Illus. in black-and-white. It's hard to leave your home and friends, but the Nazis have invaded Clara's native Austria, and her Jewish family is no...
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reviews
Oct 26, 2011
Doug
rated it: 
Summary: "The Night Crossing" is a short story about a young Austrian girl, Clara, and her family, who must escape the invading/occupying Nazi's during World War II. Her family must sell all their belongings so they have enough money to leave their homeland and make their trek to Switzerland to escape the Nazi occupation.
Age Range: Intermediate to Advanced
Artistic Elements: The book contains large text and a small amount of black and white, but very detailed dra More...
Age Range: Intermediate to Advanced
Artistic Elements: The book contains large text and a small amount of black and white, but very detailed dra More...
Jun 08, 2011
Shannon
rated it: 
I used this for Literature Circles in my 4th grade class. It was a good book for students who needed a simpler book but still in the survivial genre and went along with Number the Stars, another book my kids were reading. I liked this book for it's descriptions of events taking place during actual events and showing how a family was trying to escape the Nazis. It's a simplistic understanding but it lead to great discussions in my groups.
Feb 28, 2008
Kellyn
rated it:
Young Clara and her sister Marta do not understand the grown-ups’ talk of Hitler and the Nazis. Clara does know that people in her neighborhood have been hurt and many have left. One afternoon Clara and Marta are chased by an angry mob of boys and Clara realizes she, too, is in danger. Yet when Papa begins selling the family’s furniture and other belongings, Clara is afraid this means the family is leaving.
Clara and her family escape Austria and go to Switzerland. Along the way C More...
Clara and her family escape Austria and go to Switzerland. Along the way C More...
Apr 26, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
I found this book at the bottom of a yardsale box. I read it and was amazed at how much history, culture, and conflict was wrapped into its few pages. This will be placed in my classroom library to introduce a much darker time in our history and the struggle that many families underwent during WWII.
Mar 30, 2009
Catherine
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Grades 3-5. In 1938, having begun to feel the persecution that all Jews are experiencing in their Austrian city, Clara and her family escape over the mountains into Switzerland.
Dec 19, 2011
Jessica
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A great book to talk about the hardship of others, and what others have had to go through before. It's a good book to use in a social studies lesson.
Jun 04, 2011
Erin
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This book meant a lot to me as a kid, and it still does. A great way to introduce children to this period.
Oct 17, 2011
Laura
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An excellent children's story about a Jewish family's escape from Austria during WWII.
Nov 04, 2007
Kate Hastings
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Wonderful introduction to WWII through historical fiction. Lower reading level and not as deep as Number the Stars, but longer than Polacco's Butterfly.
I have a good set of discussion questions for this book that don't really talk about WHAT happened to people in concentration camps and do more to make kids think about discrimination (which can lead to bad things like the Holocaust).
I have a good set of discussion questions for this book that don't really talk about WHAT happened to people in concentration camps and do more to make kids think about discrimination (which can lead to bad things like the Holocaust).
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