Yellow Star

Roy, J. (2006). Yellow star. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish.

Genre: Biography
Format: Chapter Book
Recommended Age: 10-12
Awards: 2009 William Allen White Award

A relative of the main character, Roy tells the true story of Syvia, a young Jewish survivor of WWII who spent the majority of the war locked in the Lodz Ghetto among thousands of other Jews. From the time Syvia was 4 1/2 years-old to when she was released at the age of 10, Syvia witnessed unspeakable horrors during her time in the ghetto. Told from the perspective of a child, at times the dreadful events were vague, yet at the same time perfectly obvious to the adult reader, such as the sudden disappearance of her friend Hava. Throughout her time there, children were murdered, families were shipped off on trains to meet their eventual death, and the Jewish extermination was well underway, yet miraculously, Syvia and her family survived, with Syvia being one of only 12 children left alive in the ghetto. The content of the book is violent at times, sad at others, yet sprinkled with happier memories here and there. Although the prose is never too violent, I would still recommend this book for children ages ten and up, as they are so easily drawn to stories of adversity and individuality. The fact that the story told here is true will only serve to grasp their attention even more. Beautifully told, this story will capture the hearts of readers. They will both laugh and cry, and be inspired to press on in the face of difficulties as Syvia and her family did when it seemed all hope was lost.

Ford, S. (2006, October 19). Yellow Star - Jennifer Roy [Review of the book Yellow Star]. Message posted to http://childlitbookclub.blogspot.com/2006/10/yellow-star-jennifer-roy.html.

On her blog for The Children's Literature Book Club, Stephanie Ford provides a wealth of insight into Roy's work Yellow Star. In addition to an overview of the book, Ford points out that "Holocaust books for middle grades can be very difficult because they shouldn’t hide the truth, but they shouldn’t be overly graphic and gruesome. Yellow Star walks the fine line perfectly because it’s told from the point of view of a young girl who didn’t always understand the truth and her parents and older sister protected her as much as they could." Ford also mentions that the story seems to be strengthened through verse, as "the simplicity of prose matches the descriptions young Syvia lends credit to her perspective as a child." Ford gives far more valuable insight than I tend to see in other book reviews, perhaps because of its blog format, so I particularly enjoyed reading her review of the book. She had nothing but positive things to say, and the same goes for me.