Four Perfect Pebbles

Four Perfect Pebbles
Author: Lila Perl
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 111
Release: 2016-10-18
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0062475746

The twentieth-anniversary edition of Marion Blumenthal Lazan’s acclaimed Holocaust memoir features new material by the author, a reading group guide, a map, and additional photographs. “The writing is direct, devastating, with no rhetoric or exploitation. The truth is in what’s said and in what is left out.”—ALA Booklist (starred review) Marion Blumenthal Lazan’s unforgettable and acclaimed memoir recalls the devastating years that shaped her childhood. Following Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family—father, mother, Marion, and her brother, Albert—were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a half years the Blumenthals were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps, including Westerbork in Holland and Bergen-Belsen in Germany, before finally making it to the United States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage, hope, and the will to survive. Four Perfect Pebbles features forty archival photographs, including several new to this edition, an epilogue, a bibliography, a map, a reading group guide, an index, and a new afterword by the author. First published in 1996, the book was an ALA Notable Book, an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and IRA Young Adults’ Choice, and a Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and the recipient of many other honors. “A harrowing and often moving account.”—School Library Journal

A Handful of Quiet

A Handful of Quiet
Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Publisher: Parallax Press
Total Pages: 66
Release: 2008-09-13
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1937006263

A playful, illustrated guide to one of the best known and most innovative meditation practices for young children experiencing stress, difficulty focusing, and difficult emotions Developed by Thich Nhat Hanh as part of the Plum Village community’s practice with children, pebble meditation is a playful and fun activity that parents and educators can do with their children to introduce them to meditation. It is designed to involve children in a hands-on and creative way that touches on their interconnection with nature. Practicing pebble meditation can help relieve stress, increase concentration, nourish gratitude, and can help children deal with difficult emotions. A Handful of Quiet is a concrete activity that parents and educators can introduce to children in school settings, in their local communities or at home, in a way that is meaningful and inviting. Any adult wishing to plant seeds of peace, relaxation, and awareness in children will find this unique meditation guide helpful. Children can also enjoy doing pebble meditation on their own.

My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List

My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List
Author: Joshua M. Greene
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 85
Release: 2019-12-26
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1338593803

The astonishing true story of a girl who survived the Holocaust thanks to Oskar Schindler, of Schindler's List fame. Rena Finder was only eleven when the Nazis forced her and her family -- along with all the other Jewish families -- into the ghetto in Krakow, Poland. Rena worked as a slave laborer with scarcely any food and watched as friends and family were sent away. Then Rena and her mother ended up working for Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who employed Jewish prisoners in his factory and kept them fed and healthy. But Rena's nightmares were not over. She and her mother were deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz. With great cunning, it was Schindler who set out to help them escape. Here in her own words is Rena's gripping story of survival, perseverance, tragedy, and hope. Including pictures from Rena's personal collection and from the time period, this unforgettable memoir introduces young readers to an astounding and necessary piece of history.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries

The Secret Holocaust Diaries
Author:
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2011-03-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1414341776

Nonna Bannister carried a secret almost to her Tennessee grave: the diaries she had kept as a young girl experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust. This book reveals that story. Nonna’s childhood writings, revisited in her late adulthood, tell the remarkable tale of how a Russian girl from a family that had known wealth and privilege, then exposed to German labor camps, learned the value of human life and the importance of forgiveness. This story of loss, of love, and of forgiveness is one you will not forget.

Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust

Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust
Author: Allan Zullo
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2016-11-29
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1338157361

Gripping and inspiring, these true stories of bravery, terror, and hope chronicle nine different children's experiences during the Holocaust. These are the true-life accounts of nine Jewish boys and girls whose lives spiraled into danger and fear as the Holocaust overtook Europe. In a time of great horror, these children each found a way to make it through the nightmare of war. Some made daring escapes into the unknown, others disguised their true identities, and many witnessed unimaginable horrors. But what they all shared was the unshakable belief in-- and hope for-- survival. Their legacy of courage in the face of hatred will move you, captivate you, and, ultimately, inspire you.

Elly: My True Story of the Holocaust

Elly: My True Story of the Holocaust
Author: Elly Berkovits Gross
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2010-02-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0545231191

Told in short, gripping chapters, this is an unforgettable true story of survival. The author was featured in Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation.At just 15, her mother, and brother were taken from their Romanian town to the Auschwitz-II/Birkenau concentration camp. When they arrived at Auschwitz, a soldier waved Elly to the right; her mother and brother to the left. She never saw her family alive again. Thanks to a series of miracles, Elly survived the Holocaust. Today she is dedicated to keeping alive the stories of those who did not. Elly appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes for her involvement in bringing an important lawsuit against Volkswagen, whose German factory used her and other Jews as slave laborers.

The Twentieth Train

The Twentieth Train
Author: Marion Schreiber
Publisher: Grove Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2005-02-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780802141859

From the publisher. Marion Schreiber's gripping book about the only Nazi death train in World War II to be ambushed draws on private documents, photographs, archive material, and police reports, as well as original research, including interviews with the surviving escapees. One day in April, 1943, resistance fighter Youra Livchitz, a young doctor, discovered the departure date of the next transport train and recruited two school friends to pull off one of the most daring rescues of the entire war. Equipped with only three pairs of pliers, a hurricane lamp covered in red paper, and a single pistol, the men ambushed the train, which was transporting 1,618 Jews to Auschwitz. These three lone men freed seventeen men and women before the German guards opened fire. Miraculously, by the time the convoy had reached the German border another 225 prisoners had managed to escape unharmed and found shelter with the locals. In a testament to the solidarity of the Belgians, no one was betrayed. No one, that is, except the three young rescuers, who were turned in by a double agent, imprisoned, and killed. Like Schindler's List, The Twentieth Train creates a vivid, moving portrait of heroism under impossible circumstances.

It's Actually a Good Thing

It's Actually a Good Thing
Author: J.L. Witterick
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2014-10-31
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1480811831

There is no question that J.L. Witterick is a purposeful woman. After financing her education with academic scholarships, she went on to work for one of the most brilliant investors of all time, founded an investment firm, and along the way, wrote a bestselling novel. But when the firm s largest client decided to manage their funds in-house, the business closed, putting Witterick on the other side of success and facing a new reality. Witterick s mantra of, "It s Actually a Good Thing," is a way of thinking that completely transforms her life. In her compilation of inspirational sayings, Witterick shares the unexpected positives that can come from having bad things happen while introducing an innovative thought process that will help anyone facing challenging events to look at life with an entirely new perspective. It s Actually a Good Thing shares a successful leader s perspectives on the good and bad while providing practical advice on how we can all put a positive spin on our stumbling blocks in life.

Sunrise Over Fallujah

Sunrise Over Fallujah
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2010-02-01
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0545232023

Robin "Birdy" Perry, a new army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilize the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their maneuvers is Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the young men and women in the CA unit have a simpler name for it:WAR