The Devil's Arithmetic

Hannah, a modern American 13-year-old, complains about celebrating Passover Seder, in which she will listen (for the umpteenth time) to her elders remember. But when she reluctantly participates in the ritual, she's suddenly transported back to Poland in 1942. She has become Chaya, whose future is doomed to the horrors and atrocities of life in a concentration camp. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat is superlative in every way. Her clear voice is suffused with emotion; her dramatic timing perfectly builds suspense and completely captivates the listener. Rosenblat's finesse with foreign accents and her subtle nuances of vocal inflection render wonderfully drawn, compelling characters. Rosenblat makes Yolen's powerful story of survival both heartrending and hopeful. J.H.B. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

October 1, 1988
The Holocaust was so monstrous a crime that the mind resists belief and the story must be made new for each individual. Yolen's book is about remembering. During a Passover Seder, 12-year-old Hannah finds herself transported from America in 1988 to Poland in 1942, where she assumes the life of young Chaya. Within days the Nazis take Chaya and her neighbors off to a concentration camp, mere components in the death factory. As days pass, Hannah's own memory of her past, and the prisoners' future, fades until she is Chaya completely. Chaya/Hannah's final sacrifice, and the return of memory, is her victory over the horror. The book's simplicity is its strength; no comment is needed because the facts speak for themselves. This brave and powerful book has much it can teach a young audience. Ages 10-14.