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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Holocaust violence including roundups, deaths, and the destruction of families; depicted through the eyes of a child who doesn't fully understand what he's seeing
Language
None
No profanity
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The systematic destruction of a community; loss of everyone the protagonist loves; the horror filtered through innocent incomprehension
What this book is about
In 1939 Warsaw, a young boy with no name, no past, and no understanding of what is happening around him survives the German occupation by his wits and the innocence of not fully understanding that he should be afraid. He joins a gang of Jewish children in the ghetto, is given the name Misha Pilsudski, and witnesses events whose meaning he cannot process. Spinelli's haunting Holocaust novel is written for young readers but is deeply affecting.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Holocaust depicted through a child's innocent eyes
Deaths of beloved characters
Historical atrocity
Reader Verification
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