by Thor, Annika (2009); Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
In the summer of 1939 two Jewish sisters from Vienna, 12 year-old Stephie Steiner and 8 year-old Nellie, are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden. Children will readily empathize with Stephie’s courage. Both sisters are well-drawn, likable characters. This is the first of four books Thor has written about the two girls.
by Hayman, Eva (1992); Published by Auckland: Random Century New Zealand
In June 1939, 15-year-old Eva and her 11-year-old sister Vera were evacuated via Kindertransport from Czechoslovakia to Great Britain. They spent most of the war in Poole, Liverpool, Hastings and Monmouth. When writing letters to their parents became impossible, Eva kept a diary of events, not only of the war, but of a teenager grappling with spiritual questions, the rights and wrongs of patriotism as well as being a parent to her sister, the writer Vera Gissing. Suitable for teeenagers.
by Carlson Berne, Emma (2017); Published by Capstone Press
by Taylor, Marilyn (2009); Published by O’Brien Press
Karl and Rosa’s family watch in horror as Hitler’s troops parade down the streets of their home city — Vienna. It has become very dangerous to be a Jew in Austria, and after their uncle is sent to Dachau, Karl and Rosa’s parents decide to send the children out of the country on a Kindertransport. Isolated and homesick, Karl ends up in Millisle, a run-down farm in Ards in Northern Ireland, which has become a Jewish refugee centre, while Rosa is fostered by a local family. Teaching Guide available online.
by Watts, Irene N (2003); Published by Tundra Books
Sophie Mandel was only seven years old when she arrived in London on the first Kindertransport from Germany. She has grown up with a friend of her parents, a woman she calls Aunt Em, and despite the war and its deprivations, she has made a good life for herself in England with her foster mother. She has even stopped thinking about the parents she left behind. Now the war is over, and fourteen-year-old Sophie is faced with a terrible dilemma. Where does she belong?
by Watts, Irene N (2008); Published by Tundra Books
As autumn turns toward winter in 1938 Berlin, life for Marianne Kohn, a young Jewish girl, begins to crumble. First there was the burning of the neighbourhood shops. Then her father, a mild-mannered bookseller, must leave the family and go into hiding. No longer allowed to go to school or even sit in a café, Marianne’s only comfort is her beloved mother. Things are bad, but could they get even worse? Based on true events, this fictional account of hatred and racism speaks volumes about both history and human nature.
by Watts, Irene Kirsten (1995); Published by Winnipeg: Scirocco Drama
This play is aimed at audiences in grades 4 – 6. May be out of print. Try your local library or Holocaust Memorial Center
by Sim, Dorrith M. (1996); Published by New York: Harcourt Brace & Company
This book is suitable for very young children. May be out of print. Try your local library or Holocaust Memorial Center.
by Drucker, Olga Levy (1995); Published by New York: Henry Holt
Olga Levy Drucker’s Kindertransport memoir, covering her six years in England and reunion with her parents in 1945. Written for ages 9 – 15.
by Grosz, Hanus, Kirsten Grosz and Anita Grosz (2000); Published by The Kindertransport Association
Beautiful photographs of the Kindertransport Memory Quilt panels combined with the moving stories behind each square. Can be purchased through the Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI.
by Conway, Jeanne and Sosa, Kena (2019); Published by 4rv Children's Corner
Just before the outbreak of World War II, the Nazis pushed Jewish families to do something they never imagined they would. They sent their children away on a train to faraway places to live with strangers so that they would be safe until the danger passed. As she gets onboard the Kindertransport, a train to hope, ten-year-old Helen will never be the same.
by Robbins, Trina (2011); Published by Lerner Publishing Group
In 1938, Lily Renée Wilheim is a 14-year-old Jewish girl living in Vienna. Then the Nazis march into Austria, and Lily’s life is shattered overnight. Suddenly, her own country is no longer safe for her or her family. To survive, Lily leaves her parents behind and travels alone to England. In this graphic novel for readers 10-14, follow the story of a brave girl who becomes an artist of heroes and a true pioneer in comic books.
by Voorhoeve, Anne C (2008); Published by Ravensburger Verlag
Contained within the story of ten-year-old Ziska (Franziska Mangold) is a whole slice of prewar and wartime history, from Kristallnacht to Auschwitz, from the Kindertransport taking Jewish children to safety in England (hence the title ‘Liverpool Street’) to the varied fortunes of the young refugees, and from wartime sacrifices to deportations to the Isle of Man. This moving novel portrays the growing up of a young girl amongst scenes of great tragedy. Currently available in German only, translations will soon be released: USA (Penguin); France; Netherlands. May be out of print. Try your local library or Holocaust Memorial Center.
by Metzger, Lois (1999); Published by New York: Penguin USA Viking Childrens Books
Lois Metzger’s young adult novel features a young main character whose mother was on a Kindertransport.
by Voorhoeve, Anne (2012); Published by Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin Press
At the start of World War II, ten-year-old Franziska Mangold is torn from her family when she boards the kindertransport in Berlin. Taken in by strangers who soon become more like family than her real parents, Frances (as she is now known) courageously pieces together a new life for herself because she doesn’t know when or if she’ll see her true family again. Against the backdrop of war-torn London, Frances struggles with questions of identity, family, and love. Originally published in Germany. May be out of print. Try your local library or Holocaust Memorial Center.
by Sís, Peter (2021); Published by W.W. Norton & Company
In 1938, twenty-nine-year-old Nicholas Winton saved the lives of almost 700 children trapped in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Czech-American artist, MacArthur Fellow, and Andersen Award winner Peter Sís dramatizes Winton’s story in this distinctive and deeply personal picture book. He intertwines Nicky’s efforts with the story of one of the children he saved–a young girl named Vera, whose family enlisted Nicky’s aid when the Germans occupied their country. As the war passes and Vera grows up, she must find balance in her dual identities–one her birthright, the other her choice.
(2021) Published by Holocaust Museum Los Angeles
Nicky & Vera is a new book, by award-winning author-artist Peter Sís, that introduces the Holocaust to youngsters ages 6-9. The panel features Barbara Winton, the daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton; Peter Sís, author and illustrator; and Michele Gold, Museum Board Chair and the daughter of Rita Berwald who journeyed to safety on a Kindertransport out of Leipzig, Germany.
by Smith, Stephen D. (1999); Published by Kirton, England: Paintbrush Publications
May be out of print. Try your local library or Holocaust Memorial Center.
by Foner, Henry (2013); Published by Yad Vashem Publications
Henry Foner (Heinz Lichtwitz), who had lost his mother at a young age, was sent from Berlin to Wales and lived there with a Jewish couple, who provided him with a warm, loving home. From the moment they parted, Henry’s father sent him colorful illustrated postcards written in German and later on in English. This authentic and moving document presents the postcards and letters that Henry received from his father and other relatives and friends, along with their translation. May be out of print. Try your local library or Holocaust Memorial Center.
by Watts, Irene N (2000); Published by Tundra Books
Young Marianne has escaped on one of the first kindertransporte organized to take Jewish children out of Germany to safety in Britain.At first Marianne is desperate. She does not speak English, she is not welcome in her sponsors’ home, and, most of all, she misses her mother terribly. In this companion to Good-bye Marianne, Irene N. Watts has created a memorable character, and a story that is ultimately about hope, not war.