Escape to Warsaw by Ian Serraillier

Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serraillier is a riveting book about the German occupation of Poland during WWII. This book gives the reader a picture of what it was like to live in Poland in WWII from various perspectives: a prisoner in a concentration camp, his children, an army officer.

Pros: This book is impossible to put down. You have to find out what happens to the Polish family. Will they ever be reunited? Te content is not as mature as in many WWII accounts. Many middle schoolers (and even some younger children if they could handle the vocabulary) would enjoy reading it.

Cons: While Escape from Warsaw is suspenseful, it is not written in an extremely entertaining way. It definitely would be the most interesting history book in the world, but not the most interesting historical novel. It is a bit dry, lacking some warmth and life.

However it is a great educational read. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down!

The First Writing Challenge

The kid stood in the middle of the mud puddle, laughing like crazy.

Answer these questions by writing a story or short, creative biography.

1) Who is this kid? Name, age, personality?

2) Why is s/he in a mud puddle? Did s/he jump in? Was s/he pushed? Is s/he taking a bath?!

3)Why is the kid laughing? Does the mud tickle, does the kid like the mud?

4) Any other details you want.

Type your story into the comments for this post. (or just let me know that you wrote something.) The best story will be featured in the next post. You'll be famous! And the chances of winning are very good. At this point there is no deadline! 

Happy writing! Have fun!

(The first book review is coming soon!)