Young Adult Fiction — Review

The Old Brown Suitcase

by Lillian Boraks-Nemetz
Ronsdale Press, 2008
ISBN 978-155380-057-6
$10.95
www.ronsdalepress.com

First published in 1994, a new edition of the prize-winning The Old Brown Suitcase was released by Ronsdale Press earlier this year. This “documentary fiction” telling the story of Slava, a young Holocaust survivor, is based on the wartime experiences of the author. Chapters alternate between what happened in Poland from 1938 to 1945 and in Canada from 1947 to 1949 after Slava’s family fled Europe. Written for young adults (age 10+), it contains graphic and disturbing detail about the hardships faced by Jews in Poland during World War II, but ultimately hopes to help young readers understand the plight of all refugees.

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