Book: Anne Frank. The Diary of a Young Girl. New York City: Bantam Books, 1993.
Awards: YALSA Best Books For Young Adults
Genre: diary, non-fiction (historical)
Summary: During the second world war and the years leading up to it, Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding to avoid the wrath that is Adolf Hitler. Throughout her time in the annex, Anne writes about life as a teenager. She describes her somewhat typical teenage experience in her entries about friendship, boys and school. The diary takes readers on the journey Anne traveled in the two years she was stuck in hiding. We are taken through the discovery and arresting of the family after being betrayed. Anne's father, Otto, recovers the journal and is able to publish it leaving Anne's legacy for future young adults to discover.
Audience: I would use this book for students ages 13 and up. Readers any younger would find it difficult and would not be able to relate to Anne in ways the older kids would.
Themes: Loneliness is an obvious theme in a diary about a girl trapped in an attic. Anne is unable to experience life outside of the annex for two whole years. She was forced to leave friends and people she loved outside. She does not find much support in her sister or mother. It is almost as though she is stuck in her own little world with not much input or activity from the outside world.
Since Anne has so much time to just sit and reflect on herself and the life she lives, self reflection and understanding is another theme that becomes evident while reading the diary. Anne comes to the conclusion that she does not really have someone she can confide in. Her sister and her mother do not understand her. Despite her connection with her father, Anne still struggles to express how she feels to anyone other than her diary. Her diary becomes a way for her to let herself explore the different feelings she is having.
Evidence:
"It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality." Anne writes this shortly before being discovered. It is evident just how hopeful they had once been, only to have their sense of hope ripped from them.
"I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone" Here, Anne lets on just how alone she feels in the annex. She hopes to be able to use the diary as a way out of the secluded world she is forced to live in.
Connections: This book could easily be used in conjunction with a number of other subjects and lessons. An obvious sub topic could be the Holocaust or Jewish persecution during the time of the second world war.
Reactions: I read this book for the first time as an eighth grader and really enjoyed it. I seemed to relate to Anne in a number of ways. After reading it again, it was interesting to pick up on aspects of the diary I had missed the first time. I was able to appreciate more thoroughly the severity behind what was going on during that time.
Reception: "The new edition reveals a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardship, and passions . . . There may be no better way to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II than to reread The Diary of a Young Girl, a testament to an indestructivle nobility of spirit in the face of pure evil." -The Chicago Tribune
Links: Anne Frank Website
Awards: YALSA Best Books For Young Adults
Genre: diary, non-fiction (historical)
Summary: During the second world war and the years leading up to it, Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding to avoid the wrath that is Adolf Hitler. Throughout her time in the annex, Anne writes about life as a teenager. She describes her somewhat typical teenage experience in her entries about friendship, boys and school. The diary takes readers on the journey Anne traveled in the two years she was stuck in hiding. We are taken through the discovery and arresting of the family after being betrayed. Anne's father, Otto, recovers the journal and is able to publish it leaving Anne's legacy for future young adults to discover.
Audience: I would use this book for students ages 13 and up. Readers any younger would find it difficult and would not be able to relate to Anne in ways the older kids would.
Themes: Loneliness is an obvious theme in a diary about a girl trapped in an attic. Anne is unable to experience life outside of the annex for two whole years. She was forced to leave friends and people she loved outside. She does not find much support in her sister or mother. It is almost as though she is stuck in her own little world with not much input or activity from the outside world.
Since Anne has so much time to just sit and reflect on herself and the life she lives, self reflection and understanding is another theme that becomes evident while reading the diary. Anne comes to the conclusion that she does not really have someone she can confide in. Her sister and her mother do not understand her. Despite her connection with her father, Anne still struggles to express how she feels to anyone other than her diary. Her diary becomes a way for her to let herself explore the different feelings she is having.
Evidence:
"It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality." Anne writes this shortly before being discovered. It is evident just how hopeful they had once been, only to have their sense of hope ripped from them.
"I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone" Here, Anne lets on just how alone she feels in the annex. She hopes to be able to use the diary as a way out of the secluded world she is forced to live in.
Connections: This book could easily be used in conjunction with a number of other subjects and lessons. An obvious sub topic could be the Holocaust or Jewish persecution during the time of the second world war.
Reactions: I read this book for the first time as an eighth grader and really enjoyed it. I seemed to relate to Anne in a number of ways. After reading it again, it was interesting to pick up on aspects of the diary I had missed the first time. I was able to appreciate more thoroughly the severity behind what was going on during that time.
Reception: "The new edition reveals a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardship, and passions . . . There may be no better way to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II than to reread The Diary of a Young Girl, a testament to an indestructivle nobility of spirit in the face of pure evil." -The Chicago Tribune
Links: Anne Frank Website