Tutti's Promise: A novel based on a family's true story of courage and hope during the Holocaust

by K. Heidi Fishman

Overview

A promise kept is like the twinkling stars in the night sky: a constant reminder of something important that makes you who you are.

Can nine-year-old Tutti keep a promise-and a secret? Her family's life may depend on it.

In the early 1930s, life for the Jews is on the brink of ruin: Hitler has come to power, and the golden memories of happy times are fading fast.

One young couple, Margret and Heinz Lichtenstern, decide to flee Germany with their parents and daughter, Tutti. They move to Amsterdam, where Heinz is able to continue his work and where there seems to be hope for the future. Two years later, Tutti's brother is born, and the family is prospering.

But then Germany invades the Netherlands. And in the pre-dawn hours of May 10, 1940, the Lichtensterns suddenly learn that they have not moved far enough.

This is the true story of what the Lichtensterns endured under the Nazis. Told by Tutti's daughter, Heidi, and filled with historical documents and photos, it vividly recreates how one family conquered fear and heartbreak to survive. Theirs is a tale of both unimaginable devastation and lucky surprises-raids, sabotage, helpful friends and strangers, and a very special gift.

One family. One remarkable story. And in the end, a promise kept.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780990843016
Publisher:	MB Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	03/01/2017
Pages:	234
Sales rank:	819,775
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.49(d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2017
Gr 5–8—According to the author's note, more than 75 percent of the Jewish population in the Netherlands in 1940 died in the Holocaust. Among the few to survive were Tutti, the author's mother, who was five years old when the war began, and her immediate family. In this fictionalized account of Tutti's survival, Tutti's father, Heinz, is able to keep his family out of the camps for some time on the strength of his connections. Eventually, Tutti and her family are sent to Westerbork and ultimately to Theresienstadt, but even in the camps, Heinz's connections buffer the family. Unfortunately, this fascinating tale falters in execution. The writing is workmanlike, and the narrative flow is often interrupted by historical background. Furthermore, the horrors of the Holocaust are occasionally given short shrift: "Tutti discovered that some of the friends she had made back in November were still here [in Westerbork], though most were not, and she realized, sadly, that they had been put on the list [to be sent to the camps further east]. She and Robbie joined the other children in their games." In addition, Tutti's titular promise, which could have added considerable drama, comes across as an afterthought, mentioned for the first time late in the novel and not elaborated on in much detail. Photos from the author's private collection help personalize the story and may resonate with readers. VERDICT An additional purchase where historical fiction is in demand.—Eileen Makoff, P.S. 90 Edna Cohen School, NY

School Library Journal

2017-05-01
Fishman dramatizes her mother's World War II survival story in this debut novel. The Netherlands, 1940. German forces have crossed the Dutch border and are seizing control of the country. The family of 5-year-old Ruth "Tutti" Lichtenstern—German Jews who had moved to Amsterdam in hopes of escaping Hitler's anti-Semitic policies—attempts to live normally, but the clan soon gets wind from a friend that Hitler has big changes planned for the Netherlands' Jewish businesses: "First, the firms will have to register," and once Germans "are in control of the companies, they will ship the Jewish workers and owners to Poland." Tutti notices changes herself: she is forced to attend a new school exclusively for Jewish students, and she must wear a yellow star whenever she is outside the house. At first, Tutti's father's position in the metals industry protects the family from deportation—though it doesn't save her grandparents, who are collected during a Nazi raid. Despite her father's efforts to keep them safe, the Lichtensterns are caught on a terrible path that leads them to the Westerbork transit camp. While there, Tutti's father tells her he's hidden some money in her doll and that she must keep that fact a secret (" ‘I promise,' she told him solemnly. ‘I'll take care of her…and I won't tell anyone' "). Eventually, the Lichtensterns are sent to Theresienstadt. After the long years of their deteriorating situation, Tutti attempts to keep a vow to her mother: "To always try to do good in the world—by speaking up when you see evil, and by behaving in a way that you know is right." Fishman tells the tale of her mother's family with elegance and a great sense of suspense. The choice to novelize the account, rather than present it as pure nonfiction, helps to flesh out the characters in a way that makes them more fully realized on the page. Photographs of Tutti and her family are featured throughout the work, reminding the reader that the events being recounted really happened. While some of the material will undoubtedly be disturbing for younger readers (the book jacket recommends ages 10 and up), the novel expertly captures the gradual creep of government-driven persecution in a way that should help children internalize Tutti's story. An adeptly constructed Holocaust work based on family history.

Kirkus Reviews

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