Chance

ChanceChance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) on October 13, 2020
ISBN: 0374313717
Pages: 336
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

A middle school level memoir, Chance might be a perfect book for helping kids learn about the Holocaust. Shulevitz was a small child living in Poland when his parents decided to flee. What follows is, at times harrowing and at times touching, a memoir of his family’s ability to avoid being captured by Nazis. Shulevitz writes so easily, so conversationally, that it seems he’s sitting there with you, telling you his story. He never shies away from the horrors of his ordeal but he also relays some fond memories of the time, especially of his mother, who seemed to be  a wonderful person. Drawing is a major theme and his current illustrations are mixed with illustrations he did as a child. This is an exceptional book, both for its readability and its potential to educate.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath

five-stars