 Loading...  | Fighter in the woods : the true story of a Jewish girl who joined the partisans in World War II Author: Greene, Joshua | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
The year was 1941, and Nazi Germany was bombing Poland. Celia Kassow, a young Jewish girl, knew she was in danger, so she ran to seek shelter at a Polish classmate's house. The classmate's response? "Get away from here, you dirty Jew." Celia and her family were then imprisoned in a Nazi ghetto. A different Polish classmate of Celia's, a boy who had a crush on her, helped Celia escape to his family's farm, and eventually, into the woods to join the Soviet partisans.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (01/01/25)
Booklist (00/02/25)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 01/01/2025 Gr 3–7—A gripping and graphic biography of a young Holocaust survivor based on interviews with the subject. This is the true story of Celia Cimmer, a young Jewish teen living in Poland at the start of World War II, who showed incredible bravery and determination in the face of unimaginable brutality and loss. Cimmer was away at school when the war started, and after bombs fell on her school she made her way home only to find that former friends and neighbors have turned against her, the family home has been taken over by the Nazis, and the area has been turned into a Jewish ghetto. Cimmer and her siblings had to choose either to work for the Nazis or join the resistance. Most of Cimmer's family were murdered trying to escape from the ghetto, but Cimmer and her sister survived and made their way to join their two older brothers in the Partisan resistance fighters in the woods. After the war, Cimmer married and emigrated to the U.S., where she eventually agreed to tell her story. A series of nine explanatory text blocks on subjects including antisemitism, the Holocaust, various types of camps, and resistance appear throughout the book, providing critical historical background without disrupting the narrative. Back matter includes an extensive author's note, historical photographs, and previews of other Focus books on the same topic. VERDICT An important addition to any collection, perfect for fans of Tarshis's "I Survived" series who are ready to move on to more complex books.—Sue Morgan - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
