The Magician of Auschwitz

Gr 4–6—When Werner Reich, a young boy on his own, arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp, he slept at the top of a wooden three-tiered bunk (no mattress, no bedclothes). He stood in a line of men to be counted or did push-ups or meaningless back-breaking labor for endless hours each day and received a daily ration of "watery soup with two small potato pieces and a slice of bread made from flour and sawdust." Levin, Werner's bunkmate and only friend in the camp, became a father figure to the boy, calming him when he was upset and offering wise counsel. Werner soon learned that Herr Levin had a special talent that the prison guards sought out at night: he was a magician whose fingers deftly manipulated playing cards, coins, and string. The guards demanded more and more, causing the man to fear for his life should his tricks fail to please them. Werner recalls a particular night when Levin taught him a special card trick—a gift of hope that helped him to survive. Newland's soft, mostly gray-and-black illustrations, which appear to be drawn with pencil and pastels, reflect the somber tone of this true story. Werner's and Levin's lives after the war are detailed on four informational pages, which include black-and-white and color photos; a one-page introduction to Hitler's Final Solution ends the book. Kacer's story introduces the Holocaust in a straightforward manner that children can grasp.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH