Names in a Jar

Names in a Jar

Twelve-year-old Anna Krawitz is imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto with her older sister, Lina, and their father. Happy days spent reading about anatomy and science in Papa’s bookshop are long gone, and the knowledge they have is used to help their neighbors through the illnesses caused by starvation and war. With no hope in sight and supplies dwindling, Anna finds herself taking care of an orphaned baby. With a courage she didn’t know she had, Anna and the baby leave behind all they know and go into hiding with a Catholic family, changing their names to hide their identity, but Lina is not so lucky and winds up in the infamous Treblinka Camp. Can Lina survive and find her way back to Anna? Will the two sisters even recognize each other after such a long time? A story filled with hope, courage and reconciliation. Content Advisory: rape, sexual assault Gr 9 Up-Sisters Anna and Lina love spending time in their father's Warsaw bookshop reading books about science and poetry. That is, until the Nazis seize control of Poland and life as they've known it ceases to exist. Anna and Lina tell their family story through alternating perspectives, starting in 1939 and continuing on through the end of World War II and beyond. After the Nazis take control of Poland, Anna, Lina, and their father are relocated to the Warsaw Ghetto. Anna is smuggled out and goes to live with a Christian family where she employs her love of reading and science to become a useful member of her new community. Lina is not as lucky. Remaining in the ghetto to care for her father and work with the Resistance, Lina is transported to the Treblinka death camp in Poland. The fast-paced storytelling sometimes leaves out details that would have rounded out the narrative more. VERDICT A secondary purchase. This would be a good filler for libraries that can't keep World War II historical fiction on the shelf. It's a great pick for reluctant readers and those who enjoy historical fiction and World War II stories.-Maryjean Riou, Hunterdon County Lib., Flemington, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "A great pick for reluctant readers and those who enjoy historical fiction and World War II stories." ― School Library Journal "A heart-stopping, rollercoaster ride that leaves the reader wanting more! ... There are not many YA novels set in Treblinka, probably because so few prisoners survived that death camp. Jennifer has taken the true story of a real revolt that took place in Treblinka and adapted it for her novel. It's a story filled with courage and with hope." -- Kathy Kacer ― Shepherd When you change your name, do you change who you are? Jennifer Gold is an award-winning author of several books for young adults, including Soldier Doll and On the Spectrum . A lawyer and mom of two kids and two cats, she lives with her family in Toronto.