The Librarian of Auschwitz: The heart-breaking Sunday Times bestseller based on the incredible true story of Dita Kraus

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Literature has the same impact as a match lit in the middle of a field in the middle of the night. The match illuminates relatively little, but it enables us to see how much darkness surrounds it.” Dita Polachova was raised in a loving home in Prague, the only child of book-loving parents, who filled their shelves with German, Czech and French books. Little did she know that by the age of 14 her life would be saved by a dozen tattered books which comprised possibly the smallest library in the world, in Auschwitz-Birkenau. So Dita’s story will be an important one for teachers and school librarians. This graphic novel is based on an adult novel, which I already put on-hold in OverDrive. I’m excited to read the full novel version of Dita’s story. Worse, this push – which especially affects LGBT+ and civil rights history books for young people – has political teeth from newly-passed state and local laws. School boards are also bowing to these attempts to censor content in schools. With the potential for prosecution in some states, it’s a scary time to be a librarian and teacher. An unforgettable, heartbreaking novel." — Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

Violence: Nazis beat men, women, and children; deaths due to illness and starvation; constant fear and threats from soldiers and Nazi doctor (Mengele) overall, not quite the execution i would have like from this, but still a really important story that i am grateful was told.Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close Her blissful childhood ended abruptly before she turned ten. In March 1939 the Nazis invaded Prague and started restricting the lives of Jews. Within a month her lawyer father lost his job and the family were evicted by Germans, who demanded the flat for themselves. The Librarian of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus. It is a story born of Dita’s experiences and the rich imagination of the author. Guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes ( much like anything published about the happenings at Auschwitz) this graphic novel is very creatively crafted. The Librarian of Auschwitz” by Antonio Iturbe is classified as young adult, historical fiction (based in reality, obviously). However, this novel is so much more than that.

Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this graphic novel tells the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Conocemos a Dita cuando tiene 14 años y ve que su mundo se empieza a desmoronar. La llegada de los nazis a Checoslovaquia y sus acciones para someter a los judíos harán que pase de tener una infancia normal a acabar en el infierno. Al igual que muchas otras personas, ella y sus padres son obligados a portar marcas que les señalan como judíos y se ven sumergidos en una situación de terror e incertidumbre. El futuro es incierto e intentar sobrevivir cada día es el único plan que se puede tener. Tras ser obligados a vivir en un gueto, acaban siendo trasladados a Auschwitz. Y nada volverá a ser igual. Aunque no entienden muy bien el motivo, Dita y su madre acaban en un barracón en el que las condiciones son ligeramente menos deplorables que en los demás. Y es ahí donde su amor por los libros la ayudará a convertirse en la bibliotecaria de Auschwitz... Families can talk about the strong bonds between parents and children that are part of The Librarian of Auschwitz. Can you imagine you and your family going through what Dita and her parents experienced? Who knew that a family unit existed at Birkeneau? For what purpose would such a unit exist??? In an environment in which people are being killed daily and survival rate is low, unit 31 provided at least a small portion of the prisoners with a moment to disconnect with their reality. Books - a contraband punishable by death - are used to teach the children in unit 31, to escape the harsh reality and feel a sense of normalcy. Dita, a 14-year-old girl, arrives at the family compound and is given the risky yet prestigious job as librarian at the secret school. The SS are unaware of the library's existence so everyday brings the risk of discovery; yet Dita would have it no other way. To her, books are a saviour and a reason to keep fighting and living. E adevărat: cultura nu este necesară pentru supraviețuirea omului, necesare sunt doar pâinea și apa. Este adevărat că omul supraviețuiește dacă are pâine să mănânce și apă să bea, dar mulțumindu-se doar cu atât moare întreaga omenire. Dacă omul nu se emoționează în fața frumuseții, dacă nu închide ochii și nu-și pune în funcțiune mecanismele imaginației, dacă nu este în stare să-și pună întrebări și să întrezărească limitele ignoranței sale, fie că este bărbat sau femeie, atunci înseamnă că nu este o persoană; înseamnă că nimic nu-l distinge de un somon, de o zebră, sau de un bou.”

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Os livros conservam nas suas páginas a sabedoria de quem os escreveu. Os livros nunca perdem a memória.”

I do not believe in coincidence, and the author Antonio Iturbe, was destined to meet and converse with the main character Dita. They were brought together by chance, and although there was a language barrier, they managed to communicate and the story that unravelled was meant to be told! This book is based around Dita an Auschwitz survivor, and with some non-fiction added the author was able to create a compelling story of bravery, survival and how magnificent the strength of the human spirit can be. Dita is given the great responsibility of looking after the few books in the family camp that had been banned by the Nazi's. This is a great responsibility, and one that she risked her life for everyday.The vast majority of the characters are either German or Jewish. The story shows how the Nazis treated the Jews in both the Terezin ghetto in Prague and in the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. It focuses on the bravery of Dita and other prisoners to persevere and remain hopeful. What other books or movies about the Holocaust have you read or watched? Why is it important to remember and learn about this period in history?

The Librarian of Auschwitz is a very good book. This is labeled a YA book but I'd consider it an adult novel, because there is a lot of violence and mentions of very sexual things, even for a young adult novel. The reason I gave it four stars is because the book and overall message is positive and realistically portrays the Holocaust, and helps the reader to understand the atrocities committed during that time. However, know yourself and your limit on violence and sexual stuff because it's heavily talked about. There is also mention of a homosexual character, which might spark discussion among younger readers and examples of painful and traumatizing surgeries a Nazi doctor at Auschwitz performed on the prisoners. Inspections are another matter altogether. Lines must be formed, and searches are carried out. Sometimes the youngest children are interrogated, the guards hoping to take advantage of their innocence to pry information out of them. They are unsuccessful. Even the youngest children understand more than their snot-covered little faces might suggest. Perfectamente documentado y narrado. Una historia cruda y desgarradora que atrapa de principio a fin.History will teach Mengele a lesson. That the greatest weakness of all is precisely that of the strong: They end up believing they are invincible. So the strength of the Third Reich is also its fragility. Believing it is indestructible, it will open so many battlefronts that it will end up collapsing.”