Paper Hearts

"Surviving was the best revenge." Paper Hearts, by Meg Wiviott is a Holocaust story told from the perspective of two young girls through a series of poems. Each chapter is a new poem and each in only one voice. One girl named Zlatka, had her village turned into a ghetto. When she is transported to Auschwitz she is separated from the older and younger members of her family and is left to take care of her younger sister. She loves to draw and just wishes for it all to end so she can be alone with her pencils and paper. The other girl, Fania, also loses has her family when she goes to Auschwitz. When the two girl's stories collide, they soon find out the only way to live through the horrors, is to find fierce friendship that gives them something to fight for. Though I won't give away the meaning of the title, this book is based on true events and the paper heart currently lives in the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.

Themes in this book people should know about are: horrific deaths, serious violence and emotional heartache.

 I would give this book 4.5 chickens. This book is good for ages 12+

Other important characters:

• Friends the girls meet in the ghetto
• Family members of the two girls

If you liked The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, then this book is for you.

If you read and enjoy Paper Hearts you might want to consider The Diary of Anne Frank and The Boy In The Striped Pajamas.