Mapping the Bones

Mapping the Bones is a historical Holocaust novel by Jane Yolen. Jane used the story of Hansel and Gretel as a skeleton of her story. The children are lost in the woods and use pebbles to help them find their way in the forest. They come across a wicked witch in a House of Candy where they are threatened with the ovens. Jane Yolen masterfully used the story and her Holocaust research to develop a story which is based on stories she has read about and yet is completely different from those around her. She does not falter from telling the entire emotional instability of those in that time period nor does she falter when it comes to details of experiments. I would definitely recommend this book be used with students who have some knowledge of the Holocaust. I would not recommend it for elementary students; however, keep in mind that I am rather protective of their innocence and don’t see Holocaust instruction being started earlier than 7th grade.

This young adult novel follows the terrible hardships Polish twins encounter during the Holocaust. The writing is evocative and sometimes graphic, so I would recommend for older teens and adults. An excellent read that gives readers much to think about.

My son read this for school and loved it. He is in 6th grade.

The use of poetry and the poetry itself is so well done. The novel manages to squarely take on the Holocaust through the eyes and angst of teens. I read The Devil’s Arithmetic as a child and it’s stayed with me. I was overwhelmed by this book, and it, too, will stay with me.

This is a great book. A little slow in the beginning but really gets you vested until the end. If you like WWII novels this is a good one for young adults

Chaim and Gittel are twins growing up in the Jewish ghetto of Lodz. Life becomes more and more dangerous for their family. Soon they must make a fateful decision to leave their home.Chaim rarely speaks more than a dozen words in a day, but he composes lyrical poems that help him process the brutality around him. Gittel is strong and practical and always seems to understand her twin.

Jane Yolen is a master storyteller.

Thank you to Jane Yolen, Goodreads, Penguin Teen and Philomel Books for an advanced uncorrected galley of Mapping the Bones. I received my copy of this book as a giveaway, and my honest review is not required.Normally a 413 (ish) page book takes me around 2 days to get through. This book however, took me a couple more days. It was a hard, albeit good read. The subject matter is a hard one to stomach.This fictional story based in 1940s during the Holocaust follows the life of 4 children, Chaim, Gittel, Sophie and Bruno.This book is basically split into 2 parts.The first half of the book is the story of the 4 children and how they were forced from their homes into a Polish Ghetto by the Nazis, where they lived in squalor waiting for their " wedding invitation" to relocate them once again and their escape to the Polish border.The second part of the book follows the childrens capture by German soldiers and their placement in a labor camp where the children try to survive unclean water, spoiled food and the inhumane experiments done by the Doctor. (The Doctor is modeled off of Dr Mengele)While it was a very good read there were parts that i could have done without. Throughout the book, Chaim doesn't speak due to a severe stutter and uses hand signs that only his sister knows to communicate, but is able to proficiently speak through poetry. Because of this there is quite a bit of randomly placed poetry. Bruno has a superiority complex, which renders him rather annoying. I am not certain this was not done purposefully. The way the children are written rather annoyed me, because i felt a bit of their story was added mush, that could have been left out.My general annoyance with the children did not take away from the book as a whole, as i still gave it 4 stars.There is minor graphic explanations of the experiments performed at the camp.Marketed as a Young Adult Fiction genre for ages 12-18, I felt uncomfortable reading parts at 36. I would allow and encourage my teenagers to read this book, but provide them with a word of caution.

I am 3/4 of the way through this book and don't want it to end. The content is horrific but the writing is superb. I am totally invested in these characters and have even been tempted to read the ending to determine how they make out. Highly recommend this book.