Hannah Reviews: "The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust" by Lola Rein Kaufman and Lois Metzger

Title: The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust

Author: Lola Rein Kaufman and Lois Metzger

Published: 2008

Genre: YA Literature, Nonfiction

Hey y'all. I'm bringing Hannah back with a long overdue review that she has so graciously put together for your reading pleasure.

Prepare yourselves. I am about to say something incredibly controversial. I, Hannah, have never been a fan of The Diary of Anne Frank. This is not to say I do not like Anne Frank her self or that I am a heartless human being, I simply do not think that it is the best book to use to teach children about the Holocaust. The first time I read The Diary of Anne Frank I was probably about 12 and I remember thinking how mad I would have been if my Dad had decided to publish my diary. It seems to be mostly about a girl coming of age than about the Holocaust. I think that if I used it in my classroom one day, I would only use parts of the book that are related to the time of history in which she lived. 

At this point you may be wondering why I am talking so much about a book I am not even reviewing. That's a great question. It is because since reading The Diary of Anne Frank I have been trying to find a book that would be more suitable for the classroom. I believe that The Hidden Girl: A True Story of the Holocaust may be the one. This book was written by Lola Rein Kaufman with the help of Lois Metzger. Lola Rein Kaufman was only six years old, the German army invaded her hometown in Poland. Within a very short amount of time, some of her family members die and she goes into hiding on her own. For a while she is able to stay with a family who claims her as their distant relative, but as time goes on some of those in the family get too nervous, and they send her to hide at the farm of someone they know. You would think that she would be able to run and play on a secluded farm, but because of the fear of someone finding out Jews were there, she was forced to live in a hole in their barn floor for nine months. If this were not incredible enough, the hole is six-and-a-half feet by six-and-a-half feet and is barely tall enough for her tiny body to sit up in. Additionally, she shares the hole with two adults and another little girl. In this grave-like compartment she sits until she is told that the Germans have left and she leaves the hole for the first time in nine months.

Not only is this an amazing account of Lola in hiding, it also is about the struggles she faced after the war: a part of the suffering we do not always consider. Throughout the time she spent in hiding, Lola wore a dress on which her mother had embroidered a colorful design. This dress she would save throughout her life would end up in the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. 

This story is enlightening. Before reading this book, I had heard that some people had to hide in very small places during World War II, but this story helped me realize how terrifying the circumstances really were. I would say that, depending on the maturity level of the child this story could be read by a student in 5th-8th grade. The story itself is only 98 pages long, but there are several pages of suggested resources in the back of the book. This book has many Social Studies and History connections, and as a teacher, I have found that there are YouTube videos in which Lola Rein Kaufman addresses her experiences, so the students can put her face with her story. I would highly recommend this book to all students and teachers who would like to learn more about the experiences of children in hiding during the Holocaust.

Hannah says:

Know of any other good Holocaust stories either for the classroom setting or just pleasure reading? Comment below!