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Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis

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Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis
By: Susan Hood
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2022. Biography. 339 pages.

Alias Anna is the true story of Zhanna Arshanskaya and her sister Frina. In beautiful verse, it outlines the life of Zhanna, a young Jewish girl, through WWII and the miraculous way that her life was saved because of her musical skills on the piano. Working under an alias of Anna, she was able to confront the many obstacles in her path to hide in plain sight and survive the war.

Written in verse and short quotes from Zhanna herself, this is a great quick read for hesitant young readers, full of interesting history. It shares the story of Zhanna's experience without being overly wordy or irrelevant. It also includes wonderful resources, pictures and an author's note at the end that add to the entire experience. 
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