Hitler’s Daughter

I read “Hitlers Daughter,” by Jackie French.
The book starts on a rainy day at 4 kid’s bus-stop. We learn that on rainy days, the kids usually play a game where Little Tracey picks what the story should be about, then Anna tells it. Usually the story is about some fairy-tale land, with magic and made-up creatures. But this time Anna picks it, and she decides to tell a story about Hitler’s Daughter. As she begins, she struggles with choosing the right words (even though usually the right words have come effortlessly), it’s kind of like this story is different from all of the ones she’s told in the past. From her story, we learn that Hitler’s daughter’s name is Heidi, and that she rarely sees her dad because he is away on buisness most of the year. Hitler hides her from all public views, because she has a red birth-mark across her face, she limps and she is the exact opposite of what his idea of the perfect race is. She has always hoped he loved her, but has never known for sure. As the story goes on, we learn about Heidi’s tutors, and what her average day was while hidden in a mansion. She doesn’t know anything about what is going on, on the outside, because it has always been hidden from her, just as she has always been hidden from it. The servants who work in the house are under strict orders to not let Heidi hear anything negative that’s going on. All Heidi knows is that her father is leading all of Germany, and that there is some-kind of war going on. One day they have to leave the mansion for some reason, so they go to a small house in the middle of some small town, it is really different from anything Heidi has ever known, they hire a really friendly cook, who becomes Heidi’s first real friend. But eventually they have to leave again, even though Heidi can’t figure out why they have to keep moving around. They go to Berlin, to the Nazi headquarters, now they have to stay in a small, damp room 24/7. One morning when Heidi wakes up, her last friend (her tutor) is gone. Frau Gelber ,which is her tutor’s name, must have left in the middle of the night to go be with her family. All alone, Heidi learns what she must do to get by on her own, quickly. Then soldiers come for her, they say she is going someplace nice with good people, so not to be afraid. When they take her outside to wait for the car that will pick her up, a bomb hits really near by, and it blows up the soldier she was with, so that the arm with her suitcase is yards away. She goes to get her suitcase, and now that she is fighting to stay alive during a bomb raid, the old, quiet, lonely Heidi has left her. Once when she falls into a crater left from a bomb, a hand reaches out to help her. it is a woman, she takes Heidi in as one of her family, because her own daughter has died just minutes before. Together they go to a refuge camp, where they meet up with the womans husband. Then they move to Australia, to start a new life. After Anna finishes her story everyone is quiet, thinking… then their bus gets there. While on the bus, one of the boys, Mark, asks Anna if Hitler’s daughter ever told anyone about everything. Anna said, Heidi told her granddaughter, right before she died.
I think this book was very good. It hooked me in right away, by making it told from a child’s point of view. Because it is told through innocent eyes, you, as the reader, sympathize with Heidi, instead of getting angry at Hitler. All through the book, everything had hooks on it, she that I didn’t want to put it down.
I would recomend this book to anyone. I think anyone would like it , because it isn’t a hard read, but it “makes you think.” I don’t know about you, but I think that if a book makes you think about stuff, that you have not thought about before… then it’s fulfilled it’s purpose.
-Natalie C.

The Minstrel’s Melody

The book “The Minstrel’s Melody” is about a girl that is very talented in singing and playing the piano. Her mother doesn’t allow her to play or sing songs that she didn’t learn from church so any time that Orphelia gets by herself she goes to the curch to play and sing her favorite songs. Orphelia and her siblings have a small band that are going to try out in there county fair talent show with there musical talents. The fair is coming soon and Orphelia and her siblings went to practice for the talent show but get side tracked and stopped at a shed that is owned by the sheriff on his land. They go inside of the shed and find a small piano, some old papers and old instruments. Orphelia finds a paper with one of her role models picture on it and hides it in her dress and they go home. Orphelia’s sister tells on Orphelia for taking the old paper and going into the shed so Orphelia got punished and now is not able to compete in the talent competition. Orphelia and her mother exchange words but in the end Orphelia cannot compete. Orphelia still gets to go to the talent show with her family but at the intermission she escapes from her family and goes to the church to play on the piano and sing. Orphelia didn’t know it but her role model, Madame Meritta was watching and listening to Orphelia. Madame Meritta loved Orphelia and said she had great talent. Later that day Orphelia is still upset with her mother so she runs away from her house and hides in one of Madame Meritta’s wagons. Soon she woke up in the wagon and is found by Madame Meritta. Madame Meritta is very upset and wants to send Orphelia straight back to her home but will Madame Meritta changer her mind and keep Orphelia and inviter her to be with her musicians. You will have to read the book to see what happens after Orphelia after she has been found.

I really enjoyed reading this book because it is historical fiction and I like reading about history. I liked the book for many reasons such as it is about history, it is non-stop with interesting things happening, and it has cliff hangers at the end of the chapters. I really like reading about historic books to compare what the people then did to what people do now. I also liked that there were never any boring parts. I never put the book down because It was boring. I also liked the book because cliff hangers keep me reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

The main characters in the book would be Orphelia who is an african american girl that is very talented. Madame Meritta is a role model that sings and goes to different cities to finnd other kids that have talent. There are many other charecters but these are the main two. The story takes place in Missouri 1904. If you like historical books about adventures that kids take you would like the book “The Minstrel’s Melody”

Emily S.