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Peter's War: a boy's true story of survival in World War II Europe

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Written by: Deborah Durland DeSaix and Karen Gray Ruelle
Illustrated by: Deborah Durland DeSaix
New York: Holiday House, 2020. Biography. 

As a twelve-year-old would you have been able to survive World War II on your own? That is what Peter Feigl, a German-Jewish boy did in 1942. His family were secular Jews who didn't practice their faith but because they were of Jewish descent they were still in danger. Peter's parents tried to keep their son safe by staying one step ahead of the Nazis. They spent years moving from country to country, leaving and moving again each time the Nazis took over.  Eventually they ended up in France but as the German's began to infiltrate France Peter's parents began to get nervous so they sent Peter to a summer camp. While he was at this summer camp his parents were arrested and he never saw them again.

The holocaust was a dark time in our history but we can learn a lot from the experiences of the those that survived. Peter's story was inspiring and I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations depicting the events in his life leading up to his escape into Switzerland . This book is an informative account of the Holocaust and what one young boy did to survive. 


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