by Anne Holm
Rated PG
A blog reader wrote to tell me that this is her all-time favorite book, and although it was written for 9-13 year olds, I will be posting this under our Favorites also.
David is about 12 years old when he is given the chance to escape from the concentration camp that he has lived in all his life, or at least for as long as he can remember.
With no known family and nothing but a parcel of bread and matches to sustain him, he sets out for freedom and a place where he can belong.
Imagine what the world would look like if you'd seen nothing but the dreary surroundings and deathly countenances of a concentration camp your whole life! I found myself newly discovering the truly important things in this world through the eyes of David, as he sees and feels everything for the first time.
The profound sacrifice of a friend will either propel David to live or die...I let you discover which it is for yourself.
This book is perfectly clean in language and inference. I rated it PG because the subject matter can be kind of intense - he is a boy all alone and living in constant fear of being caught by evil people. However, this book begins on the day David escapes the concentration camp, so you won't find any of the brutalities you'd expect from a book set during war-time. Great, clean book club choice - Chapter 8 will give you plenty to discuss!
clean books, books that are clean, clean books for teens, clean books for tweens, clean books for book club
