This book is an interesting spin-off of Anne Frank's diary. While we obviously don't know what Peter actually thought and felt and experienced, other than what Anne documented, with enough historical research, Sharon Dogar makes a decent, realistic guess. Seeing things from the OTHER side of the diary, one of the subjects instead of the author, was enlightening.
I read this cover to cover in one sitting, it was that absorbing. I ached for this boy I never met, shut away in a tiny space, confused, helpless, hopeless... fiction or not, the emotions were real.
I read this cover to cover in one sitting, it was that absorbing. I ached for this boy I never met, shut away in a tiny space, confused, helpless, hopeless... fiction or not, the emotions were real.
Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com
We all know about Anne Frank's tale of her family's two-year hiding experience in the attic of an office building in Amsterdam. Frank battles her parents, the cruel Nazi world, and her feelings for a boy who she sees every day in the small hiding place, Peter Van Pels.
But what was Peter's side of the story? How did he feel about being in a small hidden annex with two beautiful - yet sometimes annoying - girls and their parents?
Sharon Dogar writes a truly entertaining and somewhat factual experience of the teenage boy who spent two years hiding with the Frank family. This book is pure fiction, but some parts are quite accurate, especially Peter's tragic death at age eighteen in a concentration camp (or on a death march to the camp; the actual facts are quite blurry).
For anyone who has read Anne Frank's diary, or for anyone who is interested in this grotesque and depressing period in history, ANNEXED is a wonderful story. It brings into question the difficult times that millions of Jews faced in the Nazi-run countries during World War II.
We all know about Anne Frank's tale of her family's two-year hiding experience in the attic of an office building in Amsterdam. Frank battles her parents, the cruel Nazi world, and her feelings for a boy who she sees every day in the small hiding place, Peter Van Pels.
But what was Peter's side of the story? How did he feel about being in a small hidden annex with two beautiful - yet sometimes annoying - girls and their parents?
Sharon Dogar writes a truly entertaining and somewhat factual experience of the teenage boy who spent two years hiding with the Frank family. This book is pure fiction, but some parts are quite accurate, especially Peter's tragic death at age eighteen in a concentration camp (or on a death march to the camp; the actual facts are quite blurry).
For anyone who has read Anne Frank's diary, or for anyone who is interested in this grotesque and depressing period in history, ANNEXED is a wonderful story. It brings into question the difficult times that millions of Jews faced in the Nazi-run countries during World War II.
While I enjoyed this book, I did not think it was outstanding. It's a fictional account from Peter, the young boy that was in the annex with Anne Frank. That being said, it was hard for me to get into a "diary like" book knowing that it wasn't really his diary. Since Peter didn't have a diary, the author went by Anne's diary and other facts that they knew about Peter and what he went through. I think the author did a very good job. I liked the way she ended the book the most. I thought it was a very beautiful way to end it. I also liked the follow up at the end of the book that let's us know what happened to each member of the annex. The only reason I gave it 3 stars was because I found it never really grabbed my attention until close to the end. I didn't necessarily struggle with the book but did not feel compelled to pick it up and read it whenever I had time. I think it was a good book and would recommend it.
