"In a sensitive and poignant portrayal of the events of the Holocaust, Star of Fear, Star of Hope introduces children to this difficult, but important topic.'Stars at morning, better take warning.
Stars at night, hope is in sight.'Helen recalls her childhood during the Nazi occupation of France and the mounting persecution of the Jewish people.On the eve of her birthday, Helen is excited to celebrate with her best friend Lydia. But when a fearful woman appears at Helen's house, Lydia suddenly wants to go home early, and Helen can't understand why. Does it have to do with the yellow star that both Lydia and this woman are wearing? Why are people in hiding and using strange names? What is Lydia afraid of? Set during the World War II Nazi occupation of France, this is a powerful story of friendship, fear, and the hope we must always hold dear."

A sobering look at the Holocaust through the eyes of a child. Very sad ending that might make some students cry. Better for 4th-6th grades. Based on the author's true experience. ( )

This book is about a French girl whose best friend, Lydia, is Jewish. It is told by the girl when she is an old woman. She gets angry when Lydia has to leave on the French girl's birthday, not understanding until later that she was taken by the Germans. The last things she says to Lydia is that she hates her for leaving. She never saw Lydia again and doesn't know if she survived. She expresses her guilt that those were her last words and that she didn't have a chance to apologize.
This book was translated from French. It gives a fantastic view of the guilt felt by many Europeans because the didn't protest treatment of the Jews by the Nazis. This isn't a viewpoint that is studied in the United States. It would be a great book to read while studying WWII. ( )

This story's illustrations provide a stark representation of what children might feel like after they lose someone in their life or how sad they feel when something occurs in their lives that they cannot control. This story provides a serious topic in story form in language that children can understand.