The Devil's Arithmetic

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award, this book is a beautifully written story about a time in World history that affect us today. The Holocaust is one of the darkest moment in human history, and this story reminds us why it is important to remember all those lost during that tragic time. Written by Jane Yolen, this novel tells the story of a young girl who rejects her Jewish heritage. During Passover Seder, she is transported back in time to 1942, in the wake of Nazi controlled Poland. She alone understands what will happen to the villagers and is sent to a Jewish concentration camp. She learns about her past and the importance of celebrating her heritage and traditions. This is a story of unlikely and quiet heroism within the concentration camp, and of why we must remember and heed history. and learns about her past and the importance of celebrating her heritage.

## Book Reviews

**Kirkus Review:** "Yolen is the author of a hundred books, many of which have
been praised for their originality, humor, or poetic vision, but this
thoughtful, compelling novel is unique among them. Hannah, 13, finds the annual
Seder--which calls up her grandfather's memories of the death camp he and his
sister Eva survived--tedious, the facts distant and unreal. Chosen to perform
the ritual of opening the door to Elijah, she finds herself in rural Poland in
1942, as Chaya (life), the heroic girl whose Hebrew name she bears. There, she
shares the experiences of villagers who are interrupted during a wedding,
transported in a grueling four-day train journey, and delivered to a camp where
the commandant routinely chooses victims for the gas chambers. At the camp
another girl, the indomitable Rivka, teaches her how to survive, and she learns
an unforgettable lesson: some must live, at whatever cost, to bear witness.
When Rivka is "chosen," Hannah goes to her death in her place--and
awakes to find herself returned to the family Seder, recognizing Aunt Eva as
the beloved friend she saved. In less skillful hands, such a story would risk
being either didactic or irreverent, but Yolen has so completely integrated her
deep concern with the structure and movingly poetic language of her story that
the meaning shines clear. Symbolic details--such as the role memory plays in
Hannah's response to her experiences--are meticulously worked out. A
triumphantly moving book."

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jane-yolen/the-devils-arithmetic/

**Booklist Review:** "Taking a risk, Yolen blends elements of fantasy and adventure with intense images of concentration camps, manipulating them into an unusual coming-of-age story. Bored by the lengthy Passover service and impatient, cranky, and slightly tipsy from her first taste of ceremonial wine, 12-year-old Hannah opens the door to the prophet Elijah as tradition dictates, expecting to see only an empty hall and the apartment across the way. Rather, she is swept into the past, back to 1942, where she becomes-- instead of selfish, petulant Hannah from modern day New York-- Chaya Abramowicz from Poland, soon to depart on a journey toward extermination. An interweaving of detail and recurring imagery mark Hannah's passage from the 1980s to a tiny Polish village, to a crowded boxcar, to an unnamed camp. The scenario is brutal. Its characters convincingly drawn to type: Gitl, fierce, wise, gentle, who laughs in the face of terror; Rivka, a tough survivor with an unshakable faith in God; and Hannah/Chaya, petulant child, denying her heritage, then sacrificing herself for another. Yolen's time-travel scheme is cleverly orchestrated; her plot fits together like a carefully cut puzzle. And while some teenagers will be more caught up by its tidy perfection than by the horror Yolen seeks to convey, they will still come away with a sense of tragic history that both disturbs and compels. An afterword gives further shape to both the history and Yolen's personal feelings"

http://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/1028770/Reviews

## Activities

No matter where you are from, you can always choose to be a bystander or a rescuer. Chaya had to choose which one she wanted to be. For this activity, research some rescuers and heroes from all over the world and make a creative presentation that inspires others to be rescuers and heroes.

https://www.educationfund.org/uploads/docs/Publications/Curriculum\_Ideas\_Packets/Powerful%20Choice%20Holocaust%20Middle%20School%20Unit.pdf (pg.30)

## Other Links

Words from the Author: http://janeyolen.com/works/the-devils-arithmetic/

Official Movie Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p\_FQ0kdVl1w