Middle School Sleuths: A True Story of Courage, Compassion, and a Life-Changing Service Learning Project �� What happens when a group of middle school students take on a real-life mystery from the Holocaust? In this powerful nonfiction story, young investigators uncover the lost history of two child refugees who escaped Nazi Germany in 1938. Separated for 73 years , these Holocaust survivors had no way of finding each other—until a group of determined middle schoolers embarked on a service learning project that would change their lives forever. �� Inside this inspirational children's Holocaust book, readers will discover: ✔️ A real-life detective story where students track down historical records, photos, and documents ✔️ The moving reunion of two unaccompanied child refugees decades after their separation ✔️ A powerful example of how young people can make a difference in preserving history ✔️ An engaging, classroom-ready resource for middle school education, Holocaust studies, and service learning projects ✨ As featured on Oprah! This gripping true story of resilience and immigration is an essential addition to any collection of Holocaust books for kids, educational nonfiction, and middle school history books . �� Perfect for: ✅ Middle school and upper elementary classrooms ✅ Holocaust education and biography projects ✅ Students interested in real-life mysteries and history ✅ Service learning and social justice discussions �� Empower young readers with this unforgettable story of courage, perseverance, and the power of youth-led action. ➡️ Order your copy today and inspire the next generation of history detectives! "Every student should read it. Every school should teach it." -- Pulitzer Prize Nominee, James B. Lieber "An excellent introduction to the Holocaust." -- The Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter "A valuable non-fiction story that will bring WW2, the Holocaust, and the perils of immigration to life. Highly recommended for ages 10-17." -- Jewish Book Council The Story behind the Stories A Note from the Author: A 1990 to the German village my mother fled as a 12-year-old unaccompanied minor during the Nazi era changed my life.Until 1938, my mother's family had lived for 200 years in the town of Stockstad am Rhein -- a town of 2,000 people and only two Jewish families. The town's small size offered a unique opportunity to explore the long reach of the Holocaust. Motherland , a memoir that tells a loving yet harrowing story of mothers and daughters; of roots, reunion, and, ultimately, of understanding. Is It Night or Day? is a historical novel about a childhood immigration journey -- a relevant story for our war-torn world as desperate parents send their children to safety. Middle School Sleuths is a nonfiction work that captures how an 8th-grade class reunited two Holocaust refugees 72 years after they had immigrated together. Featured by Oprah. Facing the Past is a story of atonement - witness the 2014 installation of memorial stones for one family, as Stockstadt residents face their Holocaust history. Three Stars in the Night Sky t ells how one Jewish family escaped Nazi Germany through a little-known program. Their story reflects the dislocating trauma of the immigrant experience. Together again after 73 years! Fleeing Nazi Germany as 12-year-old unaccompanied minors in 1938, Edith Westerfeld and Gerda Katz became best friends on the ship to America. After their arrival, they lost touch. Decades laer, a dedicated middle-school class, moved by their story, embarked on a service-learning project to reunite the two women. Through photographs, texts, and historical documents, Middle School Sleuths chronicles the girls' friendcship, the students' research, and the poignant reunion of the two old friends 73 years after they last saw each other, The reunion, captured in this first book of the Legacy of the Holocaust serices, also was featured on Oprah. Chicago-based writer Fern Schumer Chapman has written several award-winning books. Viking/Penguin released her most recent work, BROTHERS, SISTERS, STRANGERS: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation, in 2021. She writes a blog for psychologytoday.com, and some of her posts are compiled in her latest work, THE SIBLING ESTRANGEMENT JOURNAL: A Guided Exploration of Your Experiences through Writing. Her memoir, MOTHERLAND, is a popular choice for book clubs. Her latest picture books, THE RETURN OF HAPPY HARPER THURSDAYS: The Guiding Light of a Grandmother's Love and HAPPY HARPER THURSDAYS: A Grandmother's Love for Her Granddaughter during the Coronavirus, explain family separation to children. Her other works, IS IT NIGHT OR DAY?, MIDDLE SCHOOL SLEUTHS, FACING THE PAST, and THREE STARS IN THE NIGHT SKY are used in middle and high school classrooms. Twice, Oprah shows have featured her work.
