Written in the form of a suspense novel, Emil and Karl draws readers into the dilemma faced by two young boys in Vienna-one Jewish, the other not-when they suddenly find themselves without homes or families on the eve of World War II.
This unique work, written in 1938, was one of the first books for young readers describing the early days of what came to be known as the Holocaust. Published before the war and the full revelations of the Third Reich's persecution of Jews and other civilians, the book offers a fascinating look at life during this period and the moral challenges people faced under Nazism. It is also a taut, gripping, page-turner of the first order.
Originally written in Yiddish, Emil and Karl is one of the most accomplished works of children's literature in this language, and the only book for young readers by Yankev Glatshteyn, a major American Yiddish poet, novelist, and essayist.
"This important book...gives a chilling portrait of a world descending into madness as experienced by two innocent children. The excellent translation effectively conveys the helplessness of the characters."
School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Like 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' Emil and Karl will stir adults, as well as the book's intended audience."
The New York Times
"It's a clear, powerful novel that will bring today's readers very close to what it was like to be a child under Nazi occupation. . . . The fast-moving prose is stark and immediate. . . . The translation, sixty-five years after the novel's original publication, is nothing short of haunting."
