I am Anne Frank

by Brad Meltzer, Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)

Overview

The 22nd book in the New York Times bestselling series of biographies about hero's tells the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who documented her life while hiding from the Nazis during World War II.

This engaging biography series focuses on the traits that made our hero's great—the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of an icon in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos. This volume features Anne Frank, whose courage and hope during a time of terror are still an inspiration for people around the world today. While Anne and her family hid in an attic during the Holocaust, she kept a journal about all her hopes and fears and observations. That journal and the story of her life are still read and told today to remember the life of a young girl and warn against the consequences of bigotry.


This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big.

Included in each book are:  
• A timeline of key events in the hero’s history  
• Photos that bring the story more fully to life  
• Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable   
• Childhood moments that influenced the hero  
• Facts that make great conversation-starters   
• A virtue this person embodies: Anne Frank's unwavering hope is central to this biography 

You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525555940
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Series:	Ordinary People Change the World Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	114,317
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Brad Meltzer is the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes for My Son, Heroes for My Daughter, and a number of suspense novels like The Lightning Rod. He is also the host of the History Channel television shows Brad Meltzer's Decoded and Brad Meltzer's Lost History (in which he helped find the missing 9/11 flag). He lives in Florida with his wife and their three children.

Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career at Marvel Comics, and has worked on thousands of comics, including his own Cow Boy and Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius. He is the author and illustrator of the picture books The Yawns Are Coming! and The Giggles Are Coming! and the graphic novels Cosmic Commandos and Monster Mayhem. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their college-graduate twin sons (who also make an appearance in each Ordinary People Change the World book).

Hometown:

Florida

Date of Birth:

1970

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Education:

B.A., University of Michigan; J.D., Columbia University

Website:

http://www.bradmeltzer.com

Editorial Reviews

A New York Times Bestseller 

★ "Meltzer extolls Jewish values while gently addressing the escalating persecution of Jews and the horrors of the Holocaust, acknowledging the terror but framing Frank’s story as one of resilience and hope . . . This undeniably somber volume is appropriately lightened by Eliopoulos’ disarming cartoons, which utilize large panels, speech bubbles, and simple yet expressive character designs." —Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

09/18/2020

Gr 2–4—In the newest addition to the "Ordinary People Change the World" series, Meltzer tackles the story of Anne Frank with mixed results. The simplistic storytelling method addresses the key points of Anne's story while using a heavier hand to place emphasis on hope and kindness. The text provides explanation of the Holocaust and the treatment of Jewish people during World War II while staying true to Anne's diary, often using direct quotes when she is shown writing. Anne is the narrator throughout, but the book ends with many speakers discussing Hitler's defeat, Anne's death, and the discovery of her writing. As with previous titles in the series, the book's illustrations depict the main characters as very young children throughout their lives, which in this case creates a jarring and potentially horrifying look at a family's experience with the Holocaust. While Anne Frank's story has great importance and relevance, this book pairs wartime atrocities with casual cartoonish art in a way that may strike some as inappropriate. VERDICT Educators may find that the frightening nature of the story is not handled in a way that would be suitable for the target audience. For a more sensitive approach, try Jeff Gottsfeld's The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking Through Anne Frank's Window.—Erica Deb, Matawan Aberdeen P.L., NJ

School Library Journal

2020-07-28
A bobblehead avatar of the teenage writer and symbol of the Holocaust presents her life as an inspiration.

From a big-eared babyhood and a childhood spent “writing stories” to fleeing Germany for Amsterdam, Anne’s pre-Annex life is sketched. Narrating in the first person, the cartoon Anne explains that Nazis “didn’t like those of us who were Jewish or other groups who were different from them.” Hitler is presented as a leader “who blamed the Jews for all of Germany’s problems, even though we hadn’t done anything wrong.” Then in short order Anne receives her diary as a birthday present, the family goes into hiding, and Anne finds solace in the attic looking at the chestnut tree and writing. Effectively, Annex scenes are squeezed between broad black borders. Illustrations present four snippets of quotes from her diary, including “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” Narrator Anne says, “You can always find light in the darkest places. That’s what hope is,” as she clutches the diary with Shabbat candles on one side and a menorah burning brightly on the other. In the next double-page spread, an international array of modern-day visitors standing outside the Anne Frank House briefly, in speech bubbles, wraps up the story of the Holocaust, the diary, the Annex, and the chestnut tree. Anne’s wretched death in a concentration camp is mentioned only in a concluding timeline. I Am Benjamin Franklin publishes simultaneously. (This book was reviewed digitally with 7.5-by-15-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

A sanitized version of a too-short life. (photos, sources, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews