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Young Adult Fiction Holocaust

What World is Left

by (author) Monique Polak

Publisher
Orca Book Publishers
Initial publish date
May 2022
Category
Holocaust, General (see also headings under Social Themes), Values & Virtues
Recommended Age
12 to 18
Recommended Grade
8 to 12
Recommended Reading age
12 to 18
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554697762
    Publish Date
    Oct 2008
    List Price
    $0.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781459833036
    Publish Date
    May 2022
    List Price
    $15.95

Classroom Resources

Download Teacher’s Guide

Where to buy it

Description

“Heartbreaking. An important addition to the Holocaust curriculum.”—Booklist, starred review

A pampered child used to having her own way, Anneke Van Raalte lives outside Amsterdam, where her father is a cartoonist for an Amsterdam newspaper. Though Anneke's family is Jewish, her religion means little to her. Anneke's life changes in 1942 when the Nazis invade Holland and she and her family are deported to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. Not only are conditions in the camp appalling, but the camp is the site of an elaborate hoax: the Nazis are determined to convince the world that Theresienstadt is an idyllic place and that European Jews are thriving under the Nazi regime. Because he is an artist, Anneke's father is compelled to help in the propaganda campaign, and Anneke finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her sense of what is right. What World is Left was inspired by the experiences of the author's mother, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during World War II.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

About the author

MONIQUE POLAK écrit régulièrement pour le Montreal Gazette et a été publiée dans de nombreux autres quotidiens de renom tels que le Globe and Mail, le National Post et Newsday. Dans la collection SideStreets, elle a écrit All In et On the Game, ainsi que Flip Turn pour la collection Sports Stories. D’ailleurs, ces deux derniers ouvrages ont figuré sur la liste des meilleurs livres pour enfants du Centre du livre jeunesse canadien. Monique enseigne l’écriture ainsi que la littérature anglaise. Elle vit à Montréal, au Québec, avec son mari et sa fille.

 

MONIQUE POLAK is the author of 26 novels for young readers, as well as two non-fiction titles and a board book. Her books Hate Mail, Room for One More, and the historical novel What World is Left, which was inspired by her mother’s experience during the Holocaust, were all winners of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature.

 

Her books have also been nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Arthur Ellis Award, and several have been selected as Best Books for Children and Teens by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

 

She is also a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Macleans, and Postmedia newspapers across the country, and is a columnist on ICI Radio-Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec, where she teaches English and Humanities at Marianopolis College.

Monique Polak's profile page

Awards

  • Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
  • Commended, American Library Association (ALA) Best Books for Young Adults
  • Nominated, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award (MYRCA)
  • Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
  • Winner, Quebec Writers' Federation (QWF) Literary Awards - Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature
  • Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books
  • Commended, Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth

Editorial Reviews

“Polak writes authentically...An unusual Holocaust novel told through the eyes of a cognizant, questioning teen.”

Kirkus Reviews

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