Richter, Hans Peter. (1987). Friedrich. New York: Puffin. 137 pages. Translated from German by Edite Kroll.

Grade Range: 6-9

Genre: historical fiction

Summary and Critique

In Friedrich, Richter depicts the experiences of a young Jewish boy, and the brutal hardships he and his family endure during the Holocaust. While growing up in the same block apartment and attending the same school, two boys become friends. Their families eventually become friends as well, but when Hitler comes to power, everything changes for the Jewish family. Despite the Schneiders'upper socio-economic status, they suffer verbal abuse and physical mistreatment. Mr. Schneider loses his job. The Schneider's maid quits because she is no longer allowed to work for a Jewish family. Then Friedrich has to leave his school and go to a special school for Jews. The Nazi's plan brings dreadful horror to Friedrich and the Jewish community as a whole—Friedrich's mother is killed in a pogrom and his father is arrested for hiding a rabbi, leaving Friedrich an orphan. Even though the parents of Friedrich's friend try to help Friedrich and his family, the situation is out of their control, as they have no power over the discrimination and destruction of the Jews.

The clear and simple writing style of this book shows the complete destruction of one Jewish family while representing the tragedy and horror of the Nazi persecution. Friedrich's story will especially resonate with younger readers as it explores the meaning of true friendship and loyalty. At the back of the book, there is a useful list and chronology of Hitler's anti-Jewish laws and regulations.

Awards

Mildred L. Batchelder Award given by American Library Association

Classic book winner

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

Racy, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

War and Peace

The Holocaust

The Individual vs. Society

Media Connections

Movies

The Pianist (2002) An account of the miraculous survival of concert pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman during the Holocaust.

The Sound of Music (1965) A musical depicting a somewhat fictional account of the Von Trapp family singers and their escape from Austria before WWII.

Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) A saddening story of the friendship between a Jewish boy and a Christian boy during World War II.

Europa! Europa! (1991) A nonfiction account of Solomon Perel, a Jewish boy who survives the war by working as a Russian interpreter for the Germans.

A Dry White Season (1989) A Caucasian school teacher living in South Africa takes action against the apartheid government, despite opposition from his family and friends.

Online Resources

http://www.theholidayspot.com/friendship/poems_for_friendship.htm Several poems with friendship themes

http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Resc/Trade/ged_matrices.html World War II books matrix and teaching ideas

http://teachers.teach-nology.com/themes/social/holocaust/ A variety of helpful topics about Holocaust and related themes. Teachers can find hands-on activities, web quest, teaching ideas, worksheet, lesson plans, etc.

http://www.teachwithmovies.org Great resources for movies titles and descriptions that connect to the theme of the book

http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/friedrich.html A variety of useful websites about Holocaust, students'reviews of the book, teaching ideas, study links, timeline, related books, etc.

http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/staffdir/staff2/Griensewic_Virjean.html Very helpful resources about the Holocaust—museum, history, related books, movies, and music, teaching ideas, etc.

Related Texts

Laird, Elizabeth. (1992). Kiss the Dust. New York: Dutton Children's Books. 278pp. Thirteen-year old Tara and her family must leave their homeland of Iraq to take refuge in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War.

McKissack, Pat. (2001). Goin'Someplace Special. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 40pp. While facing discrimination throughout Nashville during the 1950s, Tricia Ann finds refuge in the public library.

Reiss, Johanna. (1972). The Upstairs Room. New York: Crowell. 196pp. Two Jewish sisters hide in an upstairs room of a Gentile family's farm house for two years in order to survive the war.

Bishop, Huchet Claire. (1952). Twenty and Ten. New York: Viking. 76pp. Originally titled The Secret Cave. In France during World War II, a nun and twenty of her students risk their lives and their freedom by hiding ten Jewish children from the Nazis.

Volavkova, Hana (ed.). (1993). I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944. New York: Schocken. 109pp. A collection of poetry and illustrations from the children imprisoned in Terezin Concentration Camp.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Short, Sweet, and to the Point" Students have micro-fiction assignments to tell complete small stories to understand narrative as they include metaphor, setting, point of view, etc. These tiny stories also reinforce specific curriculum in which teachers show how short a complete story can be. This strategy also helps students in writing narrative essays that they will need for college admission essays.

[Summarized/adapted from "Microfiction—Making the Story Short and Sweet" by Jan Priddy in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of the Teachers of English. January 2003, p. 2.]

(2) "Dreaming of a Better Place" Students will be inclined toward the nature of daydreaming by giving two lists of things that the world could do without and things that the world could use more of. Then, students use these two lists to write about a dream that they have for making the world a better place. They will develop two paragraphs about improving the world—one about what the world could do without and the other about what the world needs more of. Teachers will suggest some beginning sentences, such as "I dread of world without…" or "My dream is of a world with more…" Then, students will trade their works with partners and critique their writings. The polished papers will be read aloud to the class, passed around the room for silent reading, submitted for a literary magazine or contest, or posted in the room.

[Summarized/adapted from "A Dream of a Better World" by Ken Spurlock in IDEAS Plus, Book Ten. Urbana IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2001, pp.51-52.

(3) "My Family and Myself in Literature" Teachers will have students write short stories, plays, and poetry about their lives. Students will free write, define family, list ten things they know about families, and list five questions they have concerning families. Then, teachers and students share to the class, discuss the topics, and use some insights as they discuss the literature. Later, students'questions, concerns, and writings are posted in the classroom so as they will create a thesis statement and write an analytical essay about their lives. As students write journals, they will relate/compare their own lives to those in the literature. They will think actively about the familial relationships in the stories and their own lives.

[Summarized/adapted from "Family, Self, and Literature" by Beverly Lewis in IDEAS Plus, Book Ten. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2001. pp.31-32.]

(4) "A Painting is Worth a Thousand Words" A very successful way to encourage creative thinking and detailed writing through arts. Teachers present the painting and create a list of personal interview and inventory questions. After teachers have students discuss as class how authors use their stories to help them create their characters, they ask students to create the story of the person in the paintings/pictures, based on teachers'questions. Students describe physical aspects, memories, and psychological status of the character. Then students will share their stories to the class, and teachers will tell students where the painting comes from and its title. Then, teachers can introduce students to the actual literature they are going to read. There will be some interesting stories that are completely different from the content of the story, but that will be fine. Students will meet the magic worlds of visual and written art and have better understanding about the literature.

[Summarized/adapted from "Finding Stories in Paintings" by Doris Brewton in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. April 2001, p. 2.]

(Review written by VyQuy Tran and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)