This book is about a girl named Eleanor whose parents are immigrants from Germany. She had lived in America all her life. When her dad got a job offer in Berlin, Germany, he decided to take it, even though Hitler had started doing some bad stuff already. When they were on the ship to Germany they heard that Hitler had declared war on Poland, they started to get worried after that. During the time that they were in Germany their mom had two more children, now there was Eleanor, Frank, Tommy, and Elizabeth. They also moved to a new home in Waldenburg. (a village in Germany in the country) They also moved back to Berlin to be with their father who had stayed there for their job. There was barely any food around and they were starving. They all made it through the war and almost all of the families had lost members. They lost lots of friend. They also lived life under the rule of the Russians, which was awful and Russians even camped out in their home! Eleanor, her dad, and Frank were able to go back to America, but her mom and younger siblings weren’t. So they left and her dad saved money to bring her mom and younger siblings to America. They all made it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It wasn’t just someone writing down what happened, but there was feeling in it. I definitely give it five stars. It was super interesting to read about this amazing girl. I couldn’t put it down! If you enjoy reading stories about WW2 then this is a good one for you. She was close to my age, so she was relatable too! There were a few parts where I felt like i could influence the story, because i was so into it! ( )

This is the autobiographical story of a 9 year old American girl who moved to Germany with her family and growing up there during the war. Hitler attacked Poland while they were on the boat to Germany. She tells of what it was like trying to fit in and learn the language and adapt to the fiercely patriotic culture and get along with her relatives in Germany.

The tone in the first part of the book captures the child's carefree spirit rather well and what it must have felt like to be the author. However, as the war progresses she shares several disturbing experiences that would make this a poor selection for young audiences.

It was very interesting reading about their experience with going through bombing air raids and the devastation they caused. Some of her experiences haunted her for many years (probably the rest of her life) and will haunt you a little too.

This book is a vauluable story of civilian life in Germany during WWII and some of the aftermath. She discusses their experiences with racism and the fear people lived in from the secret police. She also relates her reaction to finding out about the holocaust after the war.

When you read about the suffering of others it reminds you how small many of our problems are. ( )

This book I believe is a must read in classrooms and will help students understand history and a persons life a little better. This book also went through a lot of emotions and sometimes is hard to handle. It can help children understand war and the evil side of the world simply by reading this story.

This was a well-written book and a different look at World War II than I usually read. Eleanora was a German American who had to go to Germany near the end of the Depression to get work. Of course, they get stuck there and have to endure the bombings from the enemy of the Nazis, the Allies. Then the occupation of the Russians after the war was even worse. It was so real, that it was almost hard to read much at a time. ( )

A well written memoir of a girl who leaves America for Germany as World War II starts, her life during the war and her families struggles to return to the United States. The story is written from Eleanor's point of view so people are introduced and developed in the beginning as a nine-year old girl would see people, character development continues throughout the book with the meeting of new people and Eleanor getting older. The plot is predictable for readers who are familiar with World War II, but holds the readers attention with not knowing if everyone will survive. The setting is well described and the pictures in two sections of the book can help readers to connect even more. This would be a great book in a public library for advanced middle school readers and high school readers who are interested in World War II. ( )