The Boy on the Wooden Box
Books | Juvenile Nonfiction / History / General
4.5
(1.4K)
Leon Leyson
Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson's life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory - a list that became world renowned: Schindler's List. This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler's List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancour, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr Leyson's telling. The Boy on the Wooden Boxis a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you've ever read.
World War 2
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Leon Leyson
Pages
256
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2013-08-29
ISBN
1471119939 9781471119934
Ratings
Google: 3
Community ReviewsSee all
"This nonfiction book was written for readers age 11 and older and is an ideal book for youth learning about the Holocaust. Told from a child's point of view, the reader learns about a boy experiencing loss of home, friends, and family in Poland during the Holocaust and about his going to work in Schindler's factory, which saved his life. The book does not go into graphic detail of the horrors of the concentration camps, but it does give you enough facts to know how much worse the boy's life became, and it gives you a glimpse into the emotions that the boy was feeling, including his hope, even in the worst times. As you read this story, you feel as if you are right there by little Leon's side seeing what he sees, feeling what he feels, and you realize how lucky he was to have been added onto Schindler's list. Written for youth, the book contains a lot of short subject-first-then- verb formatted sentences, which makes the reading flow a bit choppy for an adult reader. However, the character and plot development and content of the book were excellently written by a masterful storyteller. I highly recommend it for any reader."
P I
Pamela Inskeep
"this book was heart breaking. i can’t imagine going through anything like this. it’s a beautiful book, it definitely deserves a place on your book shelf."
☾ 𝔍𝔢𝔱𝔱 ☾
"Read this book with my 6th Grade class and was completely captivated by the immersive story told by Leon Leyson about his time in Poland when Nazi Germany began the Holocaust in WWII. This memoir was one of the few books that I truly truly enjoyed reading all the way through. 10/10"
Maximo Dattolo
"We read it in class and i love it so much i want to read it agian."
Em Hoff