Librarian of Auschwitz

Description: The incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust, based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus.

Brief description: Antonio Iturbe is a novelist and journalist. He interviewed Dita Kraus, the real-life librarian of Auschwitz, for The Librarian of Auschwitz. His other books include The Prince of the Skies.

Review Quotes:

"An unforgettable, heartbreaking novel." --Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

"Like Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, it's a sophisticated novel with mature themes, delivering an emotionally searing reading experience. An important novel that will stand with other powerful testaments from the Holocaust era." --Booklist, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

"This novel is one that could easily be recommended or taught alongside Elie Wiesel's Night and The Diary of Anne Frank and a text that, once read, will never be forgotten. VERDICT A hauntingly authentic Holocaust retelling; a must for YA collections." --School Library Journal, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

"Though no punches are pulled about the unimaginable atrocity of the death camps, a life-affirming history." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

"The Librarian of Auschwitz is a heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring work of art." --Shelf Awareness, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz

"Iturbe's remarkable account uses an immediate present tense to immerse readers in Dita's story as she goes about what constitutes daily life in Auschwitz, all the while risking everything to distribute and hide the library's books." --The Horn Book, starred review, on The Librarian of Auschwitz