This story needs to be known because it’s one of survival amongst such evil, as well as an amazing feat of triumph despite the astronomical losses. Incidentally, at the end of the book, the author describes his meeting with Dita Kraus and how they went to Terezin together. The true violence of Auschwitz is very low key in this story which makes me feel it would be suited to a younger audience as a first introduction to the atrocities of the time, 13 years +. At only 14, Dita could easily have declared herself too young to be the librarian, but she fearlessly took on the responsibility.

I will never pretend to say how I would act under those circumstances, it was just a sad thing digest, as if it was not horrible enough. Dita and her friends encourage and support one another -- something that sounds so simple but demands an incredible amount of emotional strength.I cannot bear to even imagine what they all must have went through, none the less having to endure such pain and suffering. Eventually, Dita learns that the family camp is a fake camp, set up by the Nazis so the Red Cross, if it comes to Auschwitz, can see how “fairly” the Germans treat their prisoners.

I love WWII history and learning more about the Holocaust, but I have to say that this book was extremely boring. Auschwitz's "Doctor Death," Joseph Mengele, is a character in the novel, and although few of his experiments on adults and children are written about in detail, even references to them (doing live autopsies, injecting typhus into children, cutting open pregnant women with no anesthetic) may be extremely disturbing to some readers.Guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes ( much like anything published about the happenings at Auschwitz) this graphic novel is very creatively crafted. Viktor smuggles out a male prisoner, Siegfried Lederer, to assist him in getting Renee and her mother papers for their escape. Though many believe he committed suicide, Dita has trouble reconciling her respect for Fredy and what seems like a cowardly way out of the prison camp.

However, when the Red Cross did not show up to inspect the camp, the Nazis went ahead and dismantled it by killing 3000 people in a single blow. as a fellow bookworm, its quite heartening to read about how books were the source of her courage, inspiration, and escape.The SS are unaware of the library's existence so everyday brings the risk of discovery; yet Dita would have it no other way.

Before the English Language version, Iturbe’s novel appeared in Spain as La bibliotecaria de Auschwitz.Este povestea Ditei Kraus, o tânără de doar 14 ani, care este cea mai tânără bibliotecară din lume și are grijă de cea mai mică bibliotecă din lume, care are doar 8 cărți: biblioteca de la Auschwitz. At some point, I was all in - ‘hooked’ - transported to a children’s school,- “Block 31” within a ‘family camp’, in Auschwitz - written from young people’s perspectives. These are questions that a new book, The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe, grapples with as it pulls back the curtain of history to reveal the story of Dita Kraus (née Poláchová), a survivor of the Holocaust who served as the secret librarian of the children’s block in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp before 3,792 of the prisoners were sent to the gas chambers in March 1944. Que me perdoem os milhares de homens, mulheres e crianças, cujas cinzas estarão para sempre sepultadas em Auschwitz-Birkenau. Dita is just 14years old and has been chosen and trusted to be the class librarian of Block 31, now you might think oh well it's only a librarian, but books are banned and anyone caught with them are sentenced to death!