Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Friday, March 27, 2020

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

How I Heard About It:
*During #NCTE19 in Baltimore I had the honor of attending a dinner by Little Brown Publishers.  It was such a wonderful evening and this novel was one that we all went home with.  It sat in my TBR pile for quite some time, but I finally got to reading the story over the last several weeks. 


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:

1.  *The story takes place in Germany 1945 after the war finally ended.  

2.  *Zofia is eighteen years old and has spent too much time in a concentration camp.  

3.  *In fact her entire family went to the concentration camp together, but of course were separated.

4.  *Some family members went to the right, while other went left.  

5.  *Now the Zofia is out of the hospital after being released from the camp, her focus is on finding her brother whom she vowed she would see again one day. 


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *When I began I was drawn into Zofia and her release from the hospital.  I was also intriqued by her goal of reuniting with her brother.

2.  *As she began her journey, I found the plot moved a bit slow and I had to work my way through page after page.  

3.  *Then the events/action would pick up and I would become more engaged.  This scenario would continue throughout the rest of the book.  

4.  *I did enjoy the focus on the human existance after the war itself.  Most historical fiction novels that center on WWII occur before and/or during the actual war.  

5.  *During parts of the story I did find myself skimming and scanning, while picking up the overall just of the plot.  Some of the details bogged me down. 


Who Should Read It:

*The novel is marketed as a young adult novel, but I actually think adult readers would enjoy the story just as much as the young adult.  Readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially WWII, will definitely want to put this on their "to be read" list.   Happy Reading! 


Rating:   3 STARS out of 5 Star

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