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Ashes

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 497 ratings · 132 reviews

Thirteen-year-old Gabriella Schramm's favorite pastime is reading. With Adolf Hitler slowly but unstoppably rising to power, Gaby turns to her books for comfort while the world around her changes dramatically: The streets become filled with soldiers, Gaby's sister's boyfriend raises his arm in a heil Hitler salute, and the Schramms' family friend Albert Einstein flees the...more

Hardcover, 318 pages

Published February 4th 2010 by Viking Juvenile (first published 2010)

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Oct 31, 2010 Ellen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-11middleschool, historical-fiction

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May 30, 2013 Caterina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: done-reviewed

Ashes, though shelved as YA at my library, skews decidedly younger than the demographic we now consider YA -- a demographic that is better thought of as NA, New Adult. The heroine, Gaby, is thirteen and recognisably so; she's neither dumbed-down nor overly sophisticated. She's exactly what I imagine a girl of Weimar Berlin would be, especially one with friends like Albert Einstein.

Spoilers ahoy.

(view spoiler)...more Ashes, though shelved as YA at my library, skews decidedly younger than the demographic we now consider YA -- a demographic that is better thought of as NA, New Adult. The heroine, Gaby, is thirteen and recognisably so; she's neither dumbed-down nor overly sophisticated. She's exactly what I imagine a girl of Weimar Berlin would be, especially one with friends like Albert Einstein.

Spoilers ahoy.

(view spoiler)[Lasky goes to great lengths to show her research. She sets the scene in an author's note which you may decide to skip; I flipped through it because my knowledge of the intricacies of German politics directly post-Depression has holes. This is the part American history books skip. For that reason alone I can recommend Ashes even to adults. Lasky writes in her acknowledgements that this is "one of the most documented periods in all of history" and yet so few of us really understand how a nasty "little corporal" could have come to power, fooling ordinary Germans into believing Communists and Jews were to blame for all their hardships. Perhaps where Lasky fails is the expository aspect of her prose; quite a lot is explained in the text that would either best be left unexplained (we can guess at the meanings of certain German words, and others do not need to be written in German) or explained contextually (I doubt Gaby would've really thought of her neighborhood as "the Jewish Switzerland" or "the Bavarian Quarter", though it's plausible she might have dropped these epithets in passing).

Again and again, I find that iffy prose is redeemed by brilliant characterisation. Lasky takes three real people and twists, ever so slightly, to make members of Gaby's milieu: Baba (who I am envisioning as River Song having a vacation in interwar Germany) is based on Bella Fromm and shares an occupation with her; Kessie is Count Harry Kessler, down to the story about Josephine Baker; and Gaby's father is Erwin Freundlich plus a vital role in the confirmation of the theory of relativity.

I don't think it's impossible for girls of thirteen to have such political thoughts and opinions. I think in a time and place where politics plays a large role in the lives of the people, as when I was growing up during the Clinton administration, it's very realistic for Gaby to know what scares her and upsets her without really understanding the intricacies. By fourteen I was already immersed in feminist literature from the first wave, and I was a lot like Gaby, immersed in popular culture and interested in books that may have been a little beyond me at the time. I never got into nightclubs by dragging myself up as an older woman -- who'd have believed it anyhow?! -- but I can imagine if I had an adventurous best friend, a nice older friend on staff, a sister working there, and less protective parents, I'd have bloody well tried.

Echoes upon echoes of modern life jump off the page. All of that propaganda about flags? You bet your buttons we were hearing similar just post-9/11. When I was fifteen and skeptical, that was racial memory at work: my people lived through Hitler. Thus I am sensitive to the ways our worlds entwine. I will never not shiver when I see people obsessing about flags and banning (and burning) cultural paraphernalia considered subversive. People do, still. Most of all it is for them I recommend this novel, that they might at least gain a thirteen-year-old's understanding of the way a totalitarian regime insinuates itself into a broken country. Had we been broken to begin with, what, I wonder, would the United States have become in those last years of my adolescence? Thank God we were not -- but look at the places that are, and what has happened there. (hide spoiler)](less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Mary Skramovsky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Newbery award winner Katherine Lasky is the author of several Dear America series books, the popular Owls of GaHoole series and of Burning Time. Ashes takes place in Germany 1932, right before World War II when Hitler is coming into power. Gabrielle Schramm is 13 and lives with her older sister Ulla. Gaby is intelligent and is reading Jack London's Call of the Wild. Her Mathematics professor confiscates the book. It is the second book that this teacher has taken from Gaby this year. Tensions mou...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Ed added it

Lasky, Kathryn. (2010). Ashes. New York: Penguin Putnam/Viking. 320 pp. ISBN 978-0-670-01157-5 (Hard Cover); $16.99.

Gabriella and her family watch in horror as brown-shirted Nazis rise to power in Berlin in 1932. Gabriella’s father is convinced that the Nazis are a political fad that will fade.

We have plenty of children/young adult novels that deal with Hitler in power and fewer that deal with Hitler’s rise to power. In this book readers understand that part of Hitler’s rise to power is because...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars

When we think about WWII and the tragedy of the Holocaust, most of our thoughts are dominated by the victims, the Jewish people themselves. As well it should be. However, there were plenty of innocent German people that were in the country too that "stood by". Or did they?

This story tells about Hitler's rise to power and its effect on the academic community through the eyes of a Gaby, a child. Her father, who is friends with Albert Einstein, demonstrates small acts of resistance. Gaby herself s...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Lizzie White rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ashes by Kathryn Lasky is a first-person narration of what life was like in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. This story of Gaby Schramm and her family is about standing up for what is really, truly important to you. The plot of Ashes is very original, as it is a Holocaust historical fiction, yet it tells the story of not a Jewish protagonist, but a German one. The setting of this WWII story is very accurate and it definitely adds to the story by taking place in Germany. I noticed as I was...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Marjorie Ingall rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: girls-9-12, middle-grade-to-ya

Suffers from a slow beginning, but it gathers steam super-fast. It’s the story of 13-year-old Gaby, a pretty, book-loving non-Jew in 1930s Germany. Her father is an astrophysicist at the University of Berlin, a colleague and friend of Albert Einstein; her mom’s best pal Baba is a fabulous Jewish society columnist. Gaby’s life seems sweet – luscious descriptions of parties, society events and fabulous outfits will delight fashion-loving girls -- but the Nazis are gaining power and anti-Fascist in...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Eva Mitnick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, historical-fiction

There are plenty of books about the Holocaust, for all ages and from all points of view. In Yann Martel's Beatrice and Virgil, this is problematic for the main character, a writer named Henry, because he has written what he feels is a fresh allegorical look at the Holocaust, only to realize (thanks to his editors) that in fact he has covered the same ground in the same way as countless others.

This is the challenge for any writer covering this intense, fraught, and oft-described subject. Ashes me...more There are plenty of books about the Holocaust, for all ages and from all points of view. In Yann Martel's Beatrice and Virgil, this is problematic for the main character, a writer named Henry, because he has written what he feels is a fresh allegorical look at the Holocaust, only to realize (thanks to his editors) that in fact he has covered the same ground in the same way as countless others.

This is the challenge for any writer covering this intense, fraught, and oft-described subject. Ashes meets it by presenting the story from the point of view of 13-year-old Gaby, who lives with her upper-middle class family in 1932 Berlin. Gaby isn't Jewish, but her family is disgusted and alarmed by the fascist element - most notably Hitler's SS and SA troups - that seems to be gaining power and influence in Germany.

Gaby is a big reader, and so a huge book burning staged by the Nazis is a powerful and horrifying event for her. However, her antennae go up long before this, as the tone of her society changes in ways small and large, banal and menacing. We often ask "How could regular people have allowed such horrors to happen?" and this book will give readers a glimpse at how this might have become possible.

What if the Tea Party folks managed to come to power, along with those who have become stridently anti-Muslim? We have some powerful laws and documents to protect our freedom in the US, but if those laws became eroded, there is a pretty scary fringe element that would be happy to rush in and take over. Not that the US is anything as volatile or horrific as 1930s Germany - but what books like Ashes show us is that we always need to be on our guard against hatred and irrationality.

I sensed bits and pieces of many different books and movies about this time period in Ashes. There is a boyfriend-turned-Nazi, a la "The Sound of Music," and a scene in which a frighteningly blond youth sings a stirring patriotic song in a Biergarten is very similar to a scene in "Cabaret." It's Gaby's thoughtful reactions to the people and events around her that form the core of this novel, so a bit of retreading isn't so terrible.

Ashes is well-written (from the clear-eyed, if occasionally appropriately histrionic point of view of teenaged Gaby), and if it isn't strikingly unique, that's fine. The Holocaust is one of those topics we need to keep thinking, talking, and reading about, in order to ensure that it never happens again.
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Jun 25, 2010 Jackie Doty-abbott rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Gabriella is living the typical life of a 13-year-old school girl in Berlin, Germany, during the time leading up to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Gabby's family is German, but they are not in favor of Hitler and live in denial that he could actually gain a following in Berlin. Gabby's father is an astrophysicist and associates with the likes of Albert Einstein and other Jewish physicists. Much of the story revolves around the family's friendship with Einstein and other close Jewish friends. Gabby be...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

As I was browsing Barnes and Noble Kathryn Lasky's latest book cover caught my eye. Without even reading the synopsis, I knew Ashes would be about some aspect of the Holocaust and World War II. I love when I stumble upon great book finds!

Ashes is a very well written novel that takes place during 1932 and 1933 at the very beginning of Hitler's rise to power. The main character, Gaby, is a teenager whose father is an astronomy professor. Her father works with Albert Einstein and the her family act...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Judy Desetti rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Gina, teachers of literature, history,

Shelves: historical-fiction, world-war-2, young-adult

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May 03, 2011 Josiah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are so many books out there that deal with the torturous trials and horrors of the rise of Nazi Germany from the perspective of those who were being afflicted by the new Third Reich instituted by Adolf Hitler, but Ashes is of a very different blend. It's easy to forget how many Germans were strongly opposed to the Aryan supremacy rhetoric that was being doggedly pushed by their intense Führer in the early 1930s and beyond. Germany of that era is often broadly painted as a nation bent on w...more There are so many books out there that deal with the torturous trials and horrors of the rise of Nazi Germany from the perspective of those who were being afflicted by the new Third Reich instituted by Adolf Hitler, but Ashes is of a very different blend. It's easy to forget how many Germans were strongly opposed to the Aryan supremacy rhetoric that was being doggedly pushed by their intense Führer in the early 1930s and beyond. Germany of that era is often broadly painted as a nation bent on world domination and the destruction of all ideas not of the Aryan order, but Ashes pushes back against that kind of historical laziness. In the novel, we see the increasingly perilous German world through the eyes of thirteen-year-old Gaby Schramm, daughter of a distinguished German astronomer. As the story progresses, it's easy to observe that Gaby and her family are as resistant to the discriminatory concepts introduced by Hitler as are any of the people whose nationalities or cultures are directly affected, and that the Schramms, too, could soon face the reality of danger for their disagreement with the harsh philosophy of the Führer.

In 1932, Germany is still a country in limbo, trying its best to recover from the sanctions taken against it after the major defeat of World War I. The German economy is all over the place, spiking and crashing with hardly any advance notice at all, so that one cannot be sure if the entirety of one's personal wealth will be worth much of anything in the space of but a few days, or even just a few hours. The economy is sluggish, at best, and many of the people harbor grudges against the Allied nations that sacked the German military a decade or so earlier, and made their home country give up both its fighting forces and a major chunk of its crucial financial assets. The time is ripe for a charismatic leader who can convince the smoldering German people that their once-proud nation has been wronged by others, and that the only way to regain their collective former glory is to grab on to the essence of German pride and stand up, rising above the unfavorable punitive circumstances created by the end of World War I to demand the lion's share of global power.

Gaby uneasily watches as the political climate in Germany begins to change. Adolf Hitler goes from being an unpopular politician to a cult figure with the masses, as greater and greater numbers of Germans begin to buy into his basic philosophy of Aryan pride. The scene grows increasingly unaccommodating for Jews and for anyone who holds ideas contrary to those espoused by Hitler; this would include Gaby's parents—who despise Hitler and his frightening plans for a "pure" Germany—and their friend Baba Blumenthal, a Jewish reporter who always publishes the truth about what's going on in Germany, even when it makes her unpopular with the new guard. Soon, strong hints spread that literature considered "un-German", or which forwards the consideration of ideas that go against the Third Reich, will be confiscated and burned as a way to rid the country of all toxic influences to the new path of glory that Hitler envisions. As German poet Heinriche Heine wrote, however, "Where they burn books, they will end by burning human beings." The slippery slope toward the eventual extermination of the people themselves who oppose Hitler will have been begun, and the full-blown horrors of the Holocaust will have seen their commencement.

The attitude with which Gaby views all of this going on around her is smart and studied, probably because she, herself, is such an advanced reader. Gaby holds dear the written thoughts of literary artists such as Mark Twain, Jack London, Heinriche Heine and Ernest Hemingway; she knows well the power inherent in literature, and how wrong it is to eliminate the writings of some authors just because one may disagree with their point of view. Her internal observations of the trend toward destruction that she sees around her carry the sharp snap of poignancy, as do her spoken words. For example, when Gaby learns that someone she knows has thrown in with the other Nazi book burners, she says, "I'll say whatever I want. I'm not a book. You can't burn me!" Just a few years later, of course, the Führer would prove that he had no qualms about burning people who disagreed with him. Six million Jews and I'm not sure how many others would meet the end of their lives in ashes, reduced to nothing but black and gray soot by the man who had come to wield control over every facet of their existence. Not even an "Aryan" girl like Gaby, daughter of a German astronomer who dared subscribe to ideas that originated in a Jewish mind like Einstein's, would be safe from the flames when Hitler's rule hit the zenith of its madness.

Ultimately, Gaby is trying to figure out adolescence—which is hard enough on its own—concurrent to dealing with the advent of one of the most horrible times in modern history. We look back on the scene and realize, more or less, how everything is going to happen, but those who lived during that time had no such assurance of how the reign of Hitler would meets its final end. What if Hitler did take over the world, and continued the suppression of Jewish ideas and people until they were all just...gone? What if Hitler's frightening military forces were to keep on growing until not even the world's most powerful nations could defeat them, and Aryan supremacy was subsequently lifted up as the law of the land for the whole world? I think that it's important when reading a book like Ashes to let our minds travel down these same paths as those of the people of the time; to suspend our foreknowledge for a while and allow ourselves to explore the narrative with minds free of preconceptions. It's scary to see the uncertainty of that world the way that it would have looked to Gaby, but I believe that we can learn a lot more from the book if we're willing to take that approach.

Ashes is an important novel that deals with themes from the era directly preceding World War II that often go mostly unnoticed. It is a story that has the potential to truly expand the scope of one's mind, which is always a good thing to look for in literature of historical fiction. I would recommend the book to anyone, and likely give it a three-and-a-half-star rating. (less)

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Aug 12, 2010 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, newbery-buzz-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 18, 2010 Cornmaven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school, ms-hs, historical-fiction-high-school, historical-fiction-middle-school, high-school

This is just a so-so WWII historical fiction book. Its value lies in that it traces the lead up to the war, and the political situation that fueled Hitler's rise to power. Most YA novels on WWII start with the war having already begun, and Hitler's reign established and running.

Having said that, I find several things problematic about this novel. First, it's purely a girl book. The storyline is nothing that would interest a boy - which knocks out half your potential market. Second, it moves way...more This is just a so-so WWII historical fiction book. Its value lies in that it traces the lead up to the war, and the political situation that fueled Hitler's rise to power. Most YA novels on WWII start with the war having already begun, and Hitler's reign established and running.

Having said that, I find several things problematic about this novel. First, it's purely a girl book. The storyline is nothing that would interest a boy - which knocks out half your potential market. Second, it moves way too slowly for a book geared to this age. I found myself skimming towards the end, because I couldn't stand to read yet another recap of what just happened - which by the way I found disrespectful, as if Lasky felt the reader couldn't remember or didn't understand it the first time.

Third, Lasky doesn't take advantage of obvious plot parts that could build extreme tension - even things like discovering that her sister's boyfriend is a Nazi are not written in a terribly exciting way; just a little bit of excitement, as if Lasky felt the reader couldn't take it.

Fourth, I didn't feel the writing was all that spectacular. There were some points of understanding that the main character comes to, and a more skillful narration would have had them make a big impact for the reader, but this just fell short. Also, the level of writing was really kind of juvenile, but the thematic content was definitely middle to high school level, which I felt would cause MS-HS readers to lose interest fast.

And finally, the 'typesetting' was abysmal. I have noticed an increase in typos and improper word placement in books in the last decade. I suppose that comes from the elimination of lower level editors at publishing houses. But this edition was just LOADED with errors - mostly words that didn't belong in a sentence. I had to re-read many sentences just to figure out if I was reading it correctly or if there was an error, and most every time, it was the error that was the culprit. Towards the end, there were misplaced words on every page, sometimes more than once on a page. Sloppy, and shame on Penguin.

Anyway, this is not the first book I would recommend to a kid who likes WWII historical fiction. I did appreciate the juxtaposition of quotes from Twain, London, Einstein, etc. with the story, and the inclusion of so many historical figures into the storyline.(less)

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Dec 28, 2010 Handd51 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: school-year-reads-10-11

Lesky is a brilliant writer, and this book is very good - but I'm not sure for what age. Gaby Schramm is 13 in Berlin in 1932. Her father is a non-Jewish friend and associate of Einstein, a "white Jew" according to the rising Nazi thinkers; her mother a talented musician and piano teacher. Her older sister a budding violin player who gets distracted - and knocked up - by a boy who is active in the Hitler youth as Hitler is coming to power. There is a scene where Gaby realizes very directly that...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Melina Romin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 31, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gaby is a thirteen-year old girl, coming of age during turbulent times. Hitler is coming into power and people seem to be going crazy all around her. Suddenly, people she has known her entire life think that it's acceptable to treat Jews as less-than-human and to burn books.

Gaby tries to make sense of all that is happening--her father's colleague and close friend of the family, Albert Einstein is being threatened for his "Jewish physics," and her sister's boyfriend may be a Nazi. What's wrong wi...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Scottsdale Public Library added it

Shelves: childrens, fiction

It's 1932 Berlin, and Adolph Hitler is starting to become extremely popular. This is the story of one family's stance against the rising Nazi party, as told by a 13 year old girl who loves to read and is nervous about losing her freedom.

Note for parents: There are a couple swear words and passing mention of some mature themes. Best for grades 6 and up.

-Beth M.-

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May 22, 2010 Olivia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-books, historical-fiction, to-buy

This was another great historical fiction read. It was refreshing because it took on a different point of view, it was not the same old same old. Gaby and her family are living in Germany in the early and mid 1930's before WWII. This was very interesting because you could see Hitler's rise to power and how just an everyday citizen (like Gaby's family's housekeeper) could be swept off their feet by Hitler. It was also nice to see Gaby's family stick up for their Jewish friends and never backed do...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars

This has to be Kathryn Lasky's best book. Setting is Berlin in the 1930's. Through a sensitive and brave 13 year old girl's eyes, the story is about the rise of Hitler and his brown shirts and how they slowly strangle the freedom of speech and thought. Each chapter felt like the world was closing in more and more. The story and the history are seamlessly intertwined and the writing is clear and concise and brilliant. There was very little violence in the book, nothing about camps, which makes it...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Eva Leger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Eva by: library

Shelves: b-fiction, holocaust-wwii, y-a

3.5 - I have this listed as 'Holocaust' for my own personal knowledge but it maybe shouldn't be. If I had a list for this time period titled something else I'd use that but being that I don't and I don't think it's worth it for me to make a new one I'll use this.
I flew through this and can say for sure that the only aspect I did not like was the use of actual people in the book. Maybe that's because I don't usually read much historical fiction but it's strange to me to add the real Albert Einst...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Nina Gayle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-ya, ya-2010, ya-historical-fiction, fiction-middle-grades

This book was written from the fascinating perspective of a thirteen year old girl, Gaby, dealing with the horror of Nazis taking over Germany. Gaby is a compassionate and intelligent girl. Sometimes she is very courageous in confronting the Nazis in her life and sometimes she is not. Gaby is a well-rounded and realistic character.
I really like the historical information given by the author, Kathryn Lasky. Ms. Lasky, wrote a foreward entitled "About this Book" in which she discusses the facts...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Kay Mcgriff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Most World War II/Holocaust literature I’ve read focuses on Jewish survivors of Nazi crimes or the people who helped them. Kathryn Lasky chooses a different lens to focus on the horrors of the Holocaust in Ashes (Scholastic 2010).

Gabriella Schramm, known as Gaby to her friends and family, is a German girl growing up her Berlin in the years that Hitler is rising to power. Her intellectual parents are worried about Hitler’s growing influence while the family’s housekeeper approves of the directio...more

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Jun 21, 2010 Sarai rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, historical

This was an interesting read. I could have done without the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, and after a while I started to ignore them. But the plot was compelling and the characters well-written.

Product Description
Thirteen-year-old Gabriella Schramm’s favorite pastime is reading. With Adolf Hitler slowly but unstoppably rising to power, Gaby turns to her books for comfort while the world around her changes dramatically: The streets become filled with soldiers, Gaby’s sister’s boyfriend...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Margo Tanenbaum rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1930-s, german, ww2

This is an interesting book about a German academic family in Berlin in 1932. Gabriella's father is a physicist, and Albert Einstein is a personal family friend. Her mother is a former professional pianist, and they have lots of Jewish friends and acquaintances. But as the Nazis are coming to power, everything begins to change for the worse. Her sister's boyfriend turns out to be a Nazi, as does her favorite high school teacher, and she and her family are disgusted when the Nazis begin to confis...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Kathryn Spencer-kociol rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was excellent on so many levels! Unlike Lasky's Night Journey, the plot is sparkly new and original, a refreshing change from some of the youth literature that deals with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The characters were all realistic and personable, and Gaby makes for a very likable heroine. The emphasis is on the transitional government of The Weimar Republic, and the political terror and individual acts of violence witnessed by Gaby and her friends are told with realistically chil...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Meggen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-ya, historical-fiction

This book really sucked me in, but it was hard to read. This is the story of 13-year-old Gaby, a young German girl watching the transformation of the political climate in her country leading up to WWII. The rise of Nazism and Hitler, and the persecution of Jews (and other undesirables, like scientists) are increasing all around her. She can see and feel how wrong these things are, but often feels trapped and unsure about how to handle it all. Gaby's family is affected in dramatic ways by this da...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this for 5th grade historical fiction book clubs. I thought it may be too difficult for this age group and I think I'm right. The questions the kids are asking are very basic history questions and we haven't yet gotten to the point where Gaby starts obsessing about whether or not her sister is "doing it" with Karl. I will be very interested to see what the kids think of the ending.

On a personal note, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and how they stuck to their values. Us...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Emma H. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ashes, a book told in first person point of view, is set in Germany during the Holocaust. Gaby, the main character, struggles with being a teenager during Hitler's rise to power. The characters are credible because they are put in a real time period of history. I didn't think the theme was worth while or important, because I didn't really like the book. The book in particular was somewhat inappropriate, and I didn't find the main theme and idea to be about the Holocaust. The setting wasn't very...more

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Mar 15, 2010 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 6th-grade, 7th-grade-and-up, transition, holocaust, world-war-ii, nazis, historical-fiction, germany, politics, friends, families, sisters, characters-in-literature, books, censorship

Thirteen-year-old Gabriella Schramm, "Gaby", lives in Berlin, Germany. She tells the story of the changes in Germany as Hitler takes over the country. She is confused by the growing anti-Jewish sentiments; especially what it means for family friend Albert Einstein. Gaby is also horrified by the growing popularity of censoring and subsequent burning of books.

Lasky lists actual historical figures in the back of the book and fully explains who they were. However, she does not have an explanation of...more

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About Kathryn Lasky

Kathryn Lasky is the American author of many critically acclaimed books, including several Dear America books, several Royal Diaries books, 1984 Newbery Honor winning Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her latest book, Guardians of Ga'Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember, was released on November 1, 2008. Guardians of Gahoo...more

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Books by Kathryn Lasky

Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria - France, 1769

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Quotes from Ashes

“I'll say whatever I want. I'm not a book. You can't burn me!” — 3 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Ashes Goodreads rating: 3.57 (497 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6626887-ashes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347579003l/6626887.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6626887-ashes?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Ashes by Kathryn Lasky[/url]

Ashes

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