Based on the experiences of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust.

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Displaced, along with her mother and father, from their home in Prague - first to the capital city's ghetto, then northward to the Terezin settlement, and now to Auschwitz in Poland - Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp.

When Jewish leader Fredy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees, becoming the librarian of Auschwitz.

From one of the darkest chapters of human history comes an extraordinary story of courage and hope.

My Rating: 5/5

I have no words. This book, while fiction, is based upon fact. And the terrors of Auschwitz as seen through the eyes of Dita are all too real. This terror, at the hands of Hitler and his nazis should never have been allowed to take place - ever. And yet, it did. And it was hidden from the world who were unaware of the atrocities being experienced by European Jews at that time.

This book is a must read.

And while you may find it within the children's or young adult section of your local book store, it is suitable and recommended reading for anyone over the age of 10 or 12.

Other books I recommend:

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication Date: 2018

I purchased this book for my own collection and was not required to give a review.