Rescuing the Children: The Story of the Kindertransport
*Starred Review* Filled with gripping personal biographies, this history of the famous 1939 rescue of 10,000 Jewish children during the Holocaust weaves together a general overview with the detailed memories of eight survivors. Boxed accounts in first-person voices tell stories of young people who were sent away from home to live with strangers and what happened to them after they fled—on the journey across Europe to Britain, and then with their new host families. Neither melodramatic nor sentimental, the simple, accessible prose reveals the historical realities of how non-Jewish children were taught to love Hitler and to hate Jews, along with the heartbreak of saying good-bye and the fact that most of the rescued would never see their parents again. The spacious design features small historical photos and individual portraits on every double-page spread, as well as color paintings by artist-survivor Hans Jackson, who shows scenes of book burning, the horror of Kristallnacht, and much more. The extensive back matter is part of the story and includes a glossary, a map of the children’s route, and a bibliography with current websites. Even with all the books out there about the Kindertransport, readers will grab this exemplary title for historical research and for personal reading. Grades 5-12. --Hazel Rochman