. . . even once all of this is over, this evil could emerge from the souls of men again and again and again.
As Ukrainians fight for their lives, a Holocaust novel may sound like too heavy a recommendation, yet this is perhaps the best time to revisit the past. For fans of historical fiction as well as parents of young teens grappling with how to lend perspective to the news without graphic brutality, this fictionalized account of two half-Jewish teens living on opposite sides of the ghetto wall offers hope in the true tale of a child smuggling operation that saved thousands. Interweaving the bleak realities of war with the naïve bravery of two extraordinary young people, best-selling Australian author Kelly Rimmer gently recounts this action-packed love story that was the subject of a documentary film in 2011: Irina Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers. You can watch the trailer here, in which 95-year-old Irina recounts of what she witnessed and did as a young woman risking her life in the Warsaw ghetto every day. I feel confident recommending this for children aged thirteen and up because the violence, including a rape, is handled discreetly with the focus on a better future. [Harper Collins, 2021, 416 pages or 13 ¼ hours on Audible.]