Embedded into the cobblestones of Europe are Stolpersteine-stumbling stones.
Carefully hand-chiseled with names and dates, these small, brass plaques make up the largest monument to the Holocaust in the world. Today, you can find over 100,000 stones across Europe.
The Stumbling Stones Project was begun by artist Gunter Demnig as a way to remember that each victim of the Holocaust had a life that was terribly and tragically stolen. Each memorial plaque is placed outside the last voluntary address of the person-the homes from which they were arrested and often taken to concentration camps. Not all were Jewish, some were persecuted for being Romani, disabled, or queer, and not all shared the same fate. These stories include that of a resistance fighter, an art conservator, an Olympian, and the young Anne Frank. Take a journey around Europe to learn their stories.
Thirteen stories of Holocaust victims who are memorialized by Stolpersteine-stumbling stones-to mark their last known address.
The most awarded series of Holocaust books for elementary age readers in North America features true stories of bravery and resilience that bring history to life and resonate deeply with young people.
Award-winning author Kathy Kacer tells thirteen stories of victims of the Holocaust and the modern memorials that mark their last known address.
★"The stories effortlessly create context and communicate the fear and bewilderment these victims felt as their ordinary, everyday lives were turned upside down and they were torn from their families. Kacer also provides ample historical background. The result is a profoundly moving tribute to both the Stolpersteine Project and the victims themselves, lest their names be forgotten. Libraries will definitely want to add this title to their Holocaust collections."
"The combination of fact and fiction works particularly well, with each entry beginning with a true account of the person's life and work followed by a fictionalized story that humanizes the figures and dates. Tone varies from piece to piece, with first-person narratives providing an urgent intimacy…and others echoing a more storytelling formality that nonetheless carries emotional weight. It's a series of honest portraits that doesn't pull its punches about its subjects' collective fate, reminding readers that while the project's memorializing sentiment is lovely, its necessity is a tragedy."
Key Selling Points:
• Kathy Kacer has written, co-authored, and edited over 30 books for young readers. She has dedicated her career to sharing stories of the Second World War and the Holocaust. Her books have won the Forest of Reading Silver Birch Award, the Red Maple Award, the Hackmatack, the Jewish Book Award, and many others.
• Kathy's book To Hope and Back has been chosen two years in a row for a program that sends sets of one book into classrooms across Ontario for Holocaust education, with tens of thousands of copies distributed.
• In Last Known Address Kacer once again brings true stories of lives lost in the Holocaust to life for young people, capturing stories of hope, courage, and humanity in the face of overwhelming adversity.
• This book shares the amazing story of Gunter Demnig, a German artist who began The Stolpersteine (translating to "stumbling stones") project to commemorate Holocaust victims across Europe by placing bronze plaques at the last known residence where they lived freely. The stones, scattered across Europe, each contain an inscription honouring the victims.
• As of 2023, 100,000 Stumbling Stones have been laid, making the project the world's largest Holocaust memorial.
• Anti-Jewish hate crimes are on the rise in North America and teaching about the Holocaust is more important as ever. To counter antisemitism and Holocaust denial, several provinces across Canada and many states in the USA have implemented Holocaust education for younger read
