From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up—While Anne Frank may have been the most famous of those who went into hiding during World War II, there were hundreds of others who did just about anything they could to escape the Nazis. Though most did not survive, this compilation of 14 stories describes those who did live to tell their tale. Inspired by his mother's account of hiding when she was just six years old, Prins interviewed other survivors. The tales are all horrifying and harrowing in their own ways yet are marked by an unvarnished tone that conveys an immediacy that sweeps readers into the narrative, making this tragic episode of history real and dramatic. One survivor had as many as 42 different addresses, while another describes hiding under floorboards for hours while German officers walked overhead. The threat of exposure by collaborators was ever present, and the trauma didn't end after the war, as most lost many family members or had their homes given away and all traces of their former lives were gone. Photographs of the contributors, both now and then, as well as a glossary are included. An accompanying website with excerpts, maps, animations, and other material is quite engaging and worth perusing. This moving and powerful title is an important addition to any history collection.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA Read more From Booklist First published in the Netherlands in 2011, this powerful book has personal origins; Prins’ mother was a Jewish child hidden with a Christian family during WWII. Hers is among the 14 first-person narratives representing a breadth of experience not always so similar to the famous story referenced in the title. Some of the children were hidden in plain sight because they did not look Jewish; others barely identified themselves as Jewish until the war forced it upon them. Each life was at the mercy of neighbors, and the contradiction between the enormous bravery of ordinary people and the callousness of informers is always potent. Places like Hollandsche Schouwburg, Westerbork, and Auschwitz appear in each successive story, as civil liberties and livelihoods are stripped away. Photographs and original documents complement the narratives. A glossary of terms appears at the end of the book and definitions of terms appear as footnotes when first appearing in the text. This is a powerful read where survival—not happiness—is the goal. Grades 7-10. --Kara Dean Read more Review Praise for Hidden Like Anne Frank"Like Anne Frank's, these few voices stand out and speak for the millions whose stories remain untold." -- The New York Times Book Review*"Each memoir is poignant and heartrending on its own, and the compilation gives the reader a stunning sense of the horror of the Holocaust. Terrifying, haunting and powerful." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review*"These first-person stories of heroism and inhumanity explore the true scope of Holocaust atrocities, while also serving as a testament to resilience." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review*"This moving and powerful title is an important addition to any history collection." School Library Journal, starred reviewA Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2014A 2015 USBBY Outstanding International BookA Bank Street College Center for Children’s Literature Best Book of the Year, Outstanding Merit Read more About the Author Marcel Prins was inspired to create this project by his own mother, who went into hiding in 1942 to escape Nazi persecution. She was just six years old. Marcel Prins is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and cameraman. He lives in Utrecht, the Netherlands.Peter Henk Steenhuis is a journalist and the philosophy editor for the TROUW daily newspaper in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Read more
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