Tag archives for Biography
Posted by BOOK NAME: Hana’s Suitcase
AUTHOR: Karen Levine
Do you want to learn about a Jewish girl who suffered during the Holocaust by searching for clues of their life? This is exactly what a Japanese woman does to learn about the Holocaust victim–Hana Brady. This true story is told in Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine.
Fumiko Ishioka, the curator of the Tokyo Holocaust Center, teaches her students about the Holocaust by using artifacts from Jewish children who suffered, one of which is Hana’s suitcase. The children want to know more about Hana, so Fumiko goes to Holocaust museums in Europe where she learns about Hana’s fate, and also about Hana’s brother, George, who survived. Fumiko gets George’s address and writes to him about the suitcase. George then comes to Japan to tell the excited students about Hana’s sad story. Hana Brady was a Jewish girl who was growing up in the 1930′s in Czechoslovakia. Little did she know her life would change drastically as the Nazi soldiers invade her country. Her parents are sent to concentration camps. Hana and George are sent to Theresienstadt, under Nazi lookout, and then to Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Germany. What happens to Hana over here?
Hana’s Suitcase is an amazing book which shows the pain of the Holocaust by focusing on Hana’s life. Actual photographs bring to life this young girl who suffered terribly. This book is filled with suspense as to whether Fumiko will find more clues about Hana’s life or not. I like how this book keeps switching between Hana’s life in the 1940′s and Fumiko and George living today. Hana’s Suitcase is touching to the heart.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Walt Disney: Young Movie Maker
AUTHOR: Marie Hammontree
ILLUSTRATOR: Fred Irvin
We all know Walt Disney as the super rich guy who created Disney World. I know that I used to think that he had the best life. But in this book, you read Walt’s life story. Turns out, his life wasn’t so perfect. His family was actually very poor.
Walt was young but worked like he was an adult. After all, it was the only way he could make some money. He worked at his father’s newspaper business, as a newsboy. But even that money Walt couldn’t keep. All the money he earned, his father took from him and kept it so that Walt wouldn’t spend it on foolish things. Walt Disney had three brothers and one sister.
His father wanted him to be the next owner of the jelly factory. But Walt didn’t want to do that in life. He wanted to be a cartoonist. His father thought that being any type of artist was stupid. He thought those were Walt’s childhood dreams, and that he would convince him not to do it when he was older. But Walt was growing up, and insisted on being a cartoonist.
I really liked this book because it changed my view of famous people. It made me notice that maybe some celebrities didn’t start out rich and famous. They had to work to get like that. This is a book for all ages.
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Great and Only Barnum
AUTHOR:
Candace Fleming
P.T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum was considered the greatest showman on Earth and the inventor of the three-ring circus. He was one of the people behind the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, which started more than 100 years ago and I’ve seen in person. This book is about Barnum’s life, which was crazy.
Barnum was born on July 4th, 1810, on the 34th birthday of the United States. He was named after his grandfather who was a comedian and prankster. Barnum, who was called Tale as a boy, grew up to be a performer and tricked people out of their money with a fake lottery. His grandfather even tricked him by giving him five acres of land called “Ivy Island” that Barnum soon found out was useless because it was infested with snakes. However, Barnum traded the land with someone else and eventually opened his first museum of human curiosities.
My favorite part of the book was when they explained the human curiosities like The Highland Mammoth boys, who were three fat guys from Scotland; Anna Swan: a 7-foot, 11-inch giant woman; Madame Clofulia, a bearded lady; Isaac Sprague, who was called “The Human Skeleton” because he was so skinny; and Chang and Eng, the Siamese twins who shared one stomach. Another curiosity that wasn’t in the museum was Charley Strattons, a 25-inch tall man they called Tom Thumb.
This was a very interesting book and what made it most interesting is that it all happened and wasn’t made up.
