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Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Recently, I broke my own rule. I had decided that while I was coaching, that I wouldn't read any books. I usually get a little obsessed with reading, and therefore tend to jerk my responsibilities. But, I was bored over the weekend, and so I read a book. I decided to read Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli.

This book is told from the point of view of an uneducated orphan, who is alone and living on the streets during the Holocaust in Warsaw, Poland. This boy, who is later named Misha, is alone in a world that at first seems easy for him. He is small, and fast, and so he steals food from those who are slower than him. Then he meets another boy, and that boy tries to teach him about the world, but Misha is not socialized and he loses a lot of what the other boy tries to teach him.

Their world of easy eating, stealing, and getting by is quickly pulled out from underneath him. Soon soldiers come and change the way that life is being lead in Warsaw. Food is scarce, a curfew is employed, and people are losing their good faith. Misha gets in different sorts of trouble, and meets different people, but he soon discovers a little girl and becomes slightly obsessed.

The Jews of Warsaw are moved into a concentration camp, and Misha learns how to come and go between the city and the camp to visit his friend and bring them food. But, then all the boys are rounded up and placed in the camp as well. Misha is a "Jew" living in a concentration camp, the only thing that keeps him alive, is the fact that he can escape and go into the city and steal food to keep himself, and his friend's family as well.

Misha starts to learn about family, Germans, Jews, the war, and his life along the way. Although, he is still very confused throughout the novel. This book is very interesting, because of the narrator. You, the reader, are seeing everything through the eyes of a very young boy. It's was intriguing to read about something so horrendous through the eyes of a child that does not understand the world around him, nor does he understand pain, starvation, sadness, etc. At times this novel was amazing, and at times this novel was frustrating. But, as a teacher I would want to use this as a connection novel for students, instead of reading Anne Frank every year. This would be a way for students to connect to a narrator, because of age and ignorance. I think it would be interesting for students to read this, because they would have a chance to learn along with the narrator. 

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