The Random Shelf: Chapter Book

I thought I was familiar with most of the Holocaust fiction in the library. That was, until I recently picked up Gideon.

Gideon is a young Polish Jew, fighting for survival in the Warsaw Ghetto. The ghetto is desperate for food, and Gideon joins a gang smuggling food past the Nazis. This is, of course, a highly dangerous job that would immediately end in instant death or a concentration camp sentence if caught.

The level of despair, anger, and hopelessness is similar to that in Elie Wiesel's Night. The shocking cruelty and violence is not for sensitive readers. It is a powerful and unforgettable fictionalized account of the despair of the ghetto and the bravery of the Resistance fighters.