Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Orlev...devotes this memorable novel to the extraordinary true story of an orphaned Jewish boy's experiences in Poland during the war."
Review
"This is one of the better examples of Holocaust fiction in depicting the vagaries of human nature as villainous and heroic acts emerge unexpectedly, even casually, from a shifting wartime population threatened with catastrophe."
Review
"This is one of the better examples of Holocaust fiction in depicting the vagaries of human nature as villainous and heroic acts emerge unexpectedly, even casually, from a shifting wartime population threatened with catastrophe."
Review
"Mesmorizing and memorable." Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"The narrative is simple and spare, factual about everything from hunting with a slingshot to making a fire with a piece of glass, and it's always true to the viewpoint of a boy who thinks he's 'about nine.'" Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"...the story is totally engrossing as it vividly describes the hardships faced by so many youngsters during the war. Orlev has once again successfully used historical fiction to illustrate the Holocaust experience." School Library Journal
"Part of the strength of Orlev's writing rests with its spareness...in this novel of heartbreaking resilience." Horn Book
"This is one of the better examples of Holocaust fiction in depicting the vagaries of human nature as villainous and heroic acts emerge unexpectedly, even casually, from a shifting wartime population threatened with catastrophe." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Orlev...devotes this memorable novel to the extraordinary true story of an orphaned Jewish boy's experiences in Poland during the war." Publishers Weekly
Review
"The novel has obvious relevance fro studies of the Holocaust." KLIATT 11/01/07 KLIATT
Synopsis
Run, Boy, Run provides an account of one boy's survival of the Holocaust.
Synopsis
Run, Boy, Run is the extraordinary account of one boys survival of the Holocaust. Srulik is only eight years old when he finds himself all alone in the Warsaw ghetto. He escapes into the countryside where he spends the ensuing years hiding in the forest, dependent on the sympathies and generosity of the poor farmers in the surrounding area. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, several chases, captures, attempted executions, and even the loss of his arm, Srulik miraculously survives.
Synopsis
'Srulik, theres no time. I want you to remember what Im going to tell you. You have to stay alive. You have to! Get someone to teach you how to act like a Christian, how to cross yourself and pray. . . . The most important thing, Srulik,' he said, talking fast, 'is to forget your name. Wipe it from your memory. . . . But even if you forget everythingeven if you forget me and Mamanever forget that youre a Jew.'"
And so, at only eight years old, Srulik Frydman says goodbye to his father for the last time and becomes Jurek Staniak, an orphan on the run in the Polish countryside at the height of the Holocaust. With the danger of capture by German soldiers ever-present, Jurek must fight against starvation, the punishing Polish winters, and widespread anti-Semitism as he desperately searches for refuge. Told with the unflinching honesty and unique perspective of such a young child, Run, Boy, Run is the extraordinary account of one boys struggle to stay alive in the face of almost insurmountable oddsa story all the more incredible because it is true.
About the Author
Uri Orlev was born in Warsaw in 1931. He spent the years 1939–41 in hiding in the Warsaw ghetto with his mother and younger brother. When his mother was killed by the Nazis, he and his brother were sent to Bergen-Belsen. After the war, Orlev went to Israel. He now lives in Jerusalem with his wife and their three children.
In 1996, Uri Orlev received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition given to an author of childrens books, for his lasting contribution to childrens literature.