SOMEONE NAMED EVA

SOMEONE NAMED EVA
Author: Joan M. Wolf
Copyright 2007
Clarion Books
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN-10: 0-618-53579-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-53579-8
Hardcover $16.00
200 pages
Children’s book Ages 9-12
Historical Fiction WWII

　
"Remember who you are, Milada. Remember where you are from. Always."
Living in Czechoslovakia during the invasion by the Nazi soldiers in 1939 had to be a stressful time, especially to a Jewish family. First people had to deal with the shortages. Things like sugar were rationed and children's birthday gifts were frequently "slightly used" due to tough economic situations.
Then in June of 1942, terror begins though when the soldiers bang on the door of the Jewish families and tell them they will be interrogated as suspected traitors. They are to pack enough for three days. When the soldiers return to escort each family to some undisclosed location, first the men are separated from the women, then children who appear Aryan, blond and light colored eyes were separated. This is the story of one of those children.
Milada is then taken away to a Lebensborn center in Poland. She is then with other blond haired, blue-eyed girls, evaluated for the shade of her hair color, the shade of her eye color, the size of her head, and the length of her nose. She is now told that her name is Eva and is indoctrinated into becoming a member of the Nazi party. Then, she is to be adopted into a proper Nazi family with a Nazi officer as her father.
Joan M. Wolf researched this book in the Czech Republic where her great-grandmother was born. She actually met with people who were from the town of Lidice and actually experienced the life Milada/Eva lived. She is a fourth-grade teacher in Minnesota.
What was outstanding in SOMEONE NAMED EVA was the personal voice of Milada/Eva. The intensity of each chapter, the fluidness of the writing, the historical correctness, are all what make this short novel outstanding. I highly recommend this novel to anyone, adult or child.
By: Teri Davis July 2, 2009
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