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Turned Away

Turned Away
The World War II Diary of Devorah Bernstein

By Carol Matas

ISBN: 978-0-439-96946-8 Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-4431-2400-3 Ebook
208 pages | Ages 9-12 | 5 3/8" x 7 5/8"

Devorah fights to help her cousin Sarah emigrate from Paris before the Nazis round up the Jews and deport them to internment camps, or worse. She also fears for her two brothers who are fighting in the war overseas. Will she lose everything?

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From Devorah's diary:

FEBRUARY 3

A strange and bizarre thing has happened. I was walking home from school, when a young kid threw what I assumed was a snowball at my back. I yelled at him and thought nothing of it until Elizabeth gasped in horror as I turned to go into my house. "Your coat!" she shouted at me. "Take it off."

We hurried into the house and I took it off and turned it around so I could see the back of it. There was a swastika on it! Really. I screamed, dropping it to the floor. Mommy came running in from the kitchen. I pointed to the coat. She picked it up, looked at it closely and said, "Where did that come from?" in a very quiet voice.

Elizabeth said that a boy hit me with something.

"But he couldn't have drawn this," I said. "He just hit me with a snowball and ran."

Mommy had bought me the coat at a factory on Main Street, only a couple of months ago. She looked inside and there it was — a swastika in red dye. She said that the snow or damp must have brought it out, but I didn't understand.

"Someone at that factory is a Nazi," she said. "Or is playing a terrible joke on the customers. I'm phoning Mr. Berdinsky right now."

We heard her angry conversation and his obvious apology. She got off the phone and said, "He wants to get to the bottom of this." He's bringing a new coat over himself tonight and picking this one up.

FEBRUARY 4

Mr. Berdinsky called to say that he had discovered the culprit, a nasty fellow who hated Jews. He'd got the job at the factory just to make trouble — he wanted to display the swastika and if a Jew bought the coat, even better. Well, now the police are dealing with him.

It's one thing to think about Nazis in Europe — it's another to realize they are right here.

From Dear Canada: Turned Away, copyright © 2005 by Carol Matas.

YOUR REVIEWS:

I love Turned Away. My fav part is when she gets a letter from Sarah. You should continue to make Dear Canada books.
Kassie E., Age 9, Manitoba, Rating: 10

loved it :] yet sad
Alexandra F., Age 10, Rating: 10

This is the first Dear Canada book that I have read, and it will not be the last. Being a huge fan of the Dear America series, I decided to look into these books, and I was not disappointed. Turned Away is a great addition to literature about WWII/The Holocaust for the younger reader. I highly recommend it.
Kayleigh S., Age 23, U.S.A Rating: 10

Turned Away was very interesting and I learned a lot about the war just by reading it. I've read so many books from the Dear Canada series and I really enjoyed this one!
Elaine H., Age: 14, British Columbia, Rating: 9

Turned Away is one of the best books I have ever read!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason I love it is... 1) it takes place in WINNIPEG. 2) Two words and one roman numeral: World War II. I would suggest this book to anyone that loves the Dear Canada series.
Madeline E., Age: 10, Manitoba, Rating: 10

I've read Turned Away three times, and I am not bored of it! If you knew me you would find that surprising! I liked it so much the first time, when I first read it, I knew I had to get a copy! I did. My friend Erica's read it three times, too. I'm trying to get as many girls as I can to read it! I wonder why I like it so much, so now that question haunts me. I am trying to find a copy of Footsteps In The Snow.
Katy K., Age 10, Ontario, Rating: 10

Awesome book!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE it.
Gillian J., Age 10, Quebec, Rating: 10