From the Publisher
“[Schmidt] leaves specific atrocities between the lines, but effectively conveys a sense of the time’s ‘soul terror,’ adding a leavening of humor and plenty of searching, not-easily-answered questions for the young readers to ponder. Gold, indeed.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The twenty-three stories . . . are sometimes funny, often sad, but always profound.”—Voice of Youth Advocates
“Schmidt’s retellings are succinct and dramatic; stories of miraculous endurance, impossible escapes, and final redemption are presented with a brevity that never undercuts their power.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
VOYA
As night falls in the concentration camp where people are held prisoner because of their faith, the women and children gather to listen to the stories of Mara, the daughter of a Rabbi. The twenty-three stories she tells have been adapted from traditional Jewish folktales to reflect a Holocaust theme. They are sometimes funny, often sad, but always profound. Mara uses her gift of storytelling to offer her fellow prisoners hope, although on some nights it is hard to ignore that there is one less person listening. Some tales have a brief introduction to remind the reader who is telling these stories and why. The stories themselves are organized in sections such as "Stories in the Darkness," "Fear and Faith in a Bloodied Earth," and "Questions Angels Fear to Ask." This unique collection contributes to a field of study that is always sought. There are notes at the end that explain the origin of the stories and their meanings. Many readers will need to refer to these notes. The stories themselves are great explorations in language and Jewish folklore, but are often obscure to those new to the tales. This book will meet the needs of public libraries and school libraries looking for a new perspective on the Holocaust and Jewish themes. Notes. VOYA CODES:3Q 2P J S (Readable without serious defects;For the YA with a special interest in the subject;Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9;Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, Henry Holt, 148p, $15.95. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer:Karen Jensen—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)
Children's Literature
Mara, meaning "bitter" in Hebrew, is a prisoner in an unnamed Holocaust concentration camp. Each night, the tired, cold, hungry women and children who share her barrack gather around Mara's bunk to hear a story from her childhood, from tales she hears in the camp, or from the stories of their Hasidic tradition. Into what would otherwise be a place of bitter despair, Mara brings light and hope through her stories. Schmidt uses a unique format to emphasize the stories and still provide the reader with the setting of the book. The book is divided into eight segments, each with a title page and two strands of barbed wire as a visual reminder of the book's setting. An introduction and short conclusion set in italics prefaces each of the brief stories, which are set in standard type. The book or its separate stories could serve as a powerful introduction to a middle grade or high school unit about the Holocaust, or be told to a teen or adult audience. Schmidt includes detailed information about the origin of each story, as well as providing the reader with some details of the Holocaust camps. 2001, Henry Holt, $15.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: J. B. Petty
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-This collection framed as tales told within the concentration camps by a young woman named Mara is not completely successful as a cohesive whole. The book includes holocaust tales as well as traditional rabbinical stories set at that time. The selections range from accounts of escapes from being put into the camps to finding hope within the camps to betrayals and choices. Some are truly transcendent while others are simply filler. The use of Mara as a storyteller seems artificial and takes away from the power of the stories. Most of them could be used in a classroom situation, although they may be more useful in a religious setting than in a secular one. Schmidt includes extensive source notes for each story, giving the origins and explaining how he has changed some of them for this book. Hazel Rochman and Darlene Z. McCampbell's Bearing Witness: Stories of the Holocaust (Orchard, 1995) remains the best collection for children, but libraries with a strong Jewish patronage and a need for additional Holocaust literature may want to add Mara's Stories.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The author of Straw Into Gold (2000) spins 23 brief tales drawn from collections of Hasidic legends into a deeply felt Holocaust memorial, recasting them as versions told by a concentration camp resident and set not in a timeless past, but the storyteller's present: " . . . as if they had just happened. As if they are happening even now." So instead of generic oppressors, rabbis and simple folk face Nazis, even Hitler himself, or escape miraculously. Eisik seeks treasure under a bridge but finds it beneath his own iron stove after a German guard scornfully tells him of a dream; the Baal Shem Tov comes to stand witness over a mass grave; and two violinists play so beautifully-without instruments-that even the prisoners around them hear music. Schmidt is careful to explain what he has added to these episodes, names characters in honor of historical or Biblical figures, and conscientiously cites his sources. He leaves specific atrocities between the lines, but effectively conveys a sense of the time's "soul terror," adding a leavening of humor and plenty of searching, not-easily-answered questions for young readers to ponder. Gold, indeed. (Folktales. 11+)
