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The Big Lie: A True Story
The Big Lie A True Story
Author: Isabella Leitner, Irving A. Leitner, Judy Pedersen (Illustrator)
A survivor of a Nazi death camp, Isabella Leitner has told her story for adults in two highly acclaimed autobiographies. Now, in eloquent text, she relates her experiences for younger readers. — Isabella's story begins in the spring of 1944 when the Nazis invaded her Hungarian town and sent her and her family to concentration camps. She never...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780590455701
ISBN-10: 0590455702
Publication Date: 11/1994
Pages: 79
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 15

3.9 stars, based on 15 ratings
Publisher: Scholastic
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Big Lie: A True Story on + 3352 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Back of book: On March 19, 1944, with WWII raging throughout Europe, the Nazis took over - and everything changed for Isabella Leitner, her family, and all the Jews of Hungary. Isabella tells of her experiences in nazi occupied Europe. She explains how she was forced to wear a yellow star and to obey strict rules...just because she was Jewish. isabella survived and has a very important story to share.

I say: Isabella and her family were sent to the death camp, Auschwitz. She tells her story simply for elementary school age readers. This very simplicity amplifys the horror and triumph. She does not go into gory details but she does tell what happened. And she tells it as she lived it - not sure of the whats and whys but learning the horror first hand. Imagine a line of people walking towards the infamous Dr. Mengele and seeing your mother and sister sent to the right, to be murdered, while you get sent to the left to be starved and abused. The whole family should read this.
babyjulie avatar reviewed The Big Lie: A True Story on + 336 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
As of yet I haven't found a better book to introduce the Holocaust to younger children. This may be suitable for children even younger than pre-teens but as I'm not sure I don't want to make that statement.
Leitner is a talented author and that shows even in this bare minimum story. I'll probably keep this for my daughter for when she's an appropriate age and I wish someone had handed me this when I was younger. Maybe I would have had this interest long before now and I can't imagine all the books I could have read and all I could have learned in the time that has past.
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reviewed The Big Lie: A True Story on + 21 more book reviews
On March 19, 1944, with World War II raging throughout Europe, the Nazis took over - and everything changed for Isabella Leitner, her family, and all the Jews of Hungary. Isabella tells of her experiences in Nazi occupied Europe. She explains how she was forced to wear a yellow star and to obey strict rules... just because she was Jewish. Isabella survived and has a very important story to share.


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