Jane Yolen has penned a work that transcends generations and is a beautifully haunting read. It is well written, and emphasizes the heinous acts that occurred in vivid colors. The Devil’s Arithmetic is a very disturbing book for any age. I also enjoyed the tying of two generations together, with Hannah realizing there is much to be learned from her Great-Aunt Eva. Jane Yolan’s book is shockingly raw and must be read with eyes wide open.Īs for Hannah and Rivka, a girl she befriends in the camps, I was humbled by their strength and journey as a united front. I felt sick when a baby died enroute and had an intake of breath when a pair of newlyweds chose death over separation.

In The Devils Arithmetic, author Jane Yolen uses that attitude, and an intriguing time-travel plot device, to place a modern teen in a traumatic historical event, helping to bring history to. However, once Hannah boarded the train, the air became stale and my stomach twisted. Our review: Parents say ( 15 ): Kids say ( 75 ): This time-travel story, an excellent introduction to the Holocaust, has great power for young readers. At first, like Hannah, I was in the know, grasping what a black van with men in uniform symbolized and the identifying tattoo. Twenty years later and I am still stunned by The Devil’s Arithmetic. (Ages 10 and up) In recent years the device of time travel has become steadily more popular with young.

Even at eleven years old I was astounded by the atrocities that occur in the book and left an impression on me. THE DEVILS ARITHMETIC By Jane Yolen 170 pp. I remember being amazed not only by the subject matter but also by the way Jane Yolen laid out impending events. I first read The Devil’s Arithmetic in sixth grade.

The Devils Arithmetic by Jane Yolen