Anne Frank and Me

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Summary: Teaching Us How To Teach The Holocaust
Review: The novelized version of Bennett's extremely successful play, Anne Frank and Me, will engage students who are barely older than the teenage Anne Frank in a truthful, serious, and artistic conversation about the Holocaust. It offers a pedagogy even while it entertains as art, raising the questions serious artists of the Holocaust raise, the questions which specifically and intentionally contribute new perspectives to our understanding of the Holocaust. At the same time, Bennett and Gottesfeld let the victims speak for themselves. This novel teaches us how to teach the Holocaust by recreating an ordinary teenage life as a way for us to imagine the ordinariness of Anne Frank's life. Just as Anne Frank could only write the reality of her present and not the reality of her untimely death, so too the protagonist of this deeply felt novel remains deaf to history but perfectly tuned-in to her present in the way that only a 15-year old girl--across time--can be. I have taught the play, and now the novel, to college undergraduates with great success and find that this story reaches them in places that even such a masterpiece as Elie Wiesel's Night cannot. I strongly recommend it to readers of all ages and encourage educators to use it in the classroom--either as part of the Holocaust curriculum or simply as an extraordinary piece of historical fiction.

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Summary: A Timeless Tale for All Age Readers
Review: Bennett and Gottesfeld have taken what we think of as an oft-told tale and invigorated it by giving the Anne Frank story a dynamic link to contemporary youth. A generation of young Americans who were born well after the end of World War II -- to whom Anne Frank is not a household name -- will discover a world, and a heroine, that they will identify with and will be unable to forget. And without being preached to, they will come to realize that Anne's story is not circumscribed by years, miles or religious orientation. Adults familiar with the story will see it in a new light, and will be reminded of how courage and optimism in the face of impending tragedy are characteristics that span the generations. This is the kind of book that goes beyond mere storytelling; once read, it cannot be forgotten, and I urge both parents and their children to read this book and to talk about its implications. It is not merely history...it is LIVING history: compelling and well-written, and a must addition to every home and school library.

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Summary: A Creative Way to Understand History & Authors who Care
Review: The book "Anne Frank and Me" was powerful and filled with lots of information. It was a book that helped me understand the history and what "Nicole" and "Anne" had to endure. Cherie and Jeff who wrote this book really took the time to write a book that can and will be cherished for years to come. I believe this book is a bestseller.I would recommend it to all ages. This book will touch you in a powerful yet beautiful way. Cherie and Jeff deserve a hand for this piece of work. Please Check this book out and help understand the history and to keep telling the story. I will say as fan of Cherie and Jeff's, I will continue to support them in whatever they write.

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Summary: Great historical fiction on the Holocaust
Review: The book, Anne Frank and Me, was fabulous. It is about a 15 year old girl who studies the Holocaust in school and through an accident is transported back to the days of World War II as a jewish girl. It is an interesting way to read about the Holocaust and I highly recommend it.

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Summary: Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld get teen-readers
Review: Anne Franks and Me is a novel based on a high-school aged girl named Nicole. Nicole is an average girl: not the popular one, not the geeky one and not the prettiest one. Her assignment for English, was to read "The Diary of Anne Frank". But she is so caught up doing her own every day things, that she bags her assignment and forgets about it. But, when her class takes a field trip to an Anne Frank exibit, Nicole's world is turned upside down. She finds herself in 1942 as a young Jewish Girl durring the times of the Holocaust. Is her new life just a bad dream? Or has her previous experiences(and life!) been the actual dream? I highly recommend this book to everyone! It truly has something for everyone: love, adventure, tragedy and drama! Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld have truly done it again! They have caught the reader in such a tight grip that they can't let go!(Or put AFAM down!)This book is truly a treasure every home must own!

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Summary: What a striking book!
Review: I have read most of cherie's books, but honestly, nothing prepared me for Anne frank and me. It is a real stunner. You will not be able to put it down. when Nicole and her classmates go to an exhibit about Anne frank the sound of gunshots takes her from modern day america to france under control of the nazis. it is such a touching book! alot of cherie's books are lighthearted romance, but this one is a real change of pace. There are very few young adult novels out there that are this serious. I know that this sounds corny, but belive me this book will have you sobbing, smirking, giggling and soul-twisted. if you are ready to do the "soul-twist" read this book!!!...

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Summary: book wows teens!
Review: Bennett and Gottesfeld please readers of all ages in their new book, Anne Frank and Me. AFAM is about a 15 year old girl who goes by the alias GIRL X. She is what you would consider imperfect, not with the 'popular' crowd, but a very deep and innovative character. She chronicles her days on her personal website and studies the holocaust. This book is well written, and gives a good representation of historical fiction.

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Summary: Wow
Review: I checked this book out from my school library excpecting it to be one of those historical filled books that bore you to death. I started the book this mroning and finished it on the same day! It took me back to 1942, leaving behind the world today. I felt what Nicole was feeling, and was scared when she was. It is a incredibly great book. It faces the facts of the holocaust and doesn't get around the tragedy.

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Summary: The best book Ever!
Review: This is one of the best books I ever read! It brings you completely into the story, to the point where you forget where you are! Perfect for young readers interested in learning more about the Holocaust!

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Summary: A great Holocaust read for young adults
Review: In elementary school, I was an avid reader of Holocaust fiction. Titles that immediately come to mind include Number the Stars, The Devil in Vienna (later made into the movie Friendship in Vienna), and The Devil's Arithmetic. This book, Anne Frank and Me, which I finished this weekend, is similar to The Devil's Arithmetic in that both involve a materialistic American teenage girl transported back in time to the Holocaust.

Nicole, our protagonist, a non-Jew, is studying about the Holocaust in school, reading Anne Frank's diary. However, even when faced with a Holocaust survivor speaking to her class, this material is the furthest thing on Nicole's mind, too preoccupied with her crush Jack and other issues posted on her online blog entitled, "Notes from Girl X." (This Holocaust survivor, who looks familiar to Nicole, later takes on very significant symbolism.)

This all changes during a school field trip to an Anne Frank exhibit, whereupon, in the midst of an apparent shooting, Nicole Burns is now Nicole Berhdhardt, a Jew, living in France. The year is 1942.

The book illustrates what life was like as a Jew during these times in Europe as Nicole learns what really matters in life. One powerful section includes Nicole's reflection on her persecuted status as a Jew versus that of her tormentors. This is her conclusion, that despite her great suffering, "She would not change places for a moment with the people who made her that way."

I found this book to be a great read for young adults and hopefully it will inspire them to read Anne Frank's diary and pursue Holocaust study in greater depth.