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"Hansel" and "Gretel" are Jewish children who are abandoned (in order to save them from the Nazis) by their father and stepmother in a Polish forest. They are taken in by an old woman who is known by reputation as the village witch. This historical fiction closely parallels the fairy tale.
I enjoyed very much the whole concept of this book--that of adapting a well-known fairy tale to the World War II experience. However, the story is more graphic in its cruelty, violence and language than I expec ...more
I enjoyed very much the whole concept of this book--that of adapting a well-known fairy tale to the World War II experience. However, the story is more graphic in its cruelty, violence and language than I expec ...more

I read this a couple years ago when I was searching for interesting, compelling, contemporary reworkings of fairy tales. It was nothing like I expected and far better than I had anticipated. It is a harrowing account of how the Nazi occupation of a village in Poland impacts individual lives. I highly recommend this.

Jul 17, 2009
Natalie
marked it as to-read

Aug 20, 2009
Laurie
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Mar 19, 2016
Jillian
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Mar 17, 2017
gremlinkitten
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Aug 22, 2017
Cas
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Sep 13, 2017
Genna
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Jan 21, 2021
Janel
marked it as to-read