Errmm like Maria I picked my book from the pile in the library with my very effective method of eenie-meeny-miney-mo. I reckon the cover of this book stood out from the rest with its gold-ish green camouflage and weird title of Milkweed.
"I am running. Thats the first thing I remember. Running. I carry something, my arm curled around it, hugging it to my chest Bread of course.Someone is chasing me. "Stop! Thief!" "
from the beginning this story had me hooked, I made sure it wasn't a racism based novel because Ive read too many of those. It is a novel about life in the Warsaw Ghetto through the eyes of a little boy, who looks 8 years old, who has no real identity and doesn't really know whats going on around him or has any education and social skills. He has absolutely no memory of his past, only that he was given the yellow stone he wears around his neck by his papa and that he is a gypsy. What helps him survive is his petite size and quick feet when it comes to stealing food and finding shelter.
A redheaded older boy named Uri finds Stop-thief and takes him under his wing, introducing him to a whole group of young thieves.They look out for one another like family, and share both the bad and the good. Without parents and no real demonstration of LOVE they show it to each other and are civil in an uncivilized world. Uri gives Stop-thief a new name and made up his background, telling him his name is Misha and he comes from a large Russian gypsy family and was kidnapped and brought to Warsaw. Also to remember that he's not a Jew. Misha’s small body, quickness, and experience stealing comes in handy for him and his friends.sneaking out through a two-brick hole to get food, he saves his friends from dying of starvation.
Surprisingly Uri becomes a soldier and makes sure Misha doesn't get on the trains headed for the concentration camps. Young and naive at the time with all this was going on, Misha does not understand the danger of the situation. His version of the Holocaust is innocent, cute, and horrifying at the same time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about history or the holocaust. There are definitely violent, morbid, and disgusting parts to the story, which I think is fitting. I think it is wonderful that authors are writing these kinds of novels. Youth should be able to get a good picture of what happened during the Holocaust so that it never occurs again, even on a smaller scale. After this book I hope people will try to treat each other a little bit better, I mean same thing applies with everyone else's books. I recommend this book to any-one who reads this book review and isn't afraid of violence and well holocaust. A.... 8/10 for me.
=D
As always, a thoughtful review Samantha. I'm glad you enjoyed the book. As it is about the Holocaust, and I know your class read The Boy in the Striped PJs last year, I wonder how the two compare and which you preferred? Thomas read The Book Thief this time, which is also about the Holocaust, if you want to read his review. Funny that you tried to avoid racism, but this book is about racism isn't it?
ReplyDeletehaha thanks miss, yes when you actually do think about it...racism was an issue in the story.
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