The Star Houses: A Story from the Holocaust

Survivors

by Stewart Ross, Andor Guttman

Bandi Guttmann is a fourteen-year-old Hungarian Jew living in Budapest in 1944. German forces have occupied the city, and life for Bandi and his family is about to become unbearable. Set apart from the rest of the community and denied basic rights, the Guttmann family's only weapon is their determination to survive. But in the face of mindless Nazi hatred, will their strength, love, and courage be enough to hold them together? Survivors is a brand-new and dramatic collection of short novels for young readers, each book about a young person caught up in a real-life conflict or disaster that boys and girls will recognize from their history books. The stories are fiction, but through each young hero's eyes, the boys and girls who read these tales will gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day hardships and dangers encountered by people living and surviving through troubled times. Each book has a brief introduction relating actual historical events, and at the end of each book, young readers will find a brief historical note that places the story in a larger context plus a glossary of terms specific to the time and place. Boys and girls will also find a list of suggested further reading. Line illustrations capture the atmosphere of each story. Titles in this series are available in both paperback and hardcover editions. This is a paperback book. (Ages 10-13)

Genres: Holocaust

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2001

About the author

Stewart Ross has written more than 300 titles, fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults. Many are about (or inspired by) history. He lives near Canterbury, England.

Reviews

[Kyler]

“The Star Houses: A Story From the Holocaust,” is a fictional story based on true life events about Andor “Bandi” Guttmann and how him and his family managed to survive mass genocide. I enjoyed this story very much because it was from a different perspective. Rather than telling the story about the horrors that happened inside the camp, it was about a family trying to survive and avoid the camp.
It is definitely a great, short novel on the Holocaust and incorporates valuable lessons that one must always keep in mind.

[Brooklyn]

I choose to read this book because it really stood out to me with the front cover and what it really was about on the blurb on the back. My favourite character was bandi Guttmann because of all the discrimination given against his family for being Jewish, they knew couldn't win the war so he stepped up to lead the way for the family in terms of determination to survive when they are forced to leave there home. (Brandi lives with his mother and sisters)
My favourite quote was when Bandi said "wherever we go, we stick as a family". I liked this quote because it showed how much Brandi looked out for his family and cared for them. Something new I learned was that you always have to be grateful for what you have and to always have determination to get through any problems you have.

[Marcia]

A first-person account of a Jewish boy in Budapest during the German occupation. The struggles of a family torn apart, a strong-willed mother, and the racism/humiliation faced by the Jew are some of the themes highlighted. This would be a good addition to a classroom collection to show the Holocaust from the Hungary perspective.

[Jill]

I enjoyed this fictionalized account of a real person. I think the reading level is appropriate for a 3rd grader, but because of the nature of the topic, you'd want to be careful. It would be a good introduction for this topic, though as it's not graphic and doesn't really touch on the most horrifying aspects of the Holocaust.

[Cedric]

Brought me into a heartful experience of what happened at that horrendous moment in history. I enjoyed it because it was an quick read and it had a light dialogue I could easily dive into. Very insightful.

[Michael Gentile]

This was a really intresting book

[Wilde Sky]

This book provides an account of a young Hungarian Jew’s war time experiences.

Some parts of this book were moving but overall it came across as too simplistic / lacking in any passion.