Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli

Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli, is about a boy, Misha Pilsudski, with many nicknames such as Gypsy,Jew,and Stop thief. A boy out of many trying to survive the destructive life as a Jew in the Holocaust, a time when the Jews were treated very poorly. He goes through the decision if he wants to be a Nazi when he grows up. He becomes friends with Janina Milgrom as he tries to steal bread and joins her family who are brought to live in the Warsaw ghetto, where it is very dangerous. Misha meets and make relationships with different people as he lives in the Warsaw ghetto. In this world where Misha has to choose between life and death, many adventures come his way.

I thought that Milkweed,by Jerry Spinelli, was very touching because you got to know what the life of a Jewish boy living in the Holocaust was actually like. You got to know how hard to was to live and survive in such a place. There were some parts I did not quite enjoy such as the parts where the Jews in the ghetto were being treated so bad,it was heartbreaking. What I did love was how the book was based on how it actually was back then and how Jerry Spinelli did not change the fact that the Jews were treated poorly. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book based on the history of our world.

Reviewed by Tina, Grade 9

Glendale Central Library