Isabel's War

Gr 7 Up—Isabel Brandt is a typical 12-year-girl who dreams of Frank Sinatra, boys, and being popular in school. But it is 1942, and the war in Europe and the Pacific becomes very significant for this Jewish girl from the Bronx. As her family begins their summer vacation in the Catskills, Isabel meets Helga, her new roommate. She is the niece of her mother's best friend, Mrs. Frankfurter, and a refugee from Germany. Helga is very attractive and Isabel can't understand why she doesn't enjoy all the attention. Instead she is shy, distant, and almost remorseful, as if she's harboring a dark secret from her past that she can't escape. When Isabel's brother enlists in the army, it forces the family to return to the Bronx. Shortly after, Mrs. Frankfurter becomes seriously ill and Helga must live with Isabel and her family. Things are awkward at first, but the experience enables Isabel to expand her horizons. Published posthumously, Perl's work is a skillfully woven and poignant story dealing with important themes, such as belonging, friendship, self-worth, betrayal, and discrimination. As Isabel learns about the war and the treatment of Jews by Nazis, her relationship with Helga and her outlook on life radically changes. Readers will identify with the protagonist as she discovers what things are truly important.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY