The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Scholastic Focus)

In the midst of World War Two, the Nazi Germans forced all the Jews of Warsaw into a ghetto. They were not allowed outside unless they had specific jobs important to Germany’s success. Vladka, a teenager, was an excellent seamstress, so she was allowed to work in a factory making uniforms for German soldiers. She watched in horror as Jews were deported to death camps every day, and finally, found a group of people who were resisting the Germans, and she joined them.

Since Vladka had light eyes and didn’t “look Jewish”, she was able to move around freely. She did a lot of valuable and dangerous work that helped make the ghetto uprising possible. Her survival of the war made this fascinating book possible.

Author Joshua M. Green has clearly done great research to be able to tell the harrowing story of one woman who contributed much to Jewish success in undermining the authority of the Nazis in Poland during World War Two. At this time in our history, it is more important than ever for young people to recognize the horrors of an authoritarian regime and how it can come into being. Don’t miss this book.