Mendel's Daughter: A Memoir, by Martin Lemelman. Free Press, 2007. 978-1416552215

Summary: The life story of Lemelman's mother, who survived the Holocaust in the Ukraine by hiding first with neighbors and then in the woods with her brothers.

Analysis: The voice in this book is just incredible. It's a very close transcription of actual interviews, just edited to tighten the narrative, so it still has Gusta's adorable accent. I like that it really is a story of her life, rather than just how she survived the war.

Illustrations: Mixed media...most of the book is done in soft pencil drawings (or charcoal? I think it's pencil), with "handwritten" text. Emphasized words are written larger, making the narrator's voice even clearer visually. The drawings are interspersed with actual photographs and occasional pages from Jewish liturgy, which are used to startlingly powerful effect.

Rating: 5Q/4P

Curricular connections:  6-12th grade unit on the Holocaust...what age it's used for will actually more depend on the students' familiarity with the Jewish culture and texts referenced. Older students will be able to handle more supplemental reading without being overwhelmed. For students who already have the context down, it's a good choice for younger readers, since while it's powerful and unsettling, it's not gory or otherwise that sort of shocking.

--SLH