First published 2016
Irena Sendler was a young Polish woman living in Warsaw during World War II. She witnessed the Nazis force Jewish families into a walled ghetto and watched as deportations began. Sendler made a choice that would save thousands of lives. She smuggled children out of the ghetto in toolboxes and coffins. She hid them under overcoats at checkpoints. She led them through sewers and secret passages to abandoned buildings. Sendler convinced friends and resistance fighters to shelter these children. The Nazis eventually captured and tortured her, but she never revealed the locations of the hidden children. Through her network, 2,500 children survived the Holocaust. This young readers edition of Tilar Mazzeo's book tells Sendler's story of courage during one of history's darkest periods. The book shows how one person's determination to act can save lives when others stand by and watch.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: courage, resistance, survival
Setting: Poland, Warsaw
Period: World War II
507 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Press Large Print
Content warnings: abuse, child-death, torture, violence