The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II

By Author / Illustrator

Michael Rosen

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Walker Books Ltd

ISBN

9781406386752

Format

Hardback

Published

12-12-2019

Synopsis

***As heard on The Jeremy Vine Show***

***As heard on The Cerys Matthews Show***

\"Michael Rosen is a master of pace and clarity... Essential reading.\" - The Times, Children's Book of the Week

\"Five stars ... extraordinary and affecting. \" - The Telegraph, Children's Book of the Week

\"Rosen handles the difficult topic as sensitively and thoughtfully as you would expect, always writing in a straightforward and accessible way for children.\" - BookTrust, the UK's largest reading charity

A personal, powerful and resonant account of the Holocaust by one of this country's best-loved children's authors. By turns charming, shocking and heart-breaking, this is the true story of Michael Rosen's search for his relatives who \"went missing\" during the Second World War - told through prose, poetry, maps and pictures.

When Michael was growing up, stories often hung in the air about his great-uncles: one was a clock-mender and the other a dentist. They were there before the war, his dad would say, and weren't after.

Over many years, Michael tried to find out exactly what happened: he interviewed family members, scoured the internet, pored over books and traveled to America and France. The story he uncovered was one of terrible persecution - and it has inspired his poetry for years since.

Here, poems old and new are balanced against an immensely readable narrative; both an extraordinary account and a powerful tool for talking to children about the Holocaust.

Supported and checked by the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education.

\"Fascinating, chilling and poignantly personal\" - Financial Times

\"The Missing may ostensibly concern the Holocaust but, as Rosen makes clear, this is a book about facing down prejudice, defying those who would sow the seeds of hatred and opening our arms to those in need.\" - Independent

Reviews

They were there before the war...but they weren't after. This was all Michael Rosen knew about his great-uncles when he was growing up. Somehow these members of his family had just disappeared during the war. This book is the story of his determination to discover the truth about what happened to his relatives. Told through a mixture of poetry and prose, The Missing' is a powerful and shocking read. Part autobiography, it starts with stories from Michael's childhood, introducing the reader to his family and his grandparents: Bubbe and Zeyde (his mother's parents) and Grandma (his father's mother). It was on visits to his Grandma's house that Michael heard about his dad's uncles and aunts who had lived in Poland and France during the war - and learned that no one knew what had happened to them. Through years of research in books and on the internet, interviewing family members and travelling, Michael has painstakingly pieced together their story. It is a story of terrible persecution and evil, told with personal anecdotes which make the events seem all the more shocking. It is an extremely accessible book which encourages empathy and raises questions, helping children (and adults) relate to the events he recounts. Using his family's experiences, Michael also challenges the reader to consider current events - the 'casual' racism, comments and actions that people make now - in the light of the Holocaust. The personal connection, the use of source materials, the accessibility of the text and the way it encourages empathy (both with historical and current events) all make this an invaluable text for UKS2 and KS3. A poignant and essential read 128 pages / Ages 10+ / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher