Teen Book Review by G4 (6th Grade


“The Nazi officers are dressed in black. They look at death with the indifference of a
gravedigger….”
This is a quote from the book “ The Librarian of Auschwitz” by Antonio Itubre. This is
a striking book based on the true story of Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus. Dita was a
daring girl who was a librarian at a secret library in Auschwitz. In case you don’t know,
Auschwitz was a German concentration camp during WWII. If the S.S., Hitler’s secret
service that guarded the camp, found out, she could be executed because books were
forbidden in Auschwitz.
She works with fellow Auschwitz prisoners to hide the books, to prevent getting caught.
They ask the camp seamstress to put deep and strong pockets in a jacket to conceal the
books while they are being transported. I was very surprised to hear that Dita was only
14, about my age. Her extreme bravery in the face of fear was shocking to me. She
risked her life to help others get an education during these tough times.
I recommend this book to people who have an interest in learning about the Holocaust.
The author traveled to Auschwitz to get information to write this book. I enjoyed reading
the book partly because of the author’s realistic writing style. The author’s hard work
really showed. I also recommend this book to people who enjoy stories of courage from
kids in their own age group.
This novel is a nail-biter and will keep you up at night, wanting to read more. Once you
finish this book, you will be much more knowledgeable about Auschwitz and be very
glad you read this book.