Can you imagine going from living in the lap of luxury to being sent to a concentration camp? This is exactly what happened to 12-year-old Jack Mandelbaum. He grew up in a town in Poland on the Baltic Sea where his father was the owner of a fish cannery. When World War II began and it looked like his town might be bombed, Jack and his brother and sister and their mother went to live with Jack's grandfather in a village far from the shore. It was the first time that Jack had been in a place where most of the population was Jewish, and it was the first time he faced anti-Semitism (hostility toward or discrimination against Jews) from the children around him. This was confusing to Jack, since he had always considered himself to be Polish first, and also because his own family was not particularly religious.

While Jack's family was living with his grandfather, the Nazis invaded Poland and things gradually began to change. Jack's sister went to live with an aunt who needed help with a new baby, and Jack, his brother Jakob, and their mother went to live with her brother. Jack began supporting his family by taking the places of older men on the work details. His family, along with all the other Jewish families, was moved into one section of the town. Eventually, this entire section was deported and sent to work camps. As the people were sorted into two different lines, Jack noticed that the line to the right seemed to be the better one to be in. So, when his family's turn came, he pulled out a paper saying he worked for the Nazis, expecting his entire family to be sent to the left. Instead, he was separated from them. Forever.

Jack's journey through numerous camps is a miraculous story of survival. It is especially amazing that he kept a positive outlook throughout the ordeal. He simply says that to hate would take energy that one did not have and could not waste in the camps. Instead, Jack chose life.

Photographs support the story, and draw the reader closer to Jack and his family. The book also includes a section of research material, as well as a list of additional sources of information about the Holocaust. Overall, this is a well-done book about a difficult topic.

---Reviewed by Elizabeth Pabrinkis