The Hidden Children

by Howard Greenfeld

Twenty-five Holocaust survivors who spent the war years as children hiding from the Nazis--from those shielded by courageous strangers to those given refuge in convents and orphanages--share their memories.

Genres: Holocaust, Nonfiction, History, World War II, Jewish, Reference, War

118 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Annikka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summarize the book:

The Hidden Children is a compilation of stories from 25 different people to tell what happened to children who were in hiding during the Holocaust. The book goes from life before the war, to their time in hiding, and liberation. The journeys are enhanced through the black and white photos of the people when they were children.

Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre:

The stories of the children are intertwined within facts about the Holocaust, and in some cases are used to enhance the information that is given about the Holocaust. It puts a very big subject from the viewpoint of children, which can help with catching the attention of other children.

Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom:

This book can be integrated into the classroom through social studies, specifically looking at European history and WWII.

Provide any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated:

Even though this is considered a children's book, it still does talk about some of the violence that occurred during the Holocaust. The grade level that is listed is for grades 6 and up.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book on the Holocaust by a long shot but it does give another aspect to everything. This was the first "in depth" book I've read about hidden children during WWII and I definitely plan to read more.
I think this could have been set up better and it was slightly repetitive.
On the plus side, it did start a conversation between myself and my parents about the war and how my paternal grandfathers actually were on different sides and then became family.....and friends.
I wish they were here for me to ask questions to now and get their own personal accounts. I found out some things yesterday that I never knew.

[Delano · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad but true… just eye opening…

[Jane Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author`s purpose in writing this book was to make the stories of the hidden children of WWII known. The children were told that because they were young they did not really suffer like they adults did. This is not true though because they were robbed of their childhood and started their lives with fear. By writing this book the lives were know and they can be respected as holocaust survivors.
The theme of the book was you can make a good life for yourself even if you had a broken childhood. What the author was indirectly trying to say was that these people were survivors of the holocaust. They made a life for themselves afterwards even though many of their families were gone. Also they have stories to tell just like the adult survivors.
The “Hidden Children” was written as a narration/exposition style book. It told about the events of the holocaust time period and then had interviews of hidden children talking about their experiences during the war. It helped by giving the reader an idea of what was going on at that time, so it is easier to understand some of the feelings at that time. I felt that it was effective because of how the interviews helped you feel as though you could understand to an extent these people`s lives when they were in hiding.
I thought this was a spectacular book that finally let the children of the holocaust speak about their survivor stories. I loved how the author used more interviews than he did talk because then it was more about them, instead of the facts of the time period. I also liked that there were pictures of the people who were interviewed. The book was well planned out and got across the point it wanted to make. There nothing I would want to change about it because it was so good. This book reminded me of the book “The Secret Window” which was about a little girl and her mom in hiding. The difference between the books is that in The Secret Window the little girl is with her mom and in “The Hidden Children” most of the children did not get to stay with a parent. Most of the kids were alone left to fend for themselves wherever they were taken to hide.

[Kendall Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

My opinion of this book was that it is a wonderful book, of hardships like we have never known before, and survival of a wonderful religion and people. i couldn't relate because I'm not Jewish, but I enjoyed this book very much. I will be reading other books by this author. This book is great for adults. It really makes one appreciate all that we have in this country; freedom first and foremost. For children, it is a great book to teach about hardships and compassion for others, as well as understanding history and the second world war.

The theme of this book is centered around making people aware of all the hardships that even the children had to go through during the tragic time of the Holocaust. Children were smuggled from the Warsaw ghetto and sent to live with strangers while the Nazis were looking for them.

Greenfeld wrote in the views of the children. He used direct quotes from them as they are now. He also used pictures to make the events even more real.

My opinion of this book was that it was very informative. It gave me a clear understanding of what went on during that time. I would recommend this book to all ages. I am very glad that I chose this non fiction book to read. I am always skeptical about what non fiction book to pick because I don't really like non fiction books.

[Sarah Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

While looking for a book to read that related to the Holocaust for English, this book stood out to me as interesting. It was this way due to the fact that you always hear about the people who were executed and those who survived the camps, but I had never heard of any children that went into hiding. To start, the purpose the author wrote this book was to inform. It was to get these important stories out into the world to be known that this actually happened. I think that, even though it was not directly stated, the purpose was rather implied by how often these books are written to inform and prevent. The theme of the book was that even with a rough past, there is always a bright future. He collects the hidden children's stories and binds them together and shows that while their childhood was mostly kept secret, they were not afraid to show who they really can be. This story is an example of a narration, because it is told through stories. Overall, my opinion on the book was that it was excellently written! I liked how there was a relation between stories that made it flow. I did catch myself getting confused a few times between the different stories that were in each chapter. This book was similar to others that were written about this topic due to the settings and descriptions of the time.

[TrannWaassHeree]

"The Hidden Children" was written by, Howard Greenfeld. The book about how the children that were sent off to be "hidden" from everyone knowing that the children as a jew during the time of the holocaust. What I like about the book is that it not only tells about the different children's experiences but it gives you a great feeling of the aura of the people of the time in a whole view. I personally like how the book is written and it doesn't make me grow tried of it even though it's a non-fiction book. I think why the author might have written this book is to inform the readers about the time and the feelings of the time. The author definitely did communicate that to me because the end goal was reached. This book was very academic but a quick read too at the same time. If I were to recommend this book it would be to 12+ because it's is a quick book but a little heavier on the feelings of the time.

[Katelyn Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Hidden Children" by Howard Greenfeld was a pretty interesting book for me, it's not something I would typically read because i'm more into books like fantasy and science fiction. For being non- fiction it was a really good book. Its about Jewish children who were trying to survive the Second World War by going into hiding. This book does and excellent job describing the early exposure to Nazi persecution, events of their hiding, and the and of the aftermath. I would definitely recommend this book to people who love to learn about history .

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells about Jewish children hiding during World War II. Some hid with families who needed money, most hid in religious-based orphanages. The book does not tell one person’s story, then goes to another person, never to refer back to the first person, like some hidden children books do. The children’s stories are woven into a bigger tapestry and we see how the same issue (institutional living, for example, effects different children in different countries.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that focuses on such a terrible part of all our history. The book focuses on Jewish children that were hidden during the Holocaust. Instead of just having the author's point of view, he interviewed surviving "hidden children" now living in the US. Their recollections are haunting, inspiring, and breath taking. The text is preteen and up but it still is a good book to add to your youth non fiction collection.

[Paige Noe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book, The Hidden Children, by Howard Grenfeld, is about the children who were put into hiding during WWll. It goes into different kids of different ages and stories and gives a detailed version of during their hiding time. The author also writes the stories from his research, and the survivors narrate their time during hiding. After writing about the survivors time in hiding, the author briefly goes into how their parents found them after the war. While writing about the survivors, the author also goes into detail about Adolf Hitler taking over territories, and when countries become overtaken/invaded.
At the beginning of the book, I like how the author gave a brief description of the relationship between the Nazis and the Jews during the war and what the Jews role was to the Nazis in making the perfect race. However, when the introduction was shifting into the stories of the survivors I didn’t like how much tedious facts about the war was in that part of the book. I liked the part where the survivors started telling the stories because that’s what I found most interesting and that’s when I started really getting into the book. I also appreciated the fact that the author also included times when the children almost got caught and when they met their parents. I feel like that really helped me connect or put myself in their shoes because I felt the dangers and I could relate to the survivors because I also have parents.
This book was a quick read but will give readers a really detailed look into Jews trying to survive during the war. Although it is a quick read, I would recommend this to 12-year-olds and up. If someone is younger than this I think it may be a little over their head as the author's way of writing this book may become confusing. Both genders I feel would appreciate and learn from this book. If you enjoy books about WWll, Holocaust survivors, or books that look into Jews’ lives during the war, then I would recommend picking this book to read.

[Hunter Higashionna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was reading this book about the events leading to Hitler's rise in power and how the Jewish people were frightened and scared even before the Holocaust happened, I was saddened to realize that the children who experienced these hardships never experienced a normal childhood and was terrified every day hoping to live to the next day and see their family again.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and effective look at the lives of several Jewish children forced into hiding during the Holocaust. This was written for middle school, I think, but it is profound and honest and doesn't shy away from the horrors of this time.

[Arnetta Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

True life recollections from children hidden and some of those who helped them hide. Hard to imagine what these young children went through and I cried a lot reading it. I think its important tho that we know what happened to those children and do all we can to never see anything like that again.

[carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview. Hard stuff to read about the trauma done to kids during the Holocaust but important to read and understand

[Katie Hildreth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a book that people need to read to know what happened to Jewish children during the Holocaust. These are good stories.

[Romain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Greenfield collects witnesses from 25 Jewish people whose childhood has been strongly marked by the war. They offer a different perspective of the conditions the Jewish had to live in during the holocaust. Many had to hide and change identity, pretending to be Christian.
The people who helped them the most were usually priests or nuns who had Jewish children in their monasteries/orphanages. Sometimes they were kind and dedicated their days to the children's health and ease. But some of them, even if they were hosting these children, treated them in horrible ways. Frank Siegel hated his stay at the orphanage: "I was always hungry, always hungry. We ate just barely to live. We didn't wear shoes, but wooden clogs. Wearing them was a pain, because they weren't tight."
Some of them had to migrate, walking miles over miles hoping for a safer place to live in. Traveling on the roads was tiring, and sometimes the German spotted them and started bombing on them. They had to hide in farms without being sure if the Nazis would have inspected them.
The book gives many similar stories which all have something in common and create a clear scenario of the life of the speakers.

[L Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, easy read about Jewish children who were hidden during the Holocaust. This is not a book about children who went to the camps but those who managed to survive by hiding, either with their parents or alone. Much of the book contains firsthand accounts of survivors in their own words. It would be an appropriate book to use with middle school and up as part of a WWII or Holocaust unit. Sadly, many of these children who are now adults were told to forget their experiences and consider themselves lucky. They were told to just move on with their lives. Thankfully they began to record their experiences while they were still living so that this will never be forgotten.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great content. I loved reading the stories of the children of the Holocaust and how they survived. I struggled with the style of writing. It followed the lives of about 10 children, but would bounce around from child to child and I had a hard time keeping them sorted. I wish they would have just given each child a chapter, instead of mixing them up. Otherwise, great read.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this but I think that it didn't have enough about the people in it and was more of an informational book on the holocaust. That I think was why I didn't like it as much as other hoocaust books that I have read.

[Ketti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many books about the Holocaust. This book is well written & very touching. The author interviewed surviors most of who now live the the U.S. One of them said, "We have to talk. We are the last ones. After us, there's nobody."

[Chana Billet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the stories to be blandly written and poorly curated. The subject matter of the hidden children of the Holocaust is a fascinating one but the structure of this book doesn't do the topic justice at all.

[Julia Rojas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book. This book talked about the Holocaust and the children. The book had ok writing and pictures in it. The book was kind of boring. This is not my favorite Holocaust book.

[Kim Armstrong-Gaynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sad. How can people even think they should not talk about it and just forget it, nevermind why? Important to know and learn from!