The Safest Lie

by Angela Cerrito

Overview

National Jewish Book Awards Finalist: Anna's grandmother always told her that the truth was the safest lie—but in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, the truth about Anna's identity is the most dangerous thing there is

It's 1940, and nine-year-old Anna Bauman and her parents are among the 300,000 Polish Jews struggling to survive the wretched conditions in the Warsaw ghetto. Anna draws the attention of a woman called Jolanta—a code name of the real-life resistance spy Irena Sendler, who smuggled hundreds of children out of the ghetto.

Jolanta wants to help Anna escape, but first Anna must assume a new identity, that of Roman Catholic orphan Anna Karwolska. Whisked out of the ghetto to a Christian orphanage, Anna struggles to hide her true identity . . . until she slowly realizes that the most difficult part of this charade is not remembering the details of her new life, but trying not to forget the old one entirely.

This powerful historical novel sheds light on the hidden children, who escaped the horrors of ghettos and concentration camps only to lose their identity and heritage, living among foreign families to stay safe. Informed by the author's interviews with Irena Sendler, the book includes an author's note detailing the research and historical information that brought this story to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823440467
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	12/18/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	1,198,674
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Angela Cerrito was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and has lived in Oregon, Georgia, China, Italy and Germany. She attended Pacific University, where she received a BS in social work and an MS in physical therapy. She currently works as a pediatric physical therapist in Germany. Her first novel, The End of the Line, was a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and a VOYA "Top of the Top Shelf" selection. The Safest Lie evolved over eleven years. The author first learned about Irena Sendler in 2004 and knew immediately that she wanted to write about her. She applied for and was awarded the Kimberly Colen Memorial Grant from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, which made it possible for her to conduct research in Warsaw, Poland, where she finally met her hero, Irena Sendler.

Editorial Reviews

"Basing her story on the admirable work of Irena Sendler, the Polish social worker who provided underground opportunities for 2,500 Jewish children, Cerrito effectively evokes the fears, struggles, and sheer terror these children faced through her protagonist's first-person account, which allows readers into her private thoughts. Anna's three years in hiding encompass much of what these saved children experienced, though many were not always treated with kindness. In a candid concluding portrayal of the psychological cruelty these children faced, Anna learns of her real family's death when she is taken from her foster home to a Jewish agency. Though alive, she is emotionally lost, and readers are left to ponder what the future might hold for this brave girl. Balancing honesty and age-appropriateness, Cerrito crafts an authentic, moving portrait." —Kirkus Reviews

"Anna’s present-tense narrative voice is vivid, and readers will connect with her from the start. From the moment she recommends her friends for scarce vaccinations to her inquiries about a baby she helped rescue years ago, she demonstrates her loyalty. . . . A suspenseful and informative choice for historical fiction fans." —School Library Journal

"Cerrito succeeds particularly in distilling the WWII experience from a child’s point of view: the horrors are slightly muted because they are all Anna’s ever known. . . . Readers yearning for Anna’s postwar reunion with her family will be faced with the same harsh reality as Anna: precious little of her family survives. Back matter provides further context for the real story of Sendler, whose bravery in the face of danger is inspiring." —Booklist

"Told from Anna's perspective, this harrowing tale of secrets and survival has a childlike cadence, with poignantly simple observations amid life-altering decisions. . . . Cerrito (The End of the Line) delivers a compassionate introduction to the atrocities of the Holocaust that pays homage to some of the real heroes, particularly social worker Irena Sendler, who risked their lives to save the young." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

09/28/2015
Frail Anna Bauman, a Jewish girl starving to death in the Warsaw ghetto, must take on a new identity and abandon her parents to survive WWII. As Anna Korwolska, she is smuggled to a Catholic orphanage and eventually adopted by a Polish family with their own secrets, before political changes threaten to uproot her again. Told from Anna's perspective, this harrowing tale of secrets and survival has a childlike cadence, with poignantly simple observations amid life-altering decisions. At just nine years old, Anna struggles to comprehend the exhausting ramifications of pretending to be someone she is not; her plight takes on an added aspect of self-awareness with the discovery of two homeless Jewish children in hiding, forcing her to choose between forsaking her mother's orders and helping those so much like herself. Cerrito (The End of the Line) delivers a compassionate introduction to the atrocities of the Holocaust that pays homage to some of the real heroes, particularly social worker Irena Sendler, who risked their lives to save the young. Ages 8–12. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2015-05-06
Anna Bauman, 9 years old and Jewish, escapes certain death in Nazi-occupied Poland with the help of many who keep her hidden with a false Catholic identity. When Mama tells Anna she must leave the Warsaw ghetto with a trusted guide and new name, Anna Karwolska, the girl is confused, frightened, and unsure she can keep her unfamiliar gentile life authentic. Taken to a Catholic orphanage, Anna begins to learn a new religious structure while she secretly remembers her Jewish background. After a year she is again uprooted and taken to a foster family that lovingly welcomes her as an orphan of the war. Basing her story on the admirable work of Irena Sendler, the Polish social worker who provided underground opportunities for 2,500 Jewish children, Cerrito effectively evokes the fears, struggles, and sheer terror these children faced through her protagonist's first-person account, which allows readers into her private thoughts. Anna's three years in hiding encompass much of what these saved children experienced, though many were not always treated with kindness. In a candid concluding portrayal of the psychological cruelty these children faced, Anna learns of her real family's death when she is taken from her foster home to a Jewish agency. Though alive, she is emotionally lost, and readers are left to ponder what the future might hold for this brave girl. Balancing honesty and age-appropriateness, Cerrito crafts an authentic, moving portrait. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Read More