My Family for the War

My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Originally published in German, My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve will be a wonderful addition to the holocaust curriculum for our 7th graders.  Franziska Mangold lives in wealthy Berlin prior to the war with her family.  She has been raised Protestant, although she has Jewish ancestry.  She and her friend, Becca, have to run from the bullies who chase them for being Jewish, although she knows nothing of the Jewish religion. After her father is arrested on Kristallnacht, she is able to land a coveted place on the kindertransport.  Her mother doesn’t want to leave her father in prison, so off Ziska goes to England and is eventually place with an Orthodox Jewish family, where she learns about her Jewish heritage.  Ziska is now called Frances by her Jewish family, and eventually creates strong bonds with this new family.  This makes her feel torn about her allegiance to her real parents as she seems to grow fonder each day of her new family.  Many things happen to Ziska as the war progresses and she struggles to find her place in this new world.  This book will definitely be part of the book talk for holocaust books for the 7th graders next year. 



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