The Jews of Hun­gary man­aged to avoid the tor­tures of the Holo­caust for almost five years due to their wartime leader Mik­los Horthy’s luke­warm part­ner­ship with Adolph Hitler. Most Hun­gar­i­ans did not believe that what was hap­pen­ing to Jews in oth­er parts of Europe would hap­pen to them. But even in the throes of the war, with Ger­many los­ing, Adolph Eich­mann made sure that Hungary’s Jews would not escape death. Between 1944 and 1945, 550,000 Jews were mur­dered by the Nazis. 

Jakob’s father did fore­see what would hap­pen to the Jews, though, and he was right. He obtains false papers for his fam­i­ly and as­signs them a new Chris­t­ian iden­ti­ty. The fam­i­ly, liv­ing in Budapest, moves to the oth­er side of the riv­er and assumes a new lifestyle as well as new names, new fur­ni­ture, etc. Jakob be­comes Hen­drik. He attends a Chris­t­ian school with his dar­ing new friend Ivan. In Hendrik’s thir­teenth year, while dis­cussing his forthcom­ing con­fir­ma­tion, the prin­ci­pal, Broth­er Fer­enc, tells Hen­drik that now he, not his par­ents, has to make the choice of faith. Bare­ly remember­ing his true faith and con­fused, Hen­drik admits to Ivan, his close friend, that he is a Jew. The rest of the sto­ry is for you to read and find out. Does Ivan reveal to his Arrow Cross father the truth about Jakob? Why was Ivan with his father while his father was hunt­ing for Jews in the ghet­to? Is it Jakob/Hendrik’s fault that his Jew­ish fam­i­ly was deport­ed to Auschwitz? Will he sur­vive Auschwitz? Will he kill Ivan if he sur­vives? Was there any­thing pos­i­tive that result­ed from Jakob’s expe­ri­ence there? Oy vey! You had bet­ter read the book and find out. It’s worth the read. 

Rec­om­mend­ed for ages 9 – 13.