The War Within These Walls Book Review

Book Title: The War Within These Walls

Author: Aline Sax
Illustrator: Caryl Strzelecki

Publish Date: 2013
Publisher: Eerdman's Books for Young Readers

The War Within These Walls by Aline Sax

Suggested Grade: 7th, 8th, High School

Suggested Format: Independent Reading, Small Group

Synopsis: 
The War Within These Walls is a compelling read about the Holocaust of World War II. The narrator is a young (teenage) Jew living in Warsaw, Poland. The story starts when the first relocation of Jews in Poland began after the German occupation, and ends in the rebellion of Jews still remaining in the walled ghetto of Warsaw.
This book is very true to the nature of the cruelties that children lived through during this time. Holocaust, injury, genocide, torture, and death are all present. While it is written in a fictional format, it is very much a non-fiction tale of what really happened.

Teacher's Notes: 
For classroom use, however, this book will be on my personal bookshelf. It will only be shared with students who are ready (and whose parents agree are ready) to read the book with an understanding of the dark, stark factual representation of death that occurred. While the reading level is fairly simple, most of my students are not emotionally ready for the portrayal of death in this story.

A wonderful read for mature students and adults, however, this book is a reminder of the horrors of history that are often glazed over in history class.

Overall: 10/10

How I Got the Book: ARC from publisher through LibraryThing

Suggested Interests: War, Historical Fiction