Renata, a Child of the Holocaust

Book excerpt: Like most children, Renata Haberer loved the train. The sound of the whistle. The gentle hum of wheels hugging the tracks. Chatting with passengers she did not know. Renata loved it all. But all that changed on an October day in 1940 when German soldiers forced Renata's family and her town's fellow Jews on a different kind of train for a destination unknown. It wasn't just Renata's love of trains that changed that day. Everything she cherished would never be the same. Based on actual events, Renata tells the story of a German girl born as Adolph Hitler comes to power. At first shielded by her parents of Nazi abuses and a world collapsing around them, Renata's facade of a normal childhood begins to crumble with Kristallnacht. Soon one horrific change after another shatters Renata's life, leading to a separation from her parents and ultimately a race to the Swiss border with a German soldier at her heels. No longer did Renata wish for a new doll or a new party dress-all she wished for was to be with her family. Geared to readers ages ten and up, Renata is authored by Helen Stein Behr, a long-time elementary school educator who approaches this true Holocaust story with a prose and sensitivity appropriate for readers of any age. Adults and children alike will find Renata to be a page-turning and riveting story of a young girl's despair, hope and courage - and a joyful ending that defied the odds.