Synopses & Reviews
A stunning novel of the Holocaust from Newbery Medalist, Jerry Spinelli
He’s a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Filthy son of Abraham.
He’s a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He’s a boy who steals food for himself, and the other orphans. He’s a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels.
He’s a boy who wants to be a Nazi, with tall, shiny jackboots of his own-until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind.
And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he’s a boy who realizes it’s safest of all to be nobody.
Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable-Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II-and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young Holocaust orphan.
Review
“Spinelli creates a masterful achievement, a war story to be put alongside J. G. Ballard’s Empire of the Sun and a literary accompaniement to Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful.” VOYA
Review
"Jerry Spinelli has fashioned a novel of beauty out of the ugliness of the Holocaust. It is a superb book, one of the best you will read.” BookPage
Review
“An extremely powerful book. Readers will be gripped by this story of a young orphan in Warsaw.” Boston Herald
About the Author
Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including Maniac Magee, winner of the Newbery Medal, and Stargirl a New York Times bestseller and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults. Spinelli made his picture book debut with My Daddy and Me, a loving tribute to fathers and sons.