extremely disheartening and disrespectful. But, unlike from a textbook, from this book we do not only learn the plain, soulless facts, but actually get to read about the events described in the 1st person, told from the perspective of a little Jewish girl.
Week 4:
When I read about the air raids, it reminded me of all the people in my country who have to live (“survive” would probably be a better word) through the air raids in their homes, sometimes not even being able to get to a shelter on time. I feel extremely sorry for my brothers and sisters who are not like me, a person was able to immigrate, and aren’t able to live without the constant possibility of death at any moment.
I find my book especially relatable to the current situation in our world because it is about the Second World War. Even though what we are going through today isn’t exactly a world war, I think it is quite close to becoming one. There are wars all over the globe and it isn't getting better. I don't think we are any close to a complete peace, and it doesn't seem to me that we will ever be, until the End Time. There is a war going on in my Motherland too.
Franziska Mangold is, like me, a refugee since a young age. I am, however, lucky that, when I was leaving my country, my parents were able to leave with me. During the Second World War, things were very often extremely different for refugee children. They had to escape their countries on a kindertransport all alone and were under a constant pressure to find work for their parents in a foreign country and help them to immigrate.
In some ways, I can relate to the problem the main character faces. Franziska is not wanted in her country because she is Jewish, and is forced to run to England. There, however, instead of the expected peace, love and acceptance of her nationality, she quite often finds hatred for an entirely new reason – she is from Germany and speaks German, therefore, an enemy. In Germany, she is bullied for being Jewish; in England, with her Orthodox Jewish foster parents, she has to hide her Cross from the grandmother. The story is a tragedy of a little girl in a midst of two identities, belonging to both; she feels too Jewish to be a German and too German to be a Jew.
This story kind of reminded me of me having Russian as my mother tongue in a Ukrainian school and being a Ukrainian in a Russian school. But, unlike the main character, I was never bullied for speaking Russian in a Ukrainian school and managed, with the help of God and others, to learn Ukrainian quite quickly. Therefore, I don't dare comparing my tiny, microscopic, in the comparison, struggles, to what the Jewish people had to face during the Holocaust, and even now am feeling guilty for doing that in my response.
Week 5:
There are some characters that were not explicitly mentioned, but the very existence of the main character, Franziska Mangold, proves the fact of their existence. I’m talking about the grandparents of Ziska. It would be very interesting and valuable to learn who they were and how they were getting around, as Jews in the older times. Another interesting detail about them is that they are the generation that converted the family to Protestantism and influenced the religion of their descendants. We can know it from the book blurb on the back; there, it states that “Franziska Mangold has lived in Germany her whole life. For two generations her family has been Protestant”. I’m very curious about how it happened and what were the things that influenced their choice to leave Judaism and convert to Christianity.
I wonder how the story will end. When there is such a thing as war involved, all scenarios are possible. One of my predictions is that Ziska would come back home to her mother, who ran to the Netherlands. I am, however, concerned that there might be a plot twist and that she would not find her mother alive. Another prediction I have is that Ziska would meet Bekka, her best friend, again and they would probably stay friends their whole lives. My predictions are based on the fact that the book is composed of three parts, and the third part is called “Returning Home”.
While reading this book, I felt all sorts of different emotions. I felt very compassionate and extremely sorry for the little Franziska who had to leave everything behind in order to save her family and went to England alone on a Kindertransport. I felt angry towards the Stones family who treated the poor child very badly and were not nice to her at all, but, at the same time, they accepted her into their family for some time as a refugee, which, in my opinion, deserves respect. The main thing I’ve felt was gratitude for the fact that, even though I’ve also had to leave my country, at least both my parents are with me in Canada.
Week 6:
In chapter 17, on pages 284-285 of the book, there is a truly heartbreaking scene. After hiding in the London subway during an air raid, Franziska and her foster mother, Amanda, go home by taking one of the trains. As the subway rolled out of the tunnel onto the tracks above ground, they pressed their faces against the glass, horrified. A description of what they saw has a lot of vivid images that, as you read them, make you feel like you are right there, seeing it together with the characters.
“There was only one fire: a thin, black trail of smoke, a shattered roof outlined against flickering orange light. The house stood right alongside the tracks, and as we approached I watched pointed tongues of flame leaping out of the upper story. Behind broken windowpanes, a glowing chandelier swayed gently.”
By describing this in such detail, the author is trying to make the reader feel present where the scene is placed, face it together with Ziska and even, to some degree, feel what she felt. Through reading this, you somehow travel in time and space and absorb the information like if you’ve survived it yourself. Of the five senses, the imagery used mostly appeals to vision. Images such as “a thin, black trail of smoke”, “pointed tongues of flame”, “flickering orange light” talk about colors and shapes to represent the subjects better. “A shattered roof” and “broken windowpanes” evoke a sense of anxiety in the reader and establish a feeling of sorrow. Finally, the use of “a glowing chandelier”, a subject of warm light, dinners with family and a cozy living room, in my opinion, clashes the two worlds: a world of war, destruction and madness, and the world of regular, everyday life, showing us how, during World War II, they existed side by side, constantly switching, replacing each other back and forth every day.
Another scene worth mentioning is the bombing of London on page 282. It uses vivid imagery in order to shock the reader and show how terrifying war is, especially from the perspective of a little girl.
“The bombs fell without a sound. There was just the muted rumbling of distant destruction, the cracking and quaking of hits right near us – and the fearful cries of fleeing people. I held tight of Amanda’s hand, entirely focused on not letting go of her as we were pulled along with the pack. A penetrating stench fell over us and left a disgusting taste of fire and gunpowder in our mouths.”
Unlike the other scene, here the main senses targeted are hearing, smell and taste. Phrases such as “the muted rumbling”, “the cracking and quaking of hits right near us” and “the fearful cries of fleeting people” create a sense of great terror and enable you to hear them and almost witness the scene together with Ziska and Amanda. Later, “a penetrating stench” and “a disgusting taste of fire and gunpowder” literally make you feel like you can smell and taste it. Even as I was writing this, inside my mouth, it seemed as if I tasted the bitter, sickening taste of gunpowder.
The author’s goal in using this technique, in my opinion, was to make the reader feel as if being present during the bombing and to show us all the terror and dread of surviving the war as a little Jewish child.
Week 7:
Chapter 19: Lost
Summary
The chapter begins with a terrifying and unexpected plot twist that no reader could have expected based on reading previous chapters. The author uses past tense in order to shock the reader and make the awful event even scarier. The opening line reads: “On the day Gary’s ship went down…”, and proceeds with a series of normal, daily things, such as reading a book aloud in school, washing dishes, wanting to visit a friend. All those plans of the characters, however, turned out to be in vain, since Ziska’s brother, Midshipman Gary Shepard, “has been reported as missing since the demise of the HMS Princess of Malta on the 7th of August 1942 off the Portuguese Azores”.
A boy in a uniform, one of those many young boys who deliver telegrams, came to the Shepards’ house. Right after receiving the telegram, Amanda, Gary’s mother, was sitting on the stairs in the hall and staring at the thin piece of paper. She seems strangely calm and distant, unable even to cry, a perfect illustration of the first stage of grief: shock. Ziska forces Amanda to lie down for just a few minutes and, holding her feeble hand, leads her up the stairs to the bedroom. As Ziska shares, this was not the first time in her life when she had to be stronger than the person who gave her strength and security: the other time was when her father was arrested and put in a concentration camp.
Mrs. Beaver, the neighbour of the Shepards, came to their house and offered help. She was the one to call Matthew, Gary’s father and Amanda’s wife, who came home “silent, pale, and resolute, and closed the bedroom door firmly” behind himself and Amanda. In the evening, he finally emerged from the bedroom, eyes red from crying. As it turned out in a few minutes, a decision was made for Ziska to spend a few days in her best friend’s house. The family of Hazel, her best friend, greeted her warmly and prepared her a room to sleep in. Ziska couldn’t sleep because of a creeping sense of being sent away, a sense she knew all too well ever since the day her mother sent her away on the kindertransport.
Later, a shiva was held, where Ziska was deeply moved by the fact that she was one of the mourners; thus, a part of the Shepard family. Her foster mother, Amanda, with a “vacant, withdrawn expression” in her eyes, took the material in both hands, and in one quick motion tore it, according to a Jewish ritual of burial. Ziska saw a wave of pain wash over the poor woman’s tired, grieving face, as the sound of the torn cloth magnified a thousand times in her ears, ears of someone who had to bury their child.
After that, Ziska wrote a letter to her friend Walter. In it, she told him how she would love him to be here now. She shares how Matthew “can’t stop crying after the visitors leave at night”, and how “nothing seems to reach” Amanda anymore. She has bottled up her anger and, as Matthew told Ziska, can not even pray right now. Ziska’s feelings grow more and more complex, as she confesses that she misses Amanda even more than she misses Gary. The young girl is struggling to understand why God lets bad things happen.
The night after the shiva, Ziska woke up to screams in the middle of the night. Looking out of the window, she sees Amanda outside in the garden. She trampled and tore down the chicken fence in a soaking wet nightgown. She was yelling with a broken voice, angry at God. She was convinced that Gary’s death was God’s punishment for her for disobeying a Jewish Law in order to conceive her son, but she screamed at the Heavens that she does not regret anything. Then, all of a sudden, she fell on her knees and started to cry loudly. Matthew put an arm around her and led her into the house.
After leading his wife into the house, Matthew noticed Ziska in the garden. There, she said to her foster father very wise words: “It isn’t God, Matthew. The destruction, losing Gary. It’s humans alone that have the power to destroy. I don’t know why God didn’t plan it differently, but that’s the way it is.”
In the morning, Ziska went to the garden and got to work. She “rolled up the chicken wire, stacked up the rest of the posts, and gathered the unripe potatoes that were lying around,” throwing them in a bucket to plant again later. Her friend Hazel visited her in the garden and helped with cleaning up. As soon as they were done, the girls went into the house and Hazel ran to hug Amada, who, strangely, seemed completely normal again. Despite Amanda’s invitation, Hazel decided not to stay for lunch, willing to give Ziska and Amanda some time and space alone.
During lunch, after an awkward moment of silence, Amanda said a short blessing. She seemed to be in a better state and mood and even was joking sometimes. Ziska said next to her, hugged her and so they sat, holding each other without saying anything or crying. A little later, she asked Ziska if she had seen the obituary in the newspaper yesterday. Silently, she put the page in front of her. It read: Midshipman Gary Aaron Shepard
HMS Princess of Malta
12 June 1920 – 7 August 1942
Beloved son of Matthew G. Shepard
and Amanda, nee O’Leary, brother
and best friend of Frances.
Lost at sea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2015
Wow what a moving story. The entire book I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. I felt sorry for Frances. She has a tough life. It's crazy to think that during a war so many things can change and affect everything. She moves and then has to move again and things just keep happening. The host family is so sweet but she is torn because she has her own family that she is unable to see. She tries so hard to get them to be with her and does secret things. I am not even sure what I would do if I were ever to be in that situation. I guess times were different back then but still what heartache she went through. She was a courageous girl.
The saddest part of the story was that her father dies and that her mother is suffering. If you have ever lost a parent it is one of the hardest things in life. You want so much to have them see you grow up and become someone just like them. For Frances this didn't happen. Her father was in Holland when he dies and she was living elsewhere. I cried at this part because to this day years later I still miss my father so much. You hold onto the memories but it's something you will never forget.
The book starts out with Ziska and her friend becca talking about a plan to leave Germany. Well it turns out that Becca never gets to leave but Ziska does and it changes her life forever.
At the start of World War II, ten-year-old Franziska Mangold is torn from her family when she boards the kindertransport in Berlin (this is actually something that was real during that time), the train that secretly took nearly 10,000 children out of Nazi territory to safety in England.When she gets to England she is supposed to have a host family but they never came and eventually after awhile she finally gets a family. OF course, they are strangers and she feels lost. However, eventually she sees them as family, gets comfortable with them, and loves them dearly. They give her a new name which is Frances. You see love, identity and spirit in this book. This book is also filled with humor so even when it is a serious subject you can laugh a bit at the same time.
The book wasOriginally published in Germany, Anne Voorhoeve's award-winning novel. Winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder medal for most outstanding children's book in translation.
I feel this book would be great for older students. They may compare their lives to the lives of others. You could teach lessons about wants and needs. Look at family make up and discuss that all families are different but at times not all children are fortunate enough to always have a stable home. It would be great to tie in the history of the war and to do research on kinderransport or anything related to the war. Religion could be an aspect if you are in a religious school and looking at the various holidays that others partake in. So many things could be done because there are so many outlining themes within the book.
The saddest part of the story was that her father dies and that her mother is suffering. If you have ever lost a parent it is one of the hardest things in life. You want so much to have them see you grow up and become someone just like them. For Frances this didn't happen. Her father was in Holland when he dies and she was living elsewhere. I cried at this part because to this day years later I still miss my father so much. You hold onto the memories but it's something you will never forget.
The book starts out with Ziska and her friend becca talking about a plan to leave Germany. Well it turns out that Becca never gets to leave but Ziska does and it changes her life forever.
At the start of World War II, ten-year-old Franziska Mangold is torn from her family when she boards the kindertransport in Berlin (this is actually something that was real during that time), the train that secretly took nearly 10,000 children out of Nazi territory to safety in England.When she gets to England she is supposed to have a host family but they never came and eventually after awhile she finally gets a family. OF course, they are strangers and she feels lost. However, eventually she sees them as family, gets comfortable with them, and loves them dearly. They give her a new name which is Frances. You see love, identity and spirit in this book. This book is also filled with humor so even when it is a serious subject you can laugh a bit at the same time.
The book wasOriginally published in Germany, Anne Voorhoeve's award-winning novel. Winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder medal for most outstanding children's book in translation.
I feel this book would be great for older students. They may compare their lives to the lives of others. You could teach lessons about wants and needs. Look at family make up and discuss that all families are different but at times not all children are fortunate enough to always have a stable home. It would be great to tie in the history of the war and to do research on kinderransport or anything related to the war. Religion could be an aspect if you are in a religious school and looking at the various holidays that others partake in. So many things could be done because there are so many outlining themes within the book.
February 6, 2017
This book really gets the reader thinking about how other people are treated in the world even today, and even about how they might have reacted to the situation. Multiple times I caught myself thinking about what I would have done differently or if I would have got myself in that situation to begin with.
I enjoy historical fiction and thought that this was a pretty good representation of World War II and what a little Jewish girl might have had to go through at this time.
With any topic such as this the author had to be careful, so I believe that she added a lot of fluff to take much of the blow. This book should not have bee as long as it was, not that much happened for her to go on and on like she did, aka that fluff.
No, I don't expect the whole book to be overly dramatic and what now but I also don't want 20 pg. chapters about her eating dinner.
I thought that the characters were developed wonderfully. Especially Ziska/Frances. I loved reading how she grew throughout the book. Although at points she wasn't the most lovable character and some of her actions were really questionable, she was thrown into a situation that you can't expect how a person would or should act.
The other character's made the book for me. Bekkah's bravery throughout the first part is what I think truly gave Ziska the strength to leave Germany in the first place. Christine's small act of kindness. Gary's happiness and goofiness towards his sister throughout the whole book really brightened it up. Amanda and Matthew and how that really took Ziska in as there own made the book what it was. They truly allowed her to become who she was meant to be.
I also thought that the title was very fitting for the book. I was a little confused by it at first but it still spiked my interest. However, after reading the book and seeing the connection I thought that it was really fitting and made for a powerful title.
If you like historical fiction,I definitely would recommend this book, it not it may get a little boring.
I enjoy historical fiction and thought that this was a pretty good representation of World War II and what a little Jewish girl might have had to go through at this time.
With any topic such as this the author had to be careful, so I believe that she added a lot of fluff to take much of the blow. This book should not have bee as long as it was, not that much happened for her to go on and on like she did, aka that fluff.
No, I don't expect the whole book to be overly dramatic and what now but I also don't want 20 pg. chapters about her eating dinner.
I thought that the characters were developed wonderfully. Especially Ziska/Frances. I loved reading how she grew throughout the book. Although at points she wasn't the most lovable character and some of her actions were really questionable, she was thrown into a situation that you can't expect how a person would or should act.
The other character's made the book for me. Bekkah's bravery throughout the first part is what I think truly gave Ziska the strength to leave Germany in the first place. Christine's small act of kindness. Gary's happiness and goofiness towards his sister throughout the whole book really brightened it up. Amanda and Matthew and how that really took Ziska in as there own made the book what it was. They truly allowed her to become who she was meant to be.
I also thought that the title was very fitting for the book. I was a little confused by it at first but it still spiked my interest. However, after reading the book and seeing the connection I thought that it was really fitting and made for a powerful title.
If you like historical fiction,I definitely would recommend this book, it not it may get a little boring.
June 18, 2015
This young adult title about World War II is translated from the German, providing an unusual twist to traditional war tales. In February 1939 11-year-old Franziska Mangold's parents send her from Berlin to London on a kindertransport, much against her will. Her first foster parents never show up, and after three weeks Ziska--newly christened Frances--finds a home with the well-to-do Shepards. The Shepards are observant Jews; Frances' grandparents had converted to Protestantism and she knows nothing of Jewish rituals and customs and is uncertain whether becoming a "real" Jew is a good idea. Frances is also torn between her growing admiration and love for the Shepards and her feelings towards her parents, especially her mother with whom she has always had a difficult relationship. Part 1 follows Frances from Berlin through her first Passover with the Shepards. In Part 2, she and her classmates--including her new best friend Hazel, a Sikh--are evacuated to the country after war is declared; Frances ends up with the only Jewish family in tiny Tail's End, who treat her like a servant. Part 3 covers 1941-1945, from Frances' return to London to the end of the war. There is a much later epilogue. Each section could be a book in and of itself, which brings up the story's main flaw: it is overly long and at times Voorhoeve races through historical events, trying to cover every possible aspect. This is particularly apparent in Part 3, where Frances' physical and emotional growth from awkward 13-year-old to poised 17-year-old is barely touched on amid all the outward drama. (After a funny scene between Hazel and Frances in Part 2 about kissing, I expected a dawning understanding of maturation and sex, which never happened.) Overall, though, this is a fascinating read that delves into tough and thought-provoking issues of religion, family, and war.
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