IN MY ENEMY'S HOUSE

Rating:
Summary: Positve and Negative Aspects, and a Quick Review!!
Review: "In My Enemy's House," by Carol Matas, is a unique book compared to the many Holocaust books out there. Rather than being just informational, it also includes a story that keeps you from putting the book down. Also, if you are the kind of person that doesn't like the same boring story being carried out throughout the whole book, then you'd like this one. Throughout the story, she goes through many changes - for one where she lives, her belief in God, how she feels about someone or something, and her drive to keep on going no matter how she feels. Although, I was disatisfied with the ending. It left you wanting more...I'm not sure...is there a sequel? Thats the way it sounded. The only conflicts that are resolved is the fact that the war is over and that she has gotten back her thirst for life. I would recommend this story for older teens because there are a lot of references that are not explained in the story that young people may not understand without prior knowledge to the Holocaust. Otherwise, it is a very well-written book. As a quick review of the story, a young 15 year old Marisa is faced with a very important decision. Almost all of her family had been taken away (eventually killed) and it is unsafe for her to stay in her hometown in Poland. Marisa is lucky to have inherited her father's blond hair, blue eyes, and delicate features - that of a Pole. So, she is given the oppurtunity to go into Germany, taking the place of and pretending to be a Polish girl named Maria and find work. After her only remaining brother and sister run to the forest to be Jewish partisans, she can't be responsible for them any longer, as it was her wish to stay with them and protect them...and she must also leave the boy she loves, Shmuel, behind. Arriving in Germany was of great impact on her emotionally, she is very confused. She goes from one house to another, learning things about Germany and is shocked to find that German children actually think of Jews lower than animals. Over time, she toys with the idea of taking her life, just to relieve herself of the stress and pain she experiences, while dealing with trying to cover up that she is not really Polish. The hardest time for her was while living with a family that treated her best, surprisingly, she couldn't decide whether to be friends with the only girl living at the residence or not because she speaks so poorly of Jews and how Germans are the one and only superior race. But did she know any better? After being moved from their home to working as a translator in a factory, Marisa befriends an older girl, 18, named Renatta. Slowly, she begins to heal and become herself again, but not quite revealing the truth to her friend until she feels most comfortable. Marisa experiences the terrors and injustices of the Holocaust while still having to manage the anger, emotions, sadness, and still have to worry how her family is getting along back in Poland. I'm very glad I read this book and got another look at the Holocaust with a first person point of view. Marisa does not endure any worse than her first employer beating her, but it is still very interesting to feel what she would be feeling at such a time.

Rating:
Summary: The best holocaust book i have ever read!
Review: ... This is a wounderfull book about the courage of a jewish girl during World War Two. This book, by Carol Matas, is an inspiring book and one of the best Holocaust books I have ever read. Marisa (the main characer) is a jewish girl during World War Two. With her blond hair and blue eyes she could pass for a pole, but why should she live when her mamma, pappa and most of her family are dead? Marisa has to reach deep inside herself and dscover the courage that he never knew she had to surive. I loved this book and I think everyone who loves people with courage, Holocaust stories, and loves to read realy good books with wounderful plots and meaning, this is deffently the best book for you! I hope you read it and enjoy it!

Rating:
Summary: Great story!
Review: After finding that most of her family is dead, Marisa, a Jewish girl, takes the advice of a family friend to pose as a Polish girl and work as a servant. Because of her blond hair and blue eyes, this is quite easy. At least until she's finds out that the person she is working for, Herr Reymann, is a Nazi official. Adding to this, his daughter, Charlotte, has a secret. And Marisa has to decide whether to tell her father and betray her or keep it and maybe get herself into more trouble. Not to mention keeping her own secret safe. The Reymanns are very nice to Marisa, but can she stand all the insults and hatred they have toward Jews? How could she possibly hold everything inside?
I really liked this book. At first, I wasn't that interested in it, but after you start reading, it's hard to put down! This book is good for anyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!!!!!
Review: Carol Matas came to my school and we were rewquired to read all of her books. This one was magnificant!!! I recommend it!!

Rating:
Summary: Enemy`s House is good.
Review: I am a boy so I dont really think this book is excellent because this book to me is more like a girls book because this has more to do with teen love and "dady's little girl" problems that may seem akward to some guys when a girl says something about her loving her somewhat cousin. I did rate this higher than how I wanted to rate it mainly because of the true meaning. This book is about the Holocaust. And the Holocaust was around World War 2. The Germans hated the Jews so much that they wanted to distroy them. And I`m glad that there are books about the Holocaust (another word for burnt hole). We cant let this happen again so we need to let the people know. If the story kept the girl but left out some of the love most guys would like it. Not saying that this is a bad book, beleive me I have read bad books in the past,but I have to tell the truth. I may be showing mixed feelings about this book because kids should read this because it show`s a strong definite picture about what was going on then. It`s about a girls who gets seperated from most of her family. In order to stay alive she acts like a Polish girl in order to live and she is forced to be like a slave in German`s houses. She hates it but its the only way. She goes through a lot for her age. It`s better than this review I`ll tell you that for sure. The detail in it is great and the meaning is strong.

Rating:
Summary: Enemy`s House is good.
Review: I am a boy so I dont really think this book is excellent because this book to me is more like a girls book because this has more to do with teen love and "dady's little girl" problems that may seem akward to some guys when a girl says something about her loving her somewhat cousin. I did rate this higher than how I wanted to rate it mainly because of the true meaning. This book is about the Holocaust. And the Holocaust was around World War 2. The Germans hated the Jews so much that they wanted to distroy them. And I`m glad that there are books about the Holocaust (another word for burnt hole). We cant let this happen again so we need to let the people know. If the story kept the girl but left out some of the love most guys would like it. Not saying that this is a bad book, beleive me I have read bad books in the past,but I have to tell the truth. I may be showing mixed feelings about this book because kids should read this because it show`s a strong definite picture about what was going on then. It`s about a girls who gets seperated from most of her family. In order to stay alive she acts like a Polish girl in order to live and she is forced to be like a slave in German`s houses. She hates it but its the only way. She goes through a lot for her age. It`s better than this review I`ll tell you that for sure. The detail in it is great and the meaning is strong.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull
Review: I throughly enjoyed this book. It is one of Carol Matas's best, and trust me, I've read them all. This book honestly gave me chills. I thought it was just me, being [foolish] I can understand what it would be like to open a door and see your death. However, I got some of my friends to read the book and I found they had much the same experience. In short, this book has the power to envoke strong feelings, joyousness, shock, sadness, and awful fear, and you will experience all of these in this book. It is an emotional roller coaster.

Rating:
Summary: This book gave me chills
Review: I throughly enjoyed this book. It is one of Carol Matas's best, and trust me, I've read them all. This book honestly gave me chills. I thought it was just me, being [foolish] I can understand what it would be like to open a door and see your death. However, I got some of my friends to read the book and I found they had much the same experience. In short, this book has the power to envoke strong feelings, joyousness, shock, sadness, and awful fear, and you will experience all of these in this book. It is an emotional roller coaster.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull
Review: I'm not an English girl, I'm a girl from the Netherlands. So did read the book in my own language. It is a wonderfull book and I don't know how Carol Matas can write a book like this. It's such a wonderfull story and I hope there will be more books like this from her. I did also read After the war. That's a wonderfull book too. So, when you want to buy it, I can say you that this book is the most beautifull story I did ever read.

greetings Miss Holland (14)

Rating:
Summary: A great Holocaust book
Review: This book is a great holocaust book that kids and adults will like. I believe this is one of the best books I've read. I got this and finished it the next day. I love Carol style of writing. She draws you into the book and really makes you feel and live her stories. This book is about a Jewish girl named Marisa's decision to leave her family in order to be saved. A lot of people say she was lucky others say she wasn't but in perspective back then she was really lucky.
This is I believe more of a girls book but many guys will like it. It has a lot of Daddy's little girl in the beginning but after that its all on survival and change. And the thing is even if you aren't a Jew you can understand how hard it would be to be in Germany safe when you family is being killed and how hard it would be for her. I would diffidently read this book again.