Informational

We Will Not Be Silent-

A non-fiction account of Hans and Sophie Scholl and the White Rose revolution

We Will Not Be Silent

Russell Freedman

Nazi Germany is upturned by college students during the 1940’s. Hans Scholl and his sister, Sophie are part of Hitler’s youth as young teens. Their siblings Inge, Elisabeth, and Warner all joined as well. Hans eventually is honored to be a flag bearer, but this quickly turns him against Hitler and his ideas. He is reprimanded for having banned books and singing songs. Hans joins an underground club that is forbidden and is held for questioning. Eventually Hans and his sister Sophie attend the University of Munich. Hans has been there for some time studying medicine and gaining friends that were also opposed to Hitler and his beliefs. When Sophie finally is able to make her way to the university,  she joins their discussions and dislike for Hitler. The discussions alone were breaking the law. These friendships and talks form the White Rose. Their non-violent campaign created flyers opposing Hitler and encouraging others to stand up for what is right and just. They believe so strongly in what they are doing, they are willing to die for it. Hans tries to keep Sophie out of the illegal activity, but she insists on playing a role. They keep it secret from their family to keep them safe. Hans and Sophie are caught distributing the sixth pamphlet. Hans, Sophie, and other White Rose members are prosecuted and put to death. Their memory lives on, and they are considered heroes of WWII. The interesting tale of these brave siblings is a must read for history buffs.

BIBLIO: 2016, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Ages 12 and up, $17.99.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Debo

Format: Middle Reader

ISBN: 978-0-544-23379-0

  

If you are looking for additional books relating to the Holocaust for yourself or to recommend to students, I have included a brief list below.

Hidden like Anne Frank by Prins & Steenhuis, The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti,  The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss, Four Perfect Pebbles by Perl & Blumenthal Lazan, Elly by Depken, and The Holocaust: the origins, events, and remarkable tales of survival by Steele.

All books are for grades 6-12, except Elly has a lower lexile level for readers in middle or high school that may not be reading on grade level.

Non-fiction

Hidden Like Anne Frank, includes fourteen true stories from Jewish survivors from Nazi Germany. I feel this will give students a different perspective on WWII. In comparison to We Will Not Be Silent, students see things from a Jewish point of view, a different victim of Hitler.

Four Perfect Pebbles gives the students a different perspective through this non-fiction story of a family that lived through it all, including prison camps.

Elly*-I included this true story because it is at a lower reading level than the others but still captures families being split apart and surviving concentration camps.  

The Holocaust: the origins, events, and remarkable tales of survival-includes stories as well as photographs and maps to help illustrate the realities of Nazi Germany.

Fiction

The Boy Who Dared allows students to experience a similar story about a boy distributing pamphlets but through a historical fiction novel.

The Upstairs Room tells a fictional story about a Jewish girl who lived through the turmoil of Nazi Germany, hidden in a farmer’s upstairs room. 

   

Resources:

Campbell Bartoletti, S. (2016). The boy who dared. New York: Scholastic Inc.

Depken, K.L. (2013). Elly. New York: Random House Children’s Books.

Freedman, R. (2016). We will not be silent: the White Rose student resistance movement that defied

Adolf Hitler. Boston: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Perl, L. & Blumenthal Lazan, M. (2016). Four perfect pebbles: a true story of the Holocaust. New York:

Greenwillow Books.  

Prins, M., & Steenhuis, P.H. (2016). Hidden like Anne Frank: fourteen true stories of survival. New York:

Scholastic Inc.

Reiss, J. (1987). The upstairs room. New York:HarperCollins.

Steele, P. (2016). The Holocaust: the origins, events, and remarkable tales of survival. New York:

Scholastic Inc.