Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  This story takes place during WWII when violence was everywhere.  Halina pretends not to hear gun shots and  see people being hit by the butts of rifles.  Batya sees the male workers from the factory taken by force and the women workers lined up to be shot and dropped into a large pit.  She hopes the soldiers are good shots so the women will die quickly and not be buried alive under the bodies of the dead. She later sees the bodies of two traveling companions being dragged into a fire.   Halina shoots a soldier in the back.  His skin pops open and blood and guts come from the wound.   Her companion shoots the soldier in the head to be sure he is dead.

Sexual Content: Halina’s mother appears to have had a few boyfriends.  Halina is kissed by a much older young man.  Batya and Halina become trapped by a Nazi soldier.  He forces them into a back room where one at a time he lowers his body onto theirs.  His grunting is loud.  After rescuing the girls, Reuven takes a bath in the river.  Halina closes her eyes and turns away so that she won’t see him.  Reuven invites her in to wash and promises that he won’t look.  Halina refuses.  While hiding in the trunk of a tree, Halina sees two young lovers and hears them enjoying themselves.

Adult Themes:  Smoking and drinking are mentioned.  Senseless prejudice and hatred of the Jewish people displayed by the Nazi soldiers. Many Jews who have escaped are starving and suffering from severe emotional trauma and shock.

Synopsis

Life has been transformed since the war began and the Polish ghetto is not a safe place to live.  Halina has been waiting for her mother to come home.  She is usually not so late.  Then came a knock on the door.  It was news that the ghetto was being evacuated.  The Nazi soldiers had already taken the men and shot several women.  Halina and her friend Batya are joined by others and narrowly escape.  They are lead to a secret encampment deep in the woods.  Here, several Jews have made underground homes  where they struggle to survive against hunger and illness and stay hidden from the Nazi’s.  Batya and Halina make new friends here which helps to ease the pain of losing loved ones.  As the group grows in size, so do their needs.  Halina and Batya  discover courage they never new they had and join in to help find food and supplies.  They are tried to their very limits as they learn to live for the day and find love amongst a world of hate.

The author has based this book on real historical events of the underground forest encampments which saved hundreds of Jewish lives.  It is a heart-wrenching tale of a young girl who was forced to grow up very quickly as she witnessed the most horrifying side of mankind.  A touching story with hard- to- address content.  I appreciated that the author was not unnecessarily graphic in her descriptions but told the story of many who suffered from more than just prejudice and hunger. This book was recommended for readers ages 10-14.  I would check it out first before letting the younger end read it.