Thanks to the unusual angle, a good choice for assignments or general reading.
A history of the Holocaust with particular reference to the experiences of teenage Jewish victims.
Readers will encounter some widely recognized figures in this remembrance, such as Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel, but Roland draws from many decades of recorded testimonials, offering space for a chorus of less well-known voices. Paraphrasing and utilizing short quotes, he chronicles thematically the rising tide of Nazi repression, the brutal and terrifying roundups, life and death in the thousands of European camps, and heroic resisters like 15-year-old Warsaw Ghetto activist Aliza Vitis-Shomron and 16-year-old Sophie Scholl of the largely non-Jewish White Rose group. In the final chapter, the author offers glimpses of the Holocaust’s enduring effects on Jewish survivors. Tibor “Ted” Rubin spent two years as a teen in Mauthausen, followed several years later by 30 months as a prisoner of war in North Korea while serving in the U.S. Army; he enlisted after emigrating as an act of gratitude to the American soldiers who liberated him. Eva Kor, who was in Auschwitz with her twin sister (they were subjected to Joseph Mengele’s horrific medical experiments), controversially tendered a public statement of forgiveness for her ordeals. The book makes no mention of teenage Holocaust victims who were targeted for their sexuality, disability, or Romani ethnicity. Numerous historical photographs accentuate the sobering content.
Thanks to the unusual angle, a good choice for assignments or general reading. (source notes, for further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: tomorrow
ISBN: 9781678213725
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
