New Releases by Kathy Kacer

Embedded into the cobblestones of Europe are Stolpersteine—stumbling stones. Carefully hand-chiseled with names and dates, these small, brass plaques make up the largest monument to the Holocaust in the world. Today, you can find over 100,000 stones across Europe. The Stumbling Stones Project was begun by artist Gunter Demnig as a way to remember that each victim of the Holocaust had a life that was terribly and tragically stolen. Each memorial plaque is placed outside the last voluntary address of the person—the homes from which they were arrested and often taken to concentration camps. Not all were Jewish, some were persecuted for being Romani, disabled, or queer, and not all shared the same fate. These stories include that of a resistance fighter, an art conservator, an Olympian, and the young Anne Frank. Take a journey around Europe to learn their stories.

Sophie loves her granny more than she loves stars or books or her hamster. And when Granny passes away, Sophie misses her more than she can say. The flowers Sophie brings to Granny’s grave always fade too soon. When Sophie learns that some people place stones on loved ones’ graves, because stones last forever, she has an idea for a special way to remember Granny and the times they shared.

In 1945, young Francine and her maman are sent to the Bergen-Belsen Nazi prison camp, where life is gray and hopeless. Determined to lift Francine’s spirits, Maman shares a secret: hidden inside her bag are two pieces of chocolate. They’re the first sweets Francine has seen in years, but Maman tells her not to eat them. “One day, when I see that you really need them...that’s when I’ll give the chocolates to you.” When Francine meets Hélène, a fellow prisoner, she learns another secret: Hélène is pregnant. But there is very little food in the camp, and even less hope. Hélène and her baby are in grave danger. Remembering the chocolates, Francine realizes she may be able to help. Francine’s act of kindness will make ripples in their lives for decades to come. Inspired by a remarkable true story.

Irene grew up traveling around Germany with her family’s circus, surrounded by her loved ones and thrilling the crowds with her performance on the high wire...until one day, the audience boos. The Lorch family is Jewish, and the increasing power of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis has put them all in grave danger. When the circus is forced to shut down and Irene’s father is taken away, Irene and her mother must go into hiding with another circus. Every day is a frightening new kind of balancing act, caught between the desire to perform and the need to hide—even in plain sight.

History is made one brave act at a time. Henny has grown up with her father’s boat, the Gerda III, as a home away from home. She loves sailing the waters between Denmark and Sweden, carried along by the salt breeze. But when Nazi rule tightens in Copenhagen, Henny joins the resistance. And when Hitler orders the Gestapo to round up all Jewish citizens, Henny realizes that the Gerda III isn’t just a boat—it’s a means of escape for her Jewish neighbours. Safety and freedom are just across the channel in Sweden—as long as Henny doesn’t get caught. The fourth book in Kathy Kacer’s Heroes Quartet series, Call Across the Sea brings to life a little-known part of World War II and highlights the unsung acts of heroism that moved history forward.

"Its 1938 in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Paul is feeling pressured to join the Hitler Youth. The last thing he wants to do is march around with a bunch of bullies, supporting the Gestapo and abusing the city's Jews, but even Paul's parents think he should go along with his classmates in order to keep himself safe. Just when hes starting to despair, Paul meets the Edelweiss Pirates, a group of teenage boys and girls who are working to undermine the growing power of the Nazis. When he joins the rebel organization, he finds out just how hair-raising and dangerous it is to sabotage the Third Reich and rescue Jews wherever they can. But choices have consequences, and during the terrifying violence of Kristallnacht, Paul must step out of the shadows and make a life-changing decision. Inspired by the true story of the Edelweiss Pirates, a group that declared Eternal War on the Hitler Youth"--Provided by publisher.

It is 1939 in Berlin, Germany, and twelve-year-old Lillian and her Papa are on the run from Nazi soldiers. Because they are Jewish, they are in danger of being arrested and put in prison. Lillian's father is blind and it seems no one is willing to help them, until they meet Otto Weidt. Mr. Weidt runs a factory that makes brushes for the Nazi army, and his secret is that he employs blind Jewish workers. Lillian learns that Otto Weidt is determined to keep her, Papa, and all the Jewish workers safe. But will he be able to? Inspired by a true story.

Heroic actions speak volumes in a powerful middle grade novel based on real WWII events. Life is becoming ever more terrifying for the Jewish community as the Second World War envelops their lives. For twelve-year-old Dina and her sisters, things get even harder when their father dies. Their mother must go back to work and despite many objections, the family adjusts to the arrival of their new housekeeper, Nina, who is not Jewish. But Nina’s role changes dramatically when the Nazis invade their small Ukrainian town. Nina sacrifices her own safety to make sure the children she has come to love are kept from the clutches of the Nazis, and Dina comes to depend on her in a way she never imagined she would. The third novel in Kathy Kacer’s acclaimed Heroes Quartet series, Louder Than Words is based on the true story of one woman’s incredible heroism in the most dangerous of circumstances. It is a another affecting testament to the unsung heroes of World War II who, at great personal risk, saved the lives of strangers.

Silence can be powerful. Kathy Kacer’s second book in her middle grade series about heroic rescues during WWII tells the tale of siblings Helen and Henry, and history’s most famous mime. Desperate to save them from the Nazis, Henry and Helen’s mother makes the harrowing decision to take her children from their home in 1940s Germany and leave them in the care of strangers in France. The brother and sister must hide their Jewish identity to pass for orphans being fostered at a convent in the foreign land. Visits from a local mime become the children’s one source of joy, especially for Henry, whose traumatic experience has left him a selective mute. When an informer gives them up, the children are forced to flee yet again from the Nazis, but this time the local mime—a not yet famous Marcel Marceau—risks everything to try to save the children. Masters of Silence shows award-winning author Kathy Kacer at the top of her craft, bringing to light the little-known story of Marceau’s heroic work for the French Resistance. Marceau would go on to save hundreds of children from Nazi concentration camps and death during WWII. In characteristic Kacer style, Masters of Silence is dramatic and engaging, and highlights the courage of both those rescuing and the rescued themselves. Wenting Li’s chapter heading illustrations and evocative covers provide the perfect visuals for the series.

Anna and her family have only one hope left to escape certain doom. It’s 1936 and life is becoming dangerous for the Jews of Krakow. As incidents of violence and persecution increase day by day, Anna begs her father to leave Poland, but he insists it’s impossible. How could he give up his position as an acclaimed clarinetist in the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra? When Anna and her father barely escape from a group of violent thugs, it becomes clear that the family must leave. But how? There seems to be only one possibility. Bronislaw Huberman, a world-renowned violinist, is auditioning Jewish musicians for a new orchestra in Palestine. If accepted, they and their families will receive exit visas. Anna and her grandmother boldly write to Huberman asking him to give Anna’s father an audition, but will that be enough to save them? This poignant story is based on real events in pre-war Poland and Palestine. After saving seven hundred Jews and their families, Huberman went on to establish what later became the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Against an ominous background of the impending Holocaust in Europe and the first Arab-Israeli war, The Sound of Freedom still manages to remind the reader of the goodness in the world.

See below for English description. Irene, huit ans et ses deux frères sont forcés de quitter leur famille pour aller dans un pensionnat loin de chez eux. C'est la loi! Dans cet endroit austère, on les empêche de parler leur langue et on leur donne un numéro en guise de nom. À la fin de l'année scolaire, les enfants rentrent à la maison et informent leurs parents des conditions exécrables dans lesquelles ils doivent vivre au pensionnat. Trouveront-ils un moyen de cacher les enfants afin qu'ils n'y retournent jamais? Inspiré de la vie de la grand-mère de Jenny Kay Dupuis, Je ne suis pas un numéro met en lumière une sombre partie de l'histoire du Canada de manière à sensibiliser les enfants et à leur permettre d'en tirer une leçon humaine et historique. When eight-year-old Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school she is confused, frightened, and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from despite the nuns' efforts to force her to do otherwise. When she goes home for summer holidays, her parents decide to never send her away again, but where will she hide and what will happen when her parents disobey the law? Based on the life of Jenny Kay Dupuis' own grandmother, Je ne suis pas un numéro is a must-read book that brings a terrible part of Canada's history to light in a way that children can learn from and relate to. Original title: I Am Not a Number

"Werner es un niño que está solo en el campo de concentración de Auschwitz. Separado de su familia, no tiene ningún amigo en el mundo. Comparte litera con un hombre callado, el señor Levin, alguien demasiado amable para estar en un lugar tan terrible como aquél. Una noche, a Werner le despiertan los gritos de los guardias, pero no es él a quien buscan, sino al señor Levin. “¡Haz magia!”, le ordenan. ¿Magia? ¿En Auschwitz?"--Cover.

June 1964, Sara has never been out of the tiny town of Hope, Ontario, where she has been in an orphanage all her life. After a fire destroys the Benevolent Home for Necessitous Girls, clues about her parentage—a medical certificate and a Star of David—lead her to Germany. Despite her fears—she doesn’t speak the language, she knows no one in Germany, and she’s never been on an airplane—Sara arrives in Germany determined to explore her newly discovered Jewish heritage and solve the mystery of her parentage. What she encounters is a country still dealing with the aftermath of the Holocaust. With the help of a handsome, English-speaking German boy, she discovers the sad facts of her mother’s brief existence and faces the horrible truth about her father. Ultimately, the knowledge she gains opens up her world and leads her to a deeper understanding of herself. Part of the Secrets Series—a series of seven linked novels that can be read in any order. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

"Escondendo Edith" apresenta o drama de uma garota judia que precisa enfrentar os horrores da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Edith Schwalb tem apenas seis anos quando Hitler invade a Áustria. De repente, a garotinha se vê obrigada a deixar uma vida confortável em Viena para entrar em uma rotina de fugas e incertezas. Primeiro, sua família se muda para a Bélgica, mas é perseguida e foge para a França. Escondendo Edith tem o objetivo de mostrar os horrores do Holocausto às crianças, para que episódios como esse nunca mais voltem a acontecer.

Che cosa succederebbe se all'improvviso la tua città si trasformasse in un luogo ostile, dove tutti cercano di farti del male? Chiedilo a Edith Schwalb. Chiedile di quando, nel 1939, dovette scappare con la sua famiglia dall'Austria da poco annessa al Terzo Reich. Aveva sette anni, ma si ricorda tutto quanto. E racconta, come se fosse un'avventura, di questa corsa verso la speranza, fatta di fughe, amicizie, separazioni e ricongiungimenti. Nelle ultime pagine del libro alcune foto in bianco e nero completano la ricostruzione della storia.

Do young people today find meaning in the Holocaust? That's the question that prompted a writing project across North America, Italy, and Australia asking young people to share their ideas about this time in history. Some students wrote short stories. Some discussed the impact of books they had read and wrote about the messages that they understood from these books. Several interviewed survivors and recorded their impressions. Many talked about how they have tried to make sense of this history in the world in which they now live. Others created works of art. Children wrote from their hearts with sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and great insight. Their teachers saw this opportunity as a gift, and it proves to all that young people can make a meaningful connection to the Holocaust. Their contributions give hope for a more peaceful and tolerant future.

Dans une Europe nazie en proie à la barbarie, une petite fille juive vit avec sa famille dans la peur. Après un périple douloureux, Edith Schwalb est accueillie chez Shatta et Simon qui ont ouvert une école à Moissac, un petit village dans le centre de la France. Là, ils cachent de nombreux enfants juifs en danger. Le courage des habitants et l'amitié des autres enfants aident la jeune Edith à traverser la plus grande épreuve de sa vie. Voici son histoire.

Based on the true story of the ship St. Louis, which left Germany in May 1939 full of Jewish passengers seeking refuge in Cuba. Denied port in Cuba, the US, and finally Canada, the St. Louis was forced to return Europe, where many passengers later died in the Holocaust. Through the eyes of two children, Sol and Lisa, both of whom survived the war and shared their experiences, we see as their journey begins with excitement and hope, only to end in frustration and fear. The children's chapters alternate with those of Captain Schroeder, who reveals the full history of the journey.

In 1938, Edith and her family joined the many Jewish people forced to leave their homes to escape the Nazis. In a desperate bid for survival, Edith was entrusted to the care of a children's home in Moissac, France, where other Jewish children were hiding. All the people of the town promised to keep the children's identity a secret. Could they possibly succeed? Would Edith ever see her family again? A dramatic and moving account of one girl's experience during World War II. This is the true story of Edith Schwalb.

Europe, on the eve of the Second World War, and a Jewish family feels the Nazi danger closing in. The story of the Reesers, a Jewish family who emigrated to Canada from Czechoslovakia on the eve of WWII. They fled the Nazis and left behind four valuable oil paintings. It would take more than fifty years for Mari Reeser, and then her son Karl, to retrieve them.

When faced with the prospect of deportation to a ghetto or concentration camp, many Jews tried to find ways to hide. Whether in the attic of a neighbour's house, in a cave on a hilltop, or within the stacks of hay in a barn, those in hiding often had to change their identity and conceal their Jewish roots. Hiding meant going hungry for weeks or months, being left in the cold, and living in constant fear of being discovered. But due to the kindness of strangers or the quick thinking of the children in these stories, they lived to tell their tales.

Interrogée par un soldat à la recherche de fuyards, Gabi, 14 ans, se remémore, en un long "flash-back", comment, avec son cousin de 11 ans et sa mère, elle a survécu aux nazis alors que les troupes d'Hitler frappent la Tchécoslovaquie. Ayant dû quitter la ville, lorsque leur père a été capturé, ils se sont réfugiés dans la campagne chez un couple âgé de cultivateurs chrétiens qui avaient déjà été à l'emploi de leur père. Afin d'éviter tout soupçon, ils ne sont autorisés à sortir de leur humble grange que la nuit. Ne pouvant plus rester confinés à l'intérieur, les adolescents, qui sympathisent avec la petite-fille du couple Kos, s'aventureront cependant dehors lors d'escapades nocturnes en forêt. C'est ainsi qu'ils joignent un groupe de partisans slovaques avec qui ils s'allient. Cependant, leurs activités comportent de sérieux risques et un matin, alors qu'ils fuient une embuscade nazie et rejoignent le grand-père Kos au champ, ils doivent feindre leur filiation afin de sauver leur vie. -- Un roman historique faisant plusieurs bonds dans le temps en s'inspirant de l'exode des ancêtres de l'auteure canadienne-anglaise. Un dossier documentaire conclut ce récit. [SDM].

Après avoir fui Vienne, puis la Belgique, Édith Schwalb et sa famille espèrent trouver un peu de quiétude dans une zone franche du sud de la France. Mais alors que les rafles nazies se multiplient et que leur père est arrêté, Mutti, leur mère, n'a d'autre choix que de fuir à nouveau. Elle confie alors ses deux plus jeunes enfants, Édith et Gaston, à la maison de Moissac où des Éclaireurs israélites, adhérant à la philosophie du mouvement scout, hébergent et protègent des enfants juifs, tandis qu'elle et son aînée seront recueillies par des villageois. Édith, qui s'apprête à fêter son onzième anniversaire, et son petit frère, comme une centaine d'autres enfants juifs, y mènent une vie quasi normale dans un climat sécurisant, tout en s'entraînant à fuir l'ennemi lors d'expéditions de camping impromptues. Mais arrive bientôt une mauvaise nouvelle : leur refuge, devenu moins sécuritaire, est sur le point de fermer. Édith entame alors un nouveau chapitre de sa destinée, qui l'oblige à changer d'identité ... -- Un roman historique haletant qui s'inspire d'une histoire vraie que narre l'auteure canadienne-anglaise avec brio. Des notes préliminaires faisant état du conflit ainsi qu'un dossier documentaire (notes biographiques et photographies) portant sur la vie de madame Schwalb, qui vit aujourd'hui au Canada, ainsi que sur le couple qui tenait la maison de Moissac (Bouli et Shatta Simon) et la vie qui y avait cours, permettent d'étoffer cette leçon d'histoire incontournable. [SDM].

Laura has just three weeks to go before her Jewish becoming of age ceremony, called a Bat Mitzvah, when she is assigned a special project. She is to read the diary of Sara Gittler, a young girl her own age who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Sara never had the chance to celebrate her coming of age, so Laura is to learn about Sara's life and then share her Bat Mitzvah with her "twin" by speaking of her at the ceremony. Reluctant to undertake the project at first, Laura quickly becomes caught up by Sara's struggle to survive. Sara's diary unfolds with the details of her daily life in the Ghetto, a world full of fear, confusion, tragedy and above all, courage. From Sara's brave story in the past, Laura learns how to find the courage to confront the possibility of a friend's current involvement in the desecration of a Jewish cemetery.

Dyma stori Edith Schwalb, Iddewes ifanc sy'n cael ei hanfon i dŷ diogel yn sgil dyfodiad y Natsïaid i Ffrainc. Roedd y pentref cyfan yn rhan o'r cynllwyn i guddio cannooedd o blant Iddewig yn y tŷ diogel hwn. Addasiad Cymraeg o Hiding Edith. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru