Holocaust Reading Selection 7th Grade

[goldberry]

I was thinking of doing The Diary of Anne Frank with my DD for 7th grade next year. There are some pretty harsh opinions out there though, and I wonder what other books people have had good experience with?

 

I Have Lived A Thousand Years

Dry Tears

 

Are these books appropriate for 7th grade? Or have any of you used Anne Frank and really liked it?

 

Thanks for any help! (I confess I read Anne Frank in high school and don't remember much or what I thought of it.)

[HeidiKC]

I don't remember, either. But I read it in 7th or 8th grade and certainly don't remember anything. Is it something....mature?

[*Lulu*]

I remember reading Anne Frank in 7th or 8th. I also remember reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom for the first time around then. I endured Anne Frank, (maybe because I was being forced to do it the dry, boring stereotypical PS way), but I loved Corrie Ten Boom.

 

There is a lot of christian content in it, if that matters to you, and discusses the conditions and cruelties of the actual concentration camps. It was a hard read emotionally, but it caused me to really think about history as events that happened to real people. It also has remained one of my favorite reads of all time. (I re-read it at least every few years.)

[Chelli]

I don't know if you are open to sugestions but I found this book to be one of the best I've ever read about the subjet.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Oprahs-Book-Club-Wiesel/dp/0374500010/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

There were some jr. high kids who had done reviews on the book, so I think it would be acceptable for someone that age. Plus, it would lead to some amazing discussions.

[Mommy22alyns]

 

I Have Lived A Thousand Years

 

 

 

My girls are clearly not at that age yet, but I will say that this book was much harder (emotionally) for me to read than Anne Frank's diary. I read both as an adult.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think that "Night" is too harrowing for that age. YMMV.

 

I recommend "Number the Stars" and the Marrin biographies of Hitler and Stalin. Also there is a book called Hitler Youth that is age appropriate and well-illustrated that talks about the rise of the Nazis in Germany and how that played out. It has a lot of original material including newspaper photos from that era.

 

None of these are specifically about the Shoah, but they all cover the rise and evil of the Nazis and refer to the persecutions.

 

I agree with The Hiding Place. Diary is good, but stops when they are arrested. Since they both take place in Holland, they are good to juxtapose.

 

Have you ever read any Leon Uris? For a fairly mature child, Exodus might be a good book for that period. Preread just in case.

[patchfire]

I read Anne Frank in 7th grade. I think it's a perfectly appropriate choice and will probably have my children read it in 7th grade as well. Night I will save for high school.

[Aquinas Academy]

I read Anne Frank in 7th grade. I think it's a perfectly appropriate choice and will probably have my children read it in 7th grade as well.

:iagree:DD 14 read Anne Frank last year in 8th grade and I think it's appropriate for 7th grade. Having said that, DD didn't really like Diary of a Young Girl; she found it to be a bit of a let down after hearing so much about it.

[JessieC]

I recommend "Devil's Arithmetic" and "Escape From Warsaw." Both are aimed at a middle school audience.

[elegantlion]

Another option for that age is The Upstairs Room. Devil's Arithmetic is another choice.

 

I haven't read The Upstairs Room in years, but remember reading it at a young age. I read Devil's Arithmetic a few years ago and found it a pretty emotional read, but worthy of reading and discussion.

[scrapbabe]

The Hiding Place is wonderful!!! I don't remember much about Anne Frank being appropriate or not.

[Guest lmf2b]

There is one called Number the Stars and I know some 5th grade classes that have read it. I read it in college. It was good.

[goldberry]

Thanks for these good recommendations. Devil's Arithmatic looks really interesting, DD loves time travel type stories.

[whitestavern]

DD (5th) read Anne Frank's Story: Her Life Retold for Children, as well as Parallel Journeys, a story told from both the viewpoint of a German Jew and a Hitler Youth. I thought she was a little young for Diary, but I wouldn't have hesitated if she had been in 7th grade. She enjoyed both of the above books very much.

[Marie in Oh]

and is a rising 7th grader. She just read Anne Frank and Number the Stars and we read the YWAM biography of Corrie ten Boom. She loved them all, but they were eye opening. She was really innocent of the fact that such terrible things could happen. I am reading The Hiding Place again, and enjoying it a great deal. We are spending our summer in Europe, so we plan to visit the ten Boom home as well as Anne Frank's home.

[Little Nyssa]

I agree with a PP that Night is way too dark for a 7th grader.

 

I read Anne Frank when I was in 6th grade and was seriously traumatized. My opinion is that Holocaust books should wait til at least 10th grade and maybe college.

[katiejean]

These are some excellent suggestions-some of which I haven't read myself and definitely plan to look up. As a jr/sr high student I read anything and everything I could regarding the holocaust. I remember thinking Anne Frank was so sad. I read Treblinka and another book by Miep Gies, I can't recall the name of that one.

[Mommy22alyns]

I read Treblinka and another book by Miep Gies, I can't recall the name of that one.

 

 

Treblinka was pretty harrowing as well. Is it this book by Miep Gies?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Frank-Remembered-Helped-Family/dp/1416598855/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306961774&sr=1-1

 

 

That really fleshed out Anne Frank's story for me. Amazing read.

[goldberry]

The thing about Anne's diary for me is the "knowing she didn't make it". That adds an extreme amount of sadness I'm not sure DD is ready for yet. Also, since it is more about Anne's feelings and family experience than the actual war and details, I thought another book might be less sad but still reveal more details and history.

 

My mom was a young German girl during the war, and so the history is very intense for me.

[HeatherL]

My favorite is Yellow Star. http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Star-Jennifer-Roy/dp/076145277X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1306992146&sr=8-2. I have read it with 6th graders and it was very moving for them. Most had no knowledge of the Holocaust.

[katiejean]

Yes Amber that is the book. I enjoyed it very much. I agree Treblinka was harrowing. I'm surprised my parents allowed me to read it; however, I don't believe I was traumatized by it, I was very appalled at humanity's ability to stoop so low.

[Kerrie in VA]

We enjoyed Number the Stars (also part of Calvert's fifth grade curriculum) and shared it with nieces, nephews, and family members teaching middle school literature--all enjoyed this as an introduction to this period in history. Others books we enjoyed for younger ages and learned about from this board are Snow Treasure (McSwigan) and Twenty and Ten (Bishop).

[Jamee]

Scholastic usually has a lot of Holocaust titles for the middle grades, may want to check their site. I read the Diary of Anne Frank in middle school. A book with a happier ending is A Lucky Child. It's a newer book and I don't recall there being anything inappropriate for middle school.

 

ETA: Another book that I read in middle school and takes a completely different look at WWII is Summer of my German Soldier. This deals with the a Jewish girl and a Nazi POW in the US--when I read this, it was the first time that I learned there were POW camps in the US.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Jamee