The Night Crossing

by Karen Ackerman

Overview

For fans of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas comes a heartstopping tale of resilience for one young girl during World War II.

It's hard to leave your home and friends, but the Nazis have invaded Clara's native Austria, and her family is no longer safe. Clara and her family take only what they can carry and travel by night to the Swiss border, where they hope to escape to freedom, even while soldiers are everywhere. Can Clara's heroism carry her family across the border, with their lives and few precious possessions intact?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780679870401
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/25/1995
Series:	First Bullseye Book
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	260,771
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.17(d)
Lexile:	960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Karen Ackerman has written over 25 books for young readers. Her books have won many awards including ABA Pick of the List, ALA Notable Books, Children's Book Council/NCSS Notable Books in the Field of Social Studies, New York Library Best List, Horn Book's Best, and School Library Journal Best Books. Her picture-book Song and Dance Man, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, won the 1989 Caldecott Medal.

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent fictional introduction to the Holocaust."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Set in Austria in 1938, this tale of a Jewish family's escape to Switzerland, said PW, ``has plenty of heartstopping moments... [but] the historical details are treated lightly.'' Ages 7-11. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 3-4-Clara treasures the two antique dolls that came with her grandmother when the family fled from the pogroms in Russia to Austria. Now the family is planning to escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, and Clara intends to take them with her. When Mama sews her treasured silver candlesticks into the petticoat of her oldest daughter, they make noise and Papa is afraid they will clank and alert the border guards. Clara then suggests hiding the candlesticks in the dolls' straw stuffing since this is their second ``night crossing,'' and they are not afraid. This is a suspenseful escape story written for transitional readers. The danger is clear but not belabored. The stress is on the family's closeness and courage. The dolls and candlesticks are tangible representations of continuity and tradition, which comfort and sustain the family. An epilogue reveals the fate of the Jews who did not escape, including Clara's grandmother. Ackerman's writing is clear and direct; despite its simplicity, it is never banal. This is an excellent fictional introduction to the Holocaust that is slightly easier to read, but for the same audience as, Claire Bishop's Twenty and Ten (Peter Smith, 1984). It will also be a good choice for less proficient older readers wanting World War II novels.-Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ

School Library Journal