bearfamilyreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
4.75
Alias Anna is so unique: the true story of the survival of two young, musically gifted Jewish teens, Zhanna and Frina. As Ukraine is invaded by Nazi Germany, and their family is marched to their death, the two sisters escape and go on to live (and play music) under fake names. Having kept her past a secret until late in life, Zhanna finally tells her story when her teen granddaughter asks her: "What was your life like when you were my age?"
Alias Anna is written in prose, which makes it easy to read. Direct quotes from Zhanna herself are mixed into this prose. There's also a healthy chunk of information at the back of the book, including:
The history of the "Holocaust by bullets" in the USSR (including massacres at Babi Yar and Drobitsky Yar);
Photographs of Zhanna and Frina throughout their lives;
The story of the correspondence between Zhanna and her granddaughter, Aimee, that led to this book being written;
An Afterword by Zhanna's son, who cowrote Alias Anna and wrote two other books about his mother;
A list of the piano pieces that Zhanna and Frina played;
Fascinating facts about music during WWII;
And more.
Together, the story written in prose, along with the supplemental information provided, I found this to be a very enriching reading experience. I expect to share it with my middle grade kiddos soon!
Alias Anna is written in prose, which makes it easy to read. Direct quotes from Zhanna herself are mixed into this prose. There's also a healthy chunk of information at the back of the book, including:
The history of the "Holocaust by bullets" in the USSR (including massacres at Babi Yar and Drobitsky Yar);
Photographs of Zhanna and Frina throughout their lives;
The story of the correspondence between Zhanna and her granddaughter, Aimee, that led to this book being written;
An Afterword by Zhanna's son, who cowrote Alias Anna and wrote two other books about his mother;
A list of the piano pieces that Zhanna and Frina played;
Fascinating facts about music during WWII;
And more.
Together, the story written in prose, along with the supplemental information provided, I found this to be a very enriching reading experience. I expect to share it with my middle grade kiddos soon!
kiperoo's review against another edition
5.0
Gripping, moving biography in verse. I couldn't put this down.
pages_and_thread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Incredible story written in a very digestible way. Inspiring and sad and a fantastic option for younger readers - it’s important not to lose these stories but generally they’re much too heavy for young kids, so I believe this one would be great for that age group. Worth the read no matter your age though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Torture, Genocide, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Murder, Grief, Death, and Slavery
tishreads's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating read that combines free-verse poetry and first-hand recollections to tell the story of two sisters trying to survive the atrocities of the Holocaust.
xangemthelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Just sort of "meh." I liked this, but I wasn't blown away by it. I'm really tired of all the WWII literature out there. I wish there was as much historical fiction about other points in history.
nanikeeva's review against another edition
3.0
a shockingly lighthearted holocaust account, as far as this genre comes
annebennett1957's review against another edition
4.0
After I adjusted my brain to the level this book targets, 4-6th graders, I found it to have a very important and shocking story. The afterward and author's notes were very revealing also. I recommend this for elementary librairies to be used along side the likes of stories like The Diary of Anne Frank.
kel_belle90's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
readballoon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.0