What the Night Sings in Mock Printz 2026

Feb 25, 2018 Barbara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bullies, community, holocaust, power, cultural-identity, education, grief, loss, social-justice, epistolary

What an extraordinarily beautiful and unique book about the Holocaust this one is! While many books about WWII cover the events leading up to the Holocaust as well as the tragedies of the concentration camps, few seem to give much attention to the aftermath, which this one does. Gerta Rauschn is sixteen when the story begins, and while others around her are dying of typhus, she is fortunate to be healthy enough to survive when the British arrive to liberate the inhabitants of Bergen-Belsen Conce What an extraordinarily beautiful and unique book about the Holocaust this one is! While many books about WWII cover the events leading up to the Holocaust as well as the tragedies of the concentration camps, few seem to give much attention to the aftermath, which this one does. Gerta Rauschn is sixteen when the story begins, and while others around her are dying of typhus, she is fortunate to be healthy enough to survive when the British arrive to liberate the inhabitants of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. It's clear even from the opening pages that she is endured far more than anyone should ever have to, and through a series of flashbacks, her story and how she came to be in the camp is told. By weaving in previous history and her father's desperate but ultimately futile efforts to hide her Jewishness with her current status in a displaced persons camp, the author provides an immediacy to the story as well as a sense of impending doom as to the fate of others in her life. When Gerta meets Lev Goldszmit in the camp, they become close friends, sharing their stories and helping each other heal, but he has romantic feelings toward her, which she does not return, partly because she can never see herself married and having children, especially after all the horrors she has witnessed. While Lev pursues her through a series of letters, Gerta falls instead for Michah, who is enlisting volunteers to travel to Palestine where she can truly be free. But Michah is battling demons of his own, and even though his kisses and attentions warm her heart, Gerta realizes that there are other choices for her. Through playing the viola and trying to recover her singing voice, lost during her time in the camps, Gerta finds the courage to take a risk and make changes in her life, perhaps even hoping that there is joy ahead in her life. Not only is Gerta unforgettable and her story emotionally riveting, but the illustrations, created with ink wash, white gouache, and graphite, and then toned digitally, are visually stunning, somehow capturing every emotion and experience that has been Gerta's lot. Readers will shake their heads in astonishment at the resilience of the human spirit and its ability to forgive, even while wondering about humans' unkindness to others and willingness to find scapegoats for problems. The scenes in which Gerta organizes clothing as part of her job in the camps are emotionally intense and speak volumes about what her life must have been like and why it would take so long to recover from her trauma and loss. ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Becky rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, holocaust-and-world-war-ii, review-group

I appreciated that this told the story of a Holocaust survivor after liberation, but I did want more out of it than it gave me. I wish it spent more time in the details of life in the refugee camp and Gerta's relationship with Judaism, which was such an interesting thread that was never fully developed. I could have done without the love triangle for sure, and a less abrupt resolution to the main romance. She insists she's not going to get married for the whole book and then she's like, "we were ...more

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Sep 23, 2018 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-2018, teen-fiction, historical

Before the Holocaust, Gerta lived a life rich in music, studying and practicing under her father and stepmother. Gerta has now survived detainment at camp Bergen-Belsen, thanks to her musical talent allowing her to play in an orchestra instead of having to perform hard labor. Since the British came, Bergen-Belsen has been converted into a refugee camp for displaced persons. Gerta has lost her family and even her ability to sing, but she still has her father's viola (side note... I never knew of ...more

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Jul 31, 2018 Amy Pickett rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

4.5 stars, an absolutely wonderful book!

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Oct 27, 2018 elissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my_10s_reads, youngadult, historicalfiction, capitol_choices_2019, 2018favorites

Beautifully illustrated, and quite compelling storytelling. The art project started as an assignment in a master's degree program. The author was born in Germany, but grew up in the US. This is a little-told piece of the Holocaust, about survivors of concentration camps just after the war ends. Main character is a teenager as the war ends. Closer to 4 1/2 stars. ...more

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Mar 05, 2019 Tamsyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, war-stories, fms, youngadult, travel-multicultural

This was a very good story focusing mostly on a teenaged girl starting on the day of liberation from Bergen-Belsen. Though it of course gives her backstory as well, it was refreshing to have a story of what happens after, given the life-changing events of WWII: often, no family for the survivors or place to which they can return -- now what? Also illustrated by the author, all in black and white.

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Feb 24, 2019 Vicki rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Two out of every three Jews were killed during World War II across Europe"
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Apr 30, 2019 Chrissy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: teen, award-winners

Really beautiful, and I also appreciate so much reading this part of the story. Having read a number of WWII survival stories, getting one that focuses on the actual building of a life afterward is novel and rewarding. Nice to show that walking away from the destruction isn't the end of the story, or the end of the struggle. ...more

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