 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Devil's Arithmetic
- By Jane Yolen
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Intense Holocaust story makes history real.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a book about a girl transported to the time of the Holocaust. Readers understand the importance of keeping historical events alive
through this book that directly connects horrific past events to the
character's life. It is a gripping story that brings readers face to face with the horrors of the Holocaust, including prisoners being beaten and shot, frank descriptions of Nazi concentration camps -- and the death of children.
What's the story?
Thirteen-year old Hannah detests attending her family Seder. All the talk about remembering the Holocaust bores her until she finds herself transported to a Polish shtetl in 1942. There she joins the inhabitants as they're taken to a concentration camp. Through Hannah, readers find themselves in a grim four-day journey by
boxcar to the concentration camp. In all that time Hannah gets one cup
of dirty water to drink; she's packed in so tightly she can't move; with
no toilet facilities, people simply soil themselves, adding to the
intolerable odors. On the way, a child dies in her mother's arms and one of Hannah's
new friends dies too. And that's just the beginning of the horror.
Is it any good?
Teens sometimes casually dismiss the past as irrelevant and uninteresting. In THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC, Jane Yolen uses that attitude, and an intriguing time-travel plot device, to place a modern teen in a traumatic historical event, helping to bring history to life and directly connecting past events to the character's life. In the end, this time-travel story, an excellent introduction to the Holocaust, has great power for young readers.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the Holocaust. Why do people still read and write about this horrible event? Why is it important to read stories like Hannah's?
This book was made into a movie starring Kirsten Dunst. If you've seen the movie, compare and contrast the two. Which tells a more powerful story? If you haven't seen it, do you want to? How do most movies made from books fare?
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AGE
Perfect For Tweens and Teens
I was assigned to read this book in school and when I first saw the cover that it wasn't going to be a very good book, but then I read it! I love this book, I'm not Jewish but I can relate to how Hannah feels when you are listening to your grandparents go on and on about something you had nothing to with, it can be frustrating when someone like me loves history but hates being a told a story but not all of it and then having to hear over and over.
This book had me turning the pages over and over and i ended up finished it in two hours. The way Jane made Hannah's point of view blew me away because like i said even though I'm not Jewish I could relate to her and how Hannah dealt with everything was Amazing.....it it truly a Amazing book and if you ever have time sit down and read it!
It's educational and addicting!
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AGE
Appropriate for all age groups and is a positive Movie!
i am 14 and i read this book at age twelve and i still remeber it. This book really gives kids and anybody else the insight on the outside world. I reccomend this book to all kids my age and 12 years old, Why limit your children to books that hld back so much that the right message isnt heard. the kids need to be taught.
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AGE
Good for pre-teens and up
This book is really good. We read it in class during our WW2 unit. Very educational
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AGE
STUPID WORST EVER
i like most books i read but this was the number 1 worst book ever to be sold in the world it sucks .... its so boring and no matter who you are you will hate it so boring
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AGE
Older Children Classic
Great story for older children to help children understand what other's can do.
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AGE
great for ages 12 and up
I loved this story! I would say that it is not for kids under the age of 12 though because of the amount of violence.
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AGE
i think that this book is very good, and i dont think that it is bad for any children at all. I think it is very good for kids ages 12 and older because it actually teaches you about the holocaust.
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| Author: | Jane Yolen |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Penguin Group |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1988 |
| Number of pages: | 70 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
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