In celebration of the National Jewish Book Awards, which were announced on March 5, the creators of the acclaimed The War Within These Walls (Eerdmans, 2013), author historian Aline Sax and Flemish illustrator Caryl Strzelecki, presented readings, shared songs that inspired their work, and discussed their unique partnership at the Flanders House in New York City on March 4. The graphic novel about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II from the point of view of teen has garnered several awards, including the top distinction National Jewish Book Awards in the Children's and Young Adult Literature category, a 2014 Sydney Taylor Honor Book and 2014 Batchelder Honor Award. In its starred review, School Library Journal said, "The combination of the illustrations and the author's spare prose make this a good choice for reluctant readers and an outstanding example of Holocaust fiction."

Author Aline Sax reads from graphic novel The War Within These Walls as illustrator Caryl Strzelecki draws an image from the book. Photos: Copyright Flanders House New York.

 

Kris Dierckx, representative of the government of Flanders, Belgium to the United States, introduced the author and artist.

 

Graphic novel artist Caryl Strzelecki signing The War Within These Walls.