Skip to main content

Odette's Secrets

By
 

Odette's Secrets
by Maryann Macdonald
Bloomsbury, 2013.  225 pgs.  Fiction

     Based upon the true story of Odette Meyers, a Jewish survivor of World War II,  this novel in verse tells the story of a young girl forced from her Paris home by the German occupation.  Her father has gone for a soldier, and her mother must stay behind, so she is sent with two other little girls to the country where they and other children are sheltered by a Catholic family. For the time being, Odette must become a Christian girl, learning the prayers and attending Mass, pretending for several years that she is someone other than herself. When rumors circulate that she is Jewish, she is chased and beaten by her schoolmates and becomes so scared that she stops speaking, even to her mother.  Maryann Macdonald's lyrical rendering of Odette's life richly conveys the rising fear and horror of occupied France as Jews began to be deported to the camps. Good people of every religious persuasion rose up during that time to save their countrymen, and Odette's family, against all odds, survives the War.  Odette's Secrets is an excellent addition to the growing body of Holocaust literature for children, especially for fifth grade on up.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: I Hate Everything!

By
  I Hate Everything! By Sophy Henn  New York: Beach Lane Books, 2025. Picture Book.  Two ghosts are floating atop a solid colored background. The first one yells, “I HATE EVERYTHING!” The second ghost responds, “Really?” Thus, begins the conversation which helps the first ghost realize that they don’t actually hate everything. This is a great picture book that is all about feelings and ghosts. The simple speech bubbles will allow even young preschoolers to understand what is happening. The illustrations though simple, have clever bits that readers will laugh out loud at. Basically, this is a brilliant book that every young reader who is mad at the world (or who knows someone who seems to be mad at the world) should read.
Post a Comment
Read more

De la hora del cuento: La letra "D"

By
  Cuentos Si yo tuviera un dragón Por Tom and Amanda Ellery New York, NY : Lectorum Publications, c2006. Libro ilustrado. "Cansado de jugar con su hermano pequeño, un niño imagina tener un dragón como compañero de juegos." --Editor Cuentitos Tiburón Grande, Tiburón Pequeño Escrito por Anna Membrino Ilustrado por Tim Budgen New York, New York : Hyperion Books for Children, 2017. Fácil. "Descubre todo sobre los opuestos en este libro infantil lleno de tiburones. El tiburón grande tiene dientes grandes; el tiburón pequeño tiene dientes pequeños. El tiburón grande nada rápido; el tiburón pequeño nada lento. ¡Pero ambos tienen hambre! ¿Podrán encontrar comida?" --Editor Otros libros sobre la letra "D " Las estrellas de Din Dibujando en el campo Nuestra celebración del Día de Muertos ¡Los dragones son lo peor! Cómo atrapar a un dragón
Post a Comment
Read more