Paul, a young boy growing up in Hungary, is shocked by the arrival of the Nazis. Soon he is deported to work on a farm and eventually to Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp via a cramped train. This book is based on true events and told by the Paul's wife. I was impressed by the inclusion of photos from the time period showing Paul and his family and the conditions at Bergen-Belsen. This book would appeal to ten to twelve year old readers. It is nominated for a Red Cedar Award. ( )

While the author calls this an historical novel, she is telling the real story of her husband's families' experiences in Hungary under the Nazis during World War II. In the last days of the war, her husband, a boy of six years old, is put on one of the last trains out of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp. As the Allies close in, the German soldiers plan to murder the 1000's on the train. The timely arrival of some American soldiers accompanied by a tank force the Germans to flee and the lives of the Jewish internees are saved.

Years later, this boy now an elderly man, gets a chance to meet the soldiers who saved his life that day. This is a gritty story about the terror experienced by the Jews in occupied Europe and about the will to survive in the camps. Arato wrote this for young adults. ( )

A moving, richly detailed holocaust novel strongly based on the author's family history. ( )