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The Last Train: A Holocaust Story
The Last Train is the harrowing true story about young brothers Paul and Oscar Arato and their mother, Lenke, surviving the Nazi occupation during the final years of World War II.
Living in the town of Karcag, Hungary, the Aratos feel insulated from the war — even as it rages all around them. Hungary is allied with Germany to protect its citizens from invasion, but in 1944 Hitler breaks his promise to keep the Nazis out of Hungary.
The Nazi occupation forces the family into situations of growing panic and first into a ghetto in their hometown; then a labor camp in Austria; and, finally, to the deadly Bergen Belsen camp deep in the heart of Germany. Separated from their father, 6-year-old Paul and 11-year-old Oscar must care for their increasingly sick mother, all while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy amid the horrors of the camp.
In the spring of 1945, the boys see British planes flying over the camp, and a spark of hope that the war will soon end ignites. And then, they are forced onto a dark, stinking boxcar by the Nazi guards. After four days on the train, the boys are convinced they will be killed, but through a twist of fate, the train is discovered and liberated by a battalion of American soldiers marching through Germany.
The book concludes when Paul, now a grown man living in Canada, stumbles upon photographs on the internet of his train being liberated. After writing to the man who posted the pictures, Paul is presented with an opportunity to meet his rescuers at a reunion in New York — but first he must decide if he is prepared to reopen the wounds of his past.
Living in the town of Karcag, Hungary, the Aratos feel insulated from the war — even as it rages all around them. Hungary is allied with Germany to protect its citizens from invasion, but in 1944 Hitler breaks his promise to keep the Nazis out of Hungary.
The Nazi occupation forces the family into situations of growing panic and first into a ghetto in their hometown; then a labor camp in Austria; and, finally, to the deadly Bergen Belsen camp deep in the heart of Germany. Separated from their father, 6-year-old Paul and 11-year-old Oscar must care for their increasingly sick mother, all while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy amid the horrors of the camp.
In the spring of 1945, the boys see British planes flying over the camp, and a spark of hope that the war will soon end ignites. And then, they are forced onto a dark, stinking boxcar by the Nazi guards. After four days on the train, the boys are convinced they will be killed, but through a twist of fate, the train is discovered and liberated by a battalion of American soldiers marching through Germany.
The book concludes when Paul, now a grown man living in Canada, stumbles upon photographs on the internet of his train being liberated. After writing to the man who posted the pictures, Paul is presented with an opportunity to meet his rescuers at a reunion in New York — but first he must decide if he is prepared to reopen the wounds of his past.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2013
10 people are currently reading
679 people want to read
About the author
Rona Arato
30 books12 followersRONA ARATO was born in New York and grew up in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers in Canada and the United States. She taught elementary school in Los Angeles and Toronto, adult creative writing for the Toronto District School Board, and has conducted business writing workshops for profit and nonprofit organizations. From 1994-1998, she was an interviewer for Survivors of the Shoa, a Steven Spielberg project that recorded the histories of Holocaust survivors. Rona Arato lives in Toronto with her husband, Paul.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
July 9, 2019
Finished in one day. I’ll read anything on the Holocaust and this one taught me new things from the Hungarian perspective. 🇭🇺🇭🇺🇭🇺
January 25, 2022
“The Last Train: A Holocaust Story” by Rona Arato is an insightful and powerful read into the atrocities and challenges the Jews faced while being oppressed by the Nazis in World War ll. Arato writes about her husband, Paul’s, experiences living through World War ll as a Jew. Separated from their father, 6-year-old Paul and 11-year-old Oscar must take of their sick mother and survive the horrors that lie for them in Bergen Belson Camp that is located deep in Germany.
What I think the information in the book meant for us readers would be for us to deeply sympathize what the Jews had to go through. I think the fact that it is based on real experiences reaches out more to us as readers. I think that Arato wants us to feel like we were there experiencing the Holocaust by using the first-person perspective.
Though I know some of the things that happened to the Jews during World War ll, reading this book made me learn and get a better understanding of the situation the Jews were in from a Jewish perspective. Reading from the Jewish perspective implemented clear images in my mind.
Overall, I thought this was an informative book that really captured the hardships that the Jewish people. Using the real-life experiences that her husband went through made the readers feel sympathy. A quote that I thought was interesting would be an interaction that happened between Paul and two American soldiers. ““No, no! You cannot take her. You will kill her.” The soldiers stared at him in surprise, clearly unable to understand a word he was saying. “What the devil…?” Said one. “Hey Bob, this kid is terrified. He thinks we’re SS and we’re going to kill his mother..” “Yeah, I guess he thinks everyone in uniform is evil.”” (124). I find this quote interesting because it shows the kid’s view of the world. He grew up in a situation where he has been treated poorly by people in uniforms where to the point that he cannot tell whether they are friends or foes.
I recommend this book to those who are interested in the events of World War II. This provides a good in-depth story to the lives of the Jewish people under the Nazis.
What I think the information in the book meant for us readers would be for us to deeply sympathize what the Jews had to go through. I think the fact that it is based on real experiences reaches out more to us as readers. I think that Arato wants us to feel like we were there experiencing the Holocaust by using the first-person perspective.
Though I know some of the things that happened to the Jews during World War ll, reading this book made me learn and get a better understanding of the situation the Jews were in from a Jewish perspective. Reading from the Jewish perspective implemented clear images in my mind.
Overall, I thought this was an informative book that really captured the hardships that the Jewish people. Using the real-life experiences that her husband went through made the readers feel sympathy. A quote that I thought was interesting would be an interaction that happened between Paul and two American soldiers. ““No, no! You cannot take her. You will kill her.” The soldiers stared at him in surprise, clearly unable to understand a word he was saying. “What the devil…?” Said one. “Hey Bob, this kid is terrified. He thinks we’re SS and we’re going to kill his mother..” “Yeah, I guess he thinks everyone in uniform is evil.”” (124). I find this quote interesting because it shows the kid’s view of the world. He grew up in a situation where he has been treated poorly by people in uniforms where to the point that he cannot tell whether they are friends or foes.
I recommend this book to those who are interested in the events of World War II. This provides a good in-depth story to the lives of the Jewish people under the Nazis.
December 23, 2019
Very good story of a family and their survival.
March 27, 2015
How do you tell a story of the Holocaust when the subject was just 6 years old when it ended? When those memories are indistinct and questionable.
You call it "fiction" and move it to the perspective of his brother, who protected him and helped him survive.
The real history of this story is the liberation of a death train and the Americans who saved them. They say, very straightforwardedly- they thought that the descriptions were just anti Nazi propaganda...until they opened the death train.
Not a "good" book, but an important one.
You call it "fiction" and move it to the perspective of his brother, who protected him and helped him survive.
The real history of this story is the liberation of a death train and the Americans who saved them. They say, very straightforwardedly- they thought that the descriptions were just anti Nazi propaganda...until they opened the death train.
Not a "good" book, but an important one.
January 30, 2013
A moving, richly detailed holocaust novel strongly based on the author's family history.
March 4, 2022
This book is a holocaust story. This is a young adult book I always have enjoy reading because it is short and interesting where it shows the photo in few pages. A wonderful, beautiful and a page turner called “The Last Train”. Paul’s daughter wrote his father’s story as a result. Paul was born in Karcag, Hungary. By the time in 1944, Nazi invade his hometown. The family were thrown out of their homes to the Ghetto then went to a labour camp in Austria. They were separate from their father. Paul was 5, and Oscar was 11 years old. They looked after their sick mother in Bergen-Belsen camp. Paul only wanted to play with his friends, and he was expose to human and brutality that no person should be expose to. He couldn’t understand why. During the Spring of 1945, the boys see British planes flying over the camp and they were force to go into the boxcar by the Nazi Guards and stay on the train for 4 days. The boys felt they will be killed at the time and their miracle fate twist was a game turner. The British bombed the boxcars and they had to get out and run on the hills. The British army gave the boys chocolate and told them they should go and live in Canada which is a lovely country. The boys were very fond of him. When Paul was in his mid-60-70s. He was reunited with a former British solider who have saved his life. They were in New York for a reunion with his rescuers.
October 13, 2015
Very touching true Holocaust survival story. First book that I have read relating to Holocaust survival of the person so close to home. The released authors autographed book was loaned to me by my friend. I read and watched several movies of the holocaust, however so close to home felt very horrifying and real. This book is a short version of a very large inhuman treatment of Jews. It was heart breaking true story of a family torn apart by the war and very few lived to relate their living nightmare. Hope history never ever repeats itself. It is amazing that such evil people live within us. I recall a poem "How odd/ of God/ to choose/ the Jews" relating to the holocaust. Strange I should remember this poem now.
May 12, 2021
A breath-takingly beautiful story that I cannot wait to share with my students. It's a wonderful story of resistance, not in the armed fighting sense, but in the spiritual sense --- a family who refused to let the atrocities of the Holocaust change their bond, their protection of one another, their love. Having been to Bergen Belsen with Matt Rozell, the man responsible for the reunion of those in this story, my connection to this book is personal and deep. I know that my students will be just as moved by this story as I have been. Which is why I am seriously considering this as a whole class read in place of the dramatic telling of the Diary of Anne Frank. The play and Anne's story have their merits, but they pale in comparison to this story.
July 9, 2020
This is a true story written by the wife of the main character. It gave a different perspective on the war. We seem to hear more about German and Polish Jews rather than others who were taken by the Nazis in other countries such as Hungary. The pictures included showed how happy and thankful the people were to the Americans who saved them. It’s wonderful how the Americans cared so much about these people to make sure they were looked after and taken care of. A moving and informative story about an WW2 event few people know about.
May 28, 2022
The Last train: A holocaust story is a historical nonfiction novel written by Rona Arato. This novel retells a true story about Paul, Oscar and their mother, fortunately surviving the Nazi occupation in 1944.
This story is remorseful of the actual events that took place. Every chapter is named with a place and time, which shows the authenticity of all events illustrated in the novel. For instance, chapter 18 has the subtitle "Strasshof Concentration camp, Austria. December 1944." The author's choice of choosing a narrator that has a relationship with all characters in the novel helps validates the story.
This story reminds me of The Book Thief. Both books occur during WW2 and talk about how the main character struggles but survives during the Nazi regime. The main difference is that Paul is Jewish, but Liesel is German. Paul and his family constantly travel from working camps to concentration camps in the story.
This book is easy to understand, and there is no "climax" for the plot. The author rarely used figurative language but used simple expressions.
Overall, I would recommend this book to teenagers who enjoy reading nonfiction and who want to know more about the Holocaust. This story can evoke the reader's sympathy because of the difficult journey of Jews. I would rate this book a three because the storyline is unremarkable.
This story is remorseful of the actual events that took place. Every chapter is named with a place and time, which shows the authenticity of all events illustrated in the novel. For instance, chapter 18 has the subtitle "Strasshof Concentration camp, Austria. December 1944." The author's choice of choosing a narrator that has a relationship with all characters in the novel helps validates the story.
This story reminds me of The Book Thief. Both books occur during WW2 and talk about how the main character struggles but survives during the Nazi regime. The main difference is that Paul is Jewish, but Liesel is German. Paul and his family constantly travel from working camps to concentration camps in the story.
This book is easy to understand, and there is no "climax" for the plot. The author rarely used figurative language but used simple expressions.
Overall, I would recommend this book to teenagers who enjoy reading nonfiction and who want to know more about the Holocaust. This story can evoke the reader's sympathy because of the difficult journey of Jews. I would rate this book a three because the storyline is unremarkable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2024
7/2024
I didn’t realize thar this book was for grammar school readers. Probably for a sixth or seventh grader..
I liked the book, but I’m going to rate it differently than I would an adult book. So from 1 to 3 stars, I will give it a three.. it’s a true story, very few characters, and moved right along. Tragic story during the holocaust of families put in box cars on trains without food and water and traveling for days.. I would recommend that a family member read this along with the child to explain maybe deeper about what was going on around from 1943-1945.
I was born in 1942 and never EVERV heard about the holocaust in any of my years of schooling For Christmas everybody’s sang the same Christmas songs, about Jesus and his birth and Jewish and non-Jewish all sang together. And nowadays, you can’t even say, merry Christmas at your workplace, Then they took prayer out of school and the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag is gone, because the atheist didn’t want it. To me, then don’t say it if it offends you.
Even if you are an adult and have never read any type of book about the holocaust, I would say, read a few books on this subject.
I didn’t realize thar this book was for grammar school readers. Probably for a sixth or seventh grader..
I liked the book, but I’m going to rate it differently than I would an adult book. So from 1 to 3 stars, I will give it a three.. it’s a true story, very few characters, and moved right along. Tragic story during the holocaust of families put in box cars on trains without food and water and traveling for days.. I would recommend that a family member read this along with the child to explain maybe deeper about what was going on around from 1943-1945.
I was born in 1942 and never EVERV heard about the holocaust in any of my years of schooling For Christmas everybody’s sang the same Christmas songs, about Jesus and his birth and Jewish and non-Jewish all sang together. And nowadays, you can’t even say, merry Christmas at your workplace, Then they took prayer out of school and the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag is gone, because the atheist didn’t want it. To me, then don’t say it if it offends you.
Even if you are an adult and have never read any type of book about the holocaust, I would say, read a few books on this subject.
November 13, 2018
The authors husband is the very young boy who endures the confusing events of the holocaust with his mother and brother. The eyes of this boy see things both illogical and surreal, and yet that is their reality. A final overcrowded train shuttle is the site of an eleventh hour rescue by soldiers who later come to a reunion with survivors of that event. So much horror is left unmentioned as it is after all a children's book. Yet is a harrowing and horrific event in the life of this one little family in the midst of a long and bloody war. So many have not talked of the war and now they are gone. I am grateful that the author Rona Arato was able to draw this story from her husband's early life so it could be shared with us. I read it on November 11th, the weekend of the 100th anniversary of the first world war. Are things getting better? Sometimes it is hard to comprehend just how many evils in the world have stalked young people and scarred their lives. It is hauntingly scary when hatreds resurface in mass killings as has happened this year.
July 22, 2020
One Hungarian family’s true story of surviving through Nazi roundups, cattle-car deportations, forced labor, disease, and worse during the last year of WWII in Europe. Based on accounts from her husband, Paul, whose family’s story this is, Arato creates a sense of horror seen and felt by Paul when he was aged 10 to 11 (about the age as the book’s intended readership). The horrors described here, it should be noted, are not outlined in gruesome detail. We know some people die of typhus, for instance, but not what they looked like or suffered; same with the Nazis. While it’s clear that these are seriously bad people, hope is a thread that runs throughout the story; love of family, another.
The book’s (tested) optimism shines out not just because of the love within the Auslander family that helped them survive and stay together, but also because of the gratitude shown their rescuers, a bunch of young American soldiers. And 65 years later, Paul was able again to meet and thank the GIs who had rescued his family.
The book’s (tested) optimism shines out not just because of the love within the Auslander family that helped them survive and stay together, but also because of the gratitude shown their rescuers, a bunch of young American soldiers. And 65 years later, Paul was able again to meet and thank the GIs who had rescued his family.
June 3, 2019
In this book, the author, Rona Arato, doesn't just demonstrate the childhood of Paul Auslander, but it also shows the suffering of being a Jew during World War II. In the book, Arato utilizes the third point of view to narrate the book. From her words, we can see how were Nazi torturing Jews during the end of World War II. In the story, we can even experience the starvation, fatigue, and pain of Paul, Oscar, and other Jews. In the end, the readers can also understand the freedom and happiness that the US army and alliance brought to them from the concentration camp, from suffering.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan reading book like this. The reason is it creates an image which people are suffering and creates sad and frustrating feelings inside the reader. However, I still like to learn some history about World War II. As a result, I recommend this book to people who are interested in WWII history and the Holocaust or people who want to know what is life looked like back in the time.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan reading book like this. The reason is it creates an image which people are suffering and creates sad and frustrating feelings inside the reader. However, I still like to learn some history about World War II. As a result, I recommend this book to people who are interested in WWII history and the Holocaust or people who want to know what is life looked like back in the time.
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March 14, 2023I'm not rating this, as it's based on a true story.
No romance, no LGBT+ characters.
Sensitive content for kids: this book is about the holocaust, so naturally it's a grim and solemn read. There is detail about the events in the concentration camps (malnourishment, disease, forced labor, inadequate clothing against the cold winter, brief overview of Nazi torture; e.g soldiers kicking or hitting Jews). There are several mentions of death, mostly in passsing, but one detailed (a young boy is shot on his birthday, a Nazi soldier's 'gift'). The main characters' mother is made to strip in front of her kids to be hosed down.
For those of you concerned, the ending isn't harsh or sad. I wouldn't necessarily say it's happy (after the trauma the family has been through), but the main characters make it out of the camps alive and safe.
I would give this book is to older kids, 11-13+.
No romance, no LGBT+ characters.
Sensitive content for kids: this book is about the holocaust, so naturally it's a grim and solemn read. There is detail about the events in the concentration camps (malnourishment, disease, forced labor, inadequate clothing against the cold winter, brief overview of Nazi torture; e.g soldiers kicking or hitting Jews). There are several mentions of death, mostly in passsing, but one detailed (a young boy is shot on his birthday, a Nazi soldier's 'gift'). The main characters' mother is made to strip in front of her kids to be hosed down.
For those of you concerned, the ending isn't harsh or sad. I wouldn't necessarily say it's happy (after the trauma the family has been through), but the main characters make it out of the camps alive and safe.
I would give this book is to older kids, 11-13+.
March 19, 2025
An easy reading book, finished in one day. Though only 142 pages, it tells the story of what happened to a woman and her two sons, along with her best friend and her two daughters in Hungary in 1944, after their husbands had already been "relocated" by the Nazis. The two friends do their best to stick together with their children through being moved into a ghetto and then onto trains to holding camps, then concentration camps and eventually, as the war is coming to an end, onto the last train as the Nazis try to move them to be used as bargaining chips.
This book is well written, from the perspective of the two boys. Oscar, the older of the two, tried to help his mom keep track of younger Paul when he would wander away from the group.
This book is well written, from the perspective of the two boys. Oscar, the older of the two, tried to help his mom keep track of younger Paul when he would wander away from the group.
May 28, 2025
Read this out loud with all of my kids (12, 9, 6 yrs old). There were a couple of very hard parts that brought up big emotions in them, but they led to very meaningful and important conversations. I am so serious about taking an active role in helping them to learn about this part of our history, and although it's not easy, I'm really happy we read this one. It was mostly a hopeful story with the best outcome you can get in a story of the Holocaust. We will be visiting concentration camp museums at some point while we are living in Germany, so I will continue to look for books like this to help us all prepare.
May 26, 2021
Very interesting read……Read a lot of Holocaust stories and found this one told from this young boy in the family made it that way. Especially so because his story was a little more unique to other stories. I am sure each horrific story during the War is unique in its own.
Also interested to read what followed to this family immediately after the war. You are able to witness some of their journey back home to Hungary. They do not just pack up and get home. That was somewhat of a struggle too.
Also interested to read what followed to this family immediately after the war. You are able to witness some of their journey back home to Hungary. They do not just pack up and get home. That was somewhat of a struggle too.
March 10, 2023
I can’t recommend this book enough. This was the first book I ever read about three years ago when wanting to read historical Holocaust fiction. It was actually written by a fifth grade teacher and so the topics mentioned were of course violent and upsetting but were written in a way to ease you into this type of book. That was great and now historical Holocaust fiction books are my favorite. Even though this isn’t a fiction book it was written in a format that was easy to understand and comprehend which is why I’m raving about it and recommended so much.
February 9, 2019
Very moving, simply but very well written, family biography based story. Definitely meant to inform the reader rather to entertain. The naked truth of the darkest moments of human history is served very appropriately - with very little seasoning. I agree with other reviews the story is similar to many others but each one is it’s own story, each one deserved to be told and deserved to be read. I consider having my 12 years old read it as well. Definitely suitable for younger audience.
May 25, 2021
I really like this look. It actually won an award. I was really interested in this because it involved a Hungarian family. I read just about anything regarding the Holocaust and even though it is a children's book, I really got into reading this. This is a true story and in the book it had pictures of the family.
March 13, 2022
What a story!
I read this over about two days as its rather short. It perfectly tells the story of a family during the holocaust. A great read for an afternoon. The plot was well developed and the characters were interesting. Made me feel grateful to live in the 21st century.
I recommend this book .
I read this over about two days as its rather short. It perfectly tells the story of a family during the holocaust. A great read for an afternoon. The plot was well developed and the characters were interesting. Made me feel grateful to live in the 21st century.
I recommend this book .
February 2, 2025
A child’s story written for children at an appropriate level - hints of the horror but also acknowledging that their adults were shielding them from some of it. I hadn’t heard of the death train before, and also the Hungarian experience isn’t as common to read about, so I definitely learned something new.
January 7, 2018
It's been a long time since I read a book in one day, but this was that good. Written from the perspective of two children (brothers), it is very appropriate for children and in fact has won the Norma Fleck award for children's literature.
July 13, 2019
Never easy to read these stories but always good to remind yourself of what human nature is capable of. This is story is told with the eyes of a 5 year old who wants to play with his friends but is exposed to human brutality that no person should be exposed to. Always sad but it had a good ending
June 7, 2022
Excellent read about a holocaust story.
I especially appreciated the photographs and the author's notes at the back of the book. It brought the true reality to the story and put faces to the names in the story.
I especially appreciated the photographs and the author's notes at the back of the book. It brought the true reality to the story and put faces to the names in the story.
December 13, 2022
This is one of those books that is not non-fiction but it's not quite fiction either. It's not a memoir but it's not historical fiction. Still an important, good story, a little young for what I was reading it for.
May 25, 2025
The Last Train: A Holocaust Story by Rona Arato is a tender, powerful read—best shared with young readers, guided by care. Through a child’s eyes, history becomes intimate: full of fear, hope, and quiet resilience. A beautifully told story that lingers in the heart long after the last page.
October 4, 2017
This was a good book.
February 6, 2018
OMG - how these people suffered. so sad. however this was a really good read with a happy ending for the most part.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews