The Devil's Arithmetic

By: Jane Yolen

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Paperback | 1 October 1990

At a Glance

Paperback
176 Pages

Age
10+

Grade
K+

Dimensions(cm)
12.0 x 197.0 x 132.0

Paperback

$22.75

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"A triumphantly moving book." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Hannah dreads going to her family''s Passover Seder—she''s tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she''s transported to a Polish village in the year 1942. Why is she there, and who is this "Chaya" that everyone seems to think she is? Just as she begins to unravel the mystery, Nazi soldiers come to take everyone in the village away. And only Hannah knows the unspeakable horrors that await. A critically acclaimed novel from multi-award-winning author Jane Yolen.

"[Yolen] adds much to understanding the effects of the Holocaust, which will reverberate throughout history, today and tomorrow." —SLJ, starred review

"Readers will come away with a sense of tragic history that both disturbs and compels." —Booklist

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"

Industry Reviews

Yolen is the author of a hundred books, many of which have been praised for their originality, humor, or poetic vision, but this thoughtful, compelling novel is unique among them. Hannah, 13, finds the annual Seder - which calls up her grandfather's memories of the death camp he and his sister Eva survived - tedious, the facts distant and unreal. Chosen to perform the ritual of opening the door to Elijah, she finds herself in rural Poland in 1942, as Chaya (life), the heroic girl whose Hebrew name she bears. There, she shares the experiences of villagers who are interrupted during a wedding, transported in a grueling four-day train journey, and delivered to a camp where the commandant routinely chooses victims for the gas chambers. At the camp another girl, the indomitable Rivka, teaches her how to survive, and she learns an unforgettable lesson: some must live, at whatever cost, to bear witness. When Rivka is "chosen," Hannah goes to her death in her place - and awakes to find herself returned to the family Seder, recognizing Aunt Eva as the beloved friend she saved. In less skillful hands, such a story would risk being either didactic or irreverent, but Yolen has so completely integrated her deep concern with the structure and movingly poetic language of her story that the meaning shines clear. Symbolic details - such as the role memory plays in Hannah's response to her experiences - are meticulously worked out. A triumphantly moving book. (Kirkus Reviews)

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