MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading ListTHIS BOOK, I HAVE CRIED AND CRIED****SOME SPOILERS****This is based on the true story of Zlatka and Fania who were in Auschwitz together, they had lost their families, they had lost everything, but they found each other. And they survived! They had some friends named Giza, Guta and Bronia that survived with them. They all took care of each other the best they could in such a horrible place! RulesMama's good girlFollowed the rules. At home.At school synagogue [...]

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is beautifully haunting, inside and out. The story follows two jewish girls who have been taken to Auschwitz during the holocaust, and their incredible will to survive. Although they've lost everything, friendship becomes weapon against oppression and hatred. Zlatka and Fania's story feels real, and then your stomach drops because you realize the are, and it is. It is all true, and it hurts. It has been a long time since I read a novel written in verse, but Paper Hear [...]

An absolutely heartbreaking story, told in verse, about a group of young women held captive in Auschwitz. I think this is an important book for everyone to read, especially now with the current political climate in the USA. As the book simply states, "Never again. Never again. Never again."

When the Germans arrive in June 1941, life changed for the Jews living in Prużany, a small town in Belarus. For 17 year-old Zlatka Sznaiderhauz and her family - mother, father, younger brothers Iser and Lázaro, younger sister Necha - life became more and more difficult. Restrictions meant no freedoms, no school, no jobs, little food and eventually life in a Nazi-created ghetto. Before long, daily lists began to be posted for transports to Auschwitz-Birkenau. On the third day, the Sznaiderhauz [...]

"Survival is a balancebetween being goodand badbetween being strongand weak.You cannot betoo much ofanything"

Written completely in verse, Paper Hearts is a heart breaking account of what occurred before, during, and after Auschwitz and what it means to survive such horrifying experiences told by two young Jewish girls. These accounts were based on a true story and as close to historically accurate as the author could manage, which made it all the more devastating to read. I didn't expect to read it so fast, but this quickly became a book I couldn't have put down even if I'd wanted to.

Simply powerful. The writing style is beautiful. The simplicity of the poem format oddly enough adds to the power of the subject. Auschwitz and the Holocaust are not light subjects. This book is dark and heavy, but the writing style makes it so easy to read. I read this in one sitting. I finished this within a few hours. Highly recommended to anyone who loves reading stories involving the Holocaust and German history.

This book is a beautiful story based on the true events of what happened in world war 2. The story was so well written and is just so sad MANY TEARS!!!!!!! Definitely a 5 out of 5 stars! Would really recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction and likes to read books in verse form!

Paper.Scissors.Pencil.Glue.Simple things we didn’t have.Simple things once taken for granted.Stolen.Bartered.Traded.Simple things bright great risks.•Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is a Holocaust novel in verse based on true events. The story is told by Zlatka and Fania, best friends in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Zlatka wanted to make Fania a birthday card for her upcoming birthday. But Zlatka knew making something so positive and uplifting for her friend could come at a deadly cost. Eve [...]

Paper Hearts was a touching story, and very sad. It walks you through the lives of young women who are taking to Auschwitz. The two in particular are Fania and Zlatka. You follow their journeys from the time they were taking to the camps all the way to the Red Army finding them and nursing them back to health.

All I can say is WOW. Great book, I hope you're ready to cry.

This story of love and friendship in such miserable circumstances inspiring. I really can't describe how much I loved this book.

"It would take longerTo learn to liveAgain"Okay, so I have an obsession with historical fiction novels, but more specifically, with books dealing with World War Two, the effects it had and events that took place in different parts of the world. I believe this fascination stems from a combination of many things. Mostly, it is the beauty that I find the darkness of this era can produce, as in, the way that humanity surpasses incredible suffering and retaliates in astounding and awe inspiring ways. [...]

Generally I am a huge fan of novels in verse. Paper Hearts is not my favorite one. Maybe Holocaust stories just aren't meant to be told in verse. Zlatka and Fania's stories deserved to be told in full. I loved the courage of these two girls and their friends, but I just felt there were missing pieces in the story that simply don't lend themselves to this genre. The book was HIGHLY recommended to me by several students, but having read it myself now, I am wondering if they really understood the f [...]

wow.

I mean, wow.

Beautifully done.

Beautifully done.

1. This is one of the best Holocaust books I have ever read. I loved the verse format, the figurative language, the characters. It was just beautiful. 2. Love the theme of friendship in this book. It is literally the thing that got them through the torture. If it wasn't for the small kindnesses they showed each other, would they have ever made it?3. The paper hearts symbolism made me tell everyone about this book. Most of the Holocaust books I read say the same thing. They had to keep to themsel [...]

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is a poetic narrative written in verse and is based on true events. The story is written from the point of views of two young women, Zlatka and Fania, that become friends in Auchwitz-Birkenau after both of their younger sisters did not survive. The story gives the reader insight on what the prisoners of Auchswitz went through and how friendship can give someone strength to survive. The paper heart that Zlatka gave Fania for her birthday gave her enough strength to cha [...]

This book tells the true story of two Jewish girls, Zlatka and Fania, who were taken to Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The girls witness so many truly awful things happen to those around them; they witness death from starvation, terrible beatings, and people being taken to the furnace. But they lean on each other and persevere in a way you wouldn’t even think to be possible. When Zlatka gives her friend Fania a paper heart birthday card, it gives her the strength to fight to survive. This boo [...]

Written entirely in various poetic forms, this book details life in Auschwitz from two teenage girls' points of view. The vocabulary is quite simple. Nothing graphic is mentioned at all. But the horror is still completely palpable. The courage and desperation just come off the page. The way Meg wrote this made it so easy (maybe too easy?) to picture it as if I were there. I loved how clear the personalities were. Fania was softer, the "good girl," more prone to quietly obey not just with her bod [...]

This was the longest short-read that I have read in a long time. I kept putting the book down because it was depressing. That being said, it was a wonderful book told in verse. The Holocaust continues to haunt as I see hate repeated and taught in today’s world. Paper Hearts is the story of Fania and Zlatka, two young girls who find each other and encourage one another to live. That friendship inspires a handmade Birthday card that could have been the death of all who participated, and instead [...]

This is really interesting!A brief summation of my thoughts:I thought the writing style—verse—was effective and conveyed so much emotion.The characters are so strong and defiant! They keep on fighting, regardless of what everyone else says. So many good quotes in here.I love the title and its symbolism.

Paper Hearts is a great story of friendship to help overcome the horrible life the girls were living during the Holocaust. The story is about two girls Zlatka and Fanin who become friends due to their time in a concentration camp. They help each other to survive the horrible tragedy that is happening around them. Zlatka and Fanin are real people who went through this. The author kept this story as true to what was told of her. What a great story that is told in free verse.

I'm not a fan of books that aren't written in normal, paragraph form. BUT I am so glad I gave this book a chance. It is beautiful and so meaningful!

This was such a great book. I couldn't put it down. The only reason I picked this book up today is that I finished my book while at school and hadn't brought a backup with me, so I got it out of the school library so I could read before I got home. I'm so glad I did. READ IT

It's an amazing book based on a true story. It's a book about the lives of two girls that go to a concentration camp and try to survive. It's a very touching book. I really recommend this book!

"Eleven million dead. Never again. Never again. Never again." Beautifully written but absolutely heartbreaking. Based on true events, ‘Paper Hearts’ is a recounting of the experiences of a group of teenage girls imprisoned in the Auschwitz labour camp during World War II. Told in dual perspective verse format this sparse yet haunting narrative style is incredibly powerful yet also accessible, making this a deeply emotional yet easy book to read even for more reluctant readers or younger chil [...]

I ran across this book completely by accident. (I was straightening up the teen fiction shelves and this book was completely out of place so I decided to read the synopsis before I put it back which led me to deciding to check it out instead.) This book is about a group of girls, narrated by two specifically but really it's about all of them banding together, and their experiences before and during their internment at Auschwitz. Now I don't know why but I am a sucker for books set during the Hol [...]