Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kacer (the Holocaust Remembrance series) presents a true tale about children and the Holocaust. Werner Reich, a boy at Auschwitz, meets famous magician Herbert Levin, who is also interned there. Herr Levin, as Werner calls him, is the famous Nivelli who performed in theaters all over Berlin before WWII. The magician teaches Werner a card trick at one of the lowest points of the boy's imprisonment: "In this dreadful place where there was nothing to own and nothing to give, the magician had given Werner a gift." Thick, roughly painted black lines surround many scenes, reinforcing a feeling of captivity. Newland's (A Chanukah Noel) limited palette of shadowy grays and greens (excepting the red of playing cards and swastika armbands) and the dark, sunken faces of prisoners contrast with Werner's small smile when he masters the magic trick. Concluding pages feature photographs of Werner and Levin along with short backstories and epilogues; a final author's note briefly recounts the Holocaust in accessible language. Like Kacer's previous books, this story is infused with hope and a message about human capacity for good in the face of evil. Ages 7-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-When Werner Reich, a young boy on his own, arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp, he slept at the top of a wooden three-tiered bunk (no mattress, no bedclothes). He stood in a line of men to be counted or did push-ups or meaningless back-breaking labor for endless hours each day and received a daily ration of "watery soup with two small potato pieces and a slice of bread made from flour and sawdust." Levin, Werner's bunkmate and only friend in the camp, became a father figure to the boy, calming him when he was upset and offering wise counsel. Werner soon learned that Herr Levin had a special talent that the prison guards sought out at night: he was a magician whose fingers deftly manipulated playing cards, coins, and string. The guards demanded more and more, causing the man to fear for his life should his tricks fail to please them. Werner recalls a particular night when Levin taught him a special card trick-a gift of hope that helped him to survive. Newland's soft, mostly gray-and-black illustrations, which appear to be drawn with pencil and pastels, reflect the somber tone of this true story. Werner's and Levin's lives after the war are detailed on four informational pages, which include black-and-white and color photos; a one-page introduction to Hitler's Final Solution ends the book. Kacer's story introduces the Holocaust in a straightforward manner that children can grasp.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A moving Holocaust story for younger readers about a young boy sent to Auschwitz and befriended by a magician. Before the story begins, Werner Reich is taken from his home and sent first to Terezin, then to Auschwitz. In Auschwitz, separated from his mother and sister, the boy is befriended by Herr Levin, a quiet, gentle man. One night, when guards enter the barracks demanding that Levin perform, Werner watches Levin do tricks with cards and string that mesmerize the guards. Levin explains to Werner that he does the tricks not to entertain but to stay alive, and he teaches Werner his magic tricks to help him do so as well. Both survive the war, and Werner later learns that the man who taught him magic tricks was "Nivelli," a renowned magician who performed throughout Europe before the war. In an afterword, color photographs show an elderly Reich performing card tricks he learned in Auschwitz. This book is presented as a biography, but there are no source notes indicating whether the quotes and situations depicted in the story are from Werner Reich's remembrances or invented by the author; she does indicate that she met and visited with Reich in her acknowledgments. Although there is a historical note, there are no suggestions for further reading for learning more about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. Though its sourcing is lacking, this is nevertheless a poignant, inspiring story of friendship, hope and survival. (Biography. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
