The Librarian of Auschwitz

(Hardback)

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Description

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezn ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz. Out of one of the darkest chapters of human history comes this extraordinary story of courage and hope.

Reviews

an unforgettable, heartbreaking novel. --Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

Like Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, it's a sophisticated novel with mature themes, delivering an emotionally searing reading experience. An important novel that will stand with other powerful testaments from the Holocaust era. --Booklist, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

This novel is one that could easily be recommended or taught alongside Elie Wiesel's Night and The Diary of Anne Frank and a text that, once read, will never be forgotten. VERDICT A hauntingly authentic Holocaust retelling; a must for YA collections. --School Library Journal, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

Though no punches are pulled about the unimaginable atrocity of the death camps, a life-affirming history. --Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

The Librarian of Auschwitz is a heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring work of art. --Shelf Awareness, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

Iturbe's remarkable account uses an immediate present tense to immerse readers in Dita's story as she goes about what constitutes daily life in Auschwitz, all the while risking everything to distribute and hide the library's books. --The Horn Book, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

Author Bio

Antonio Iturbe is a novelist and journalist. He interviewed Dita Kraus, the real-life librarian of Auschwitz, for this story.