I think this book is really great because it teaches students that it only takes one person to make a difference which is a lesson everyone needs to know regardless of how old you are. I think a good activity to do with students in a 7th grade classroom when talking about real world application of things we read in literature. I would have them my students be journalist just like Varian Fry and find information out about a topic or issue they feel passionate about. Another use for this book would be when talking about history and more specifically World War II and the Nazis. The extension I would have them do would be a free write activity where they respond to a prompt asking if they agree with Fry's decision to disobey the law in order to help the refugees out of the country.

I thought this book was very well-written and a very interesting story. I have always been interested in World War II and the Holocaust, more than any historical event. However, this book read too much like a textbook for my personal taste and I didn't like that about it. For this reason, I think this book would be good for classroom use mainly in middle school or high school. I think boys would especially like this, because of the top secret mission aspect. You could definitely use this as a history lesson on the Holocaust, World War II, or Hitler. I think this would be a good book to assign as a book report and have each student research a different person involved with World War II, who tried to help the people who were victims. ( )

A great book for older students, 5th grade and above learning about Hitler and the Nazi movement. The book is about an American who tries to free Jewish refugees. It deals with quite a heavy topic, and the reader would need adequate reading skills to learn all of the information. However, the book has interesting photos and poems that help to break up the story. A really great book.

Wow basically the underground railroad of WWII. For some reason I thought this story was about something else and I was pleasantly surprised. I had never heard any of this informations. Super interesting. ( )

Having read a few books regarding the holocaust, Fry was a person that I had not heard of before. Varian Fry is an "un-song" hero in the history books. This book portrayed a magnitude version of Schindler's list.
The middle of the road rating does not take away the importance of the content of the book because it is a much needed story to tell.
The strengths of the book came from the real black and white photos, well-documented text, and historical significance. This book would make an excellent source to supplement other fiction or non fiction.
reading about the holocaust.
Where I saw some weaknesses, was that it was hard to follow the characters or the refugees. Of course this was due to so many that were involved. I also think that the element of danger, risk, and unknown was kind of watered down. There was mention of crossing the mountains, raids, and close calls. However, I had a hard time really getting into the emotional aspect of constant fear and courage.
Even though the author writes in clear readable language, it sometimes seems flat and confusing.
Even though the sequence of events was appropriate, it was difficult to follow the groups of refugees, workers, and Fry's own points of views and happenings. ( )