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15th out of 58 books
—
62 voters
Katarina
During World War II, a Jewish orphan is living with her aunt and uncle when she is rounded up with other Jews, and sent to live in a peasant household. When her Judaism is discovered, she is asked to leave and wanders from village to village, confused by the threat that hangs over her, but maintained by a fierce belief in her eventual return to her family.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
October 1st 1999
by Scholastic Paperbacks
(first published January 1st 1998)
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Aug 28, 2012
Hazel
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In this semi-autobiographical novel, eight-year-old Katarina is bewildered by the hullabaloo surrounding her Jewish heritage in World War II at Slovakia. Raised by her unobservant aunt Lena, Katarina knows next to nothing about her supposed religion and heritage. In public school, she's a Jew. In Hebrew school, she's a heathen. But in her heart of hearts, she's a Catholic.
Taught in secret by her stepfather's maid, Katarina knows the history of the saints by heart and even goes to mass. Her Catho...more
Taught in secret by her stepfather's maid, Katarina knows the history of the saints by heart and even goes to mass. Her Catho...more
I selected this book because it was set in Slovakia – one of the places I will be visiting this year.
KATARINA had so much potential as a book but never quite made it for me as a great story. It was interesting to read about what being Jewish meant, many of the Jewish people who were caught up in the holocaust were not practicing Jews – in fact for some of them the first that they heard of their Jewish ancestry was when they were hauled off to a concentration camp. For many other millions it is...more
KATARINA had so much potential as a book but never quite made it for me as a great story. It was interesting to read about what being Jewish meant, many of the Jewish people who were caught up in the holocaust were not practicing Jews – in fact for some of them the first that they heard of their Jewish ancestry was when they were hauled off to a concentration camp. For many other millions it is...more
KATERINA is about a little Jewish girl growing up during the Holocaust. She’s not old enough to understand what’s going on. She is separated from her family and is trying desperately to survive and adapt. Katerina’s main external conflict is, of course trying to survive. Her main internal conflict is figuring out if she’s Jewish, or protestant, or catholic.
When reading this book I was able to make a text to text connection. Katerina is like Bruno in THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. Neither knows...more
When reading this book I was able to make a text to text connection. Katerina is like Bruno in THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. Neither knows...more
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I was given this book for Christmas one year, because the title character has the same name as me. It was about a year or so before I read it, but I loved it... I just remember spending an entire afternoon curled up on my bed with a box of tissues, needing to know what happened to Katarina. It was a devastatingly tragic book for me-- my heart went out to her, especially because I realized the full horror of what was happening to her homeland, even if she didn't. That was the most tragic aspect o...more
I started this book on a Thursday night, at a train station, and finished it 3 days later about a minute before I got home (I read while walking. It was that good). This page turner recalls the experiences of a Jewish child living in Slovakia during World War II who is forced to leave her home and hide in different places in order to survive. What I liked about the book, in addition to the vivid descriptions of the child's thought process, emotions, places and characters, is the interesting and...more
Katarina is a young Slovakian, Jewish girl trying to survive during WW II. She is not religiously Jewish and is very confused by much of what is happening in the world around her. A heart-wrenching story about survival told through a child's eyes. This story is based on many of the author's personal childhood experiences.
At the end of the book it states, "only 11% of Europe's Jewish children survived the war". This book gave me a greater appreciation for how WW II impacted the Jews in all of th...more
At the end of the book it states, "only 11% of Europe's Jewish children survived the war". This book gave me a greater appreciation for how WW II impacted the Jews in all of th...more
Rating: 2.5
I picked this up at Goodwill on half-off day for 36 cents. I had never heard of it before, I just have a weird talent for being able to pick out WWII/Holocaust themed books (even if I have never heard of them before) out of a crowd. I saw it was a Scholastic, and so I rightly assumed my library didn't have it, and Scholastic normally has great historical fiction.
I don't think I have given a Holocaust novel anything less than 4 stars, and I read a lot of WWII/Holocaust books. But for a...more
I picked this up at Goodwill on half-off day for 36 cents. I had never heard of it before, I just have a weird talent for being able to pick out WWII/Holocaust themed books (even if I have never heard of them before) out of a crowd. I saw it was a Scholastic, and so I rightly assumed my library didn't have it, and Scholastic normally has great historical fiction.
I don't think I have given a Holocaust novel anything less than 4 stars, and I read a lot of WWII/Holocaust books. But for a...more
A story of the Holocaust taken from the author's life in Slovakia. Really interesting that the girl is labeled as Jewish but has no identity with her religion or culture. One chapter was suddenly confusing as the author changed points of view several times. Not one of my favorites.
I really liked this book because it was written from a child's perspective. I just wish the ending had been... not happier, but a tad bit more elaborated and descriptive, because it left me wondering what happened to Katarina.
World War II, this was different in that the main character was younger which made her have a different perspective about what was happening to her.
This story was very good! It showed an excellent perspective of a young girl living as a Jew in WWII Europe. Very touching and insightful.
This is a story of a young Jewish girl during WWII. The author takes the story from her own childhood. In the last of the book it states that only 11 percent of the Jewish children survived. I enjoyed and appreciated more those who can survive severe circumstances.
I wrote to the author, and she responded. This book set during WWII is based on her life.
I gave up on this one. There are many other 'Holocaust' stories out there done much better. "I Have Lived a Thousand Years" and "Anne Frank" come to mind.
A very somber tale of the experiences of a young Jewish girl in Slovakia during World War II.
I read this to see if it would be good to use with my fifth graders. I seem to be obsessed with reading books set during the time of World War II and that focus on the Holocaust. This one fell a little short. It is based on true experiences, which as always, makes the story heartbreaking. But, the character development of the main character, Katarina, was weak. She's an eight year old girl who is of Jewish heritage but is not practicing and knows nothing of her heritage. However, when they begin...more
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May 23, 2013
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Jenn M
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