A modern Jewish girl, Hannah, is exasperated that she has to spend Passover with her family and old grandparents and have to listen to their Holocaust stories. When it is her turn to open the door for the prophet, she finds she is transported back in time to WWII, and into the life of Chaya, a girl living in Poland... right before going to a concentration camp. I liked the story in general, but thought it varied from touching/terrifying to maudlin/overwrought. A good YA primer into the life of a child who was 'processed' through the camps. ( )

This is a good book to have children read to explain the horrors of the Holocaust. ( )

The Devils Arithmetic is about a girl named hannah. She hates going to the passover seder because her family always tell the same stories from the past. But one day when its her turn to open the door to welcome the prophet Elijah she gets send to the past in a village. She meets new people one of the persons she meets is called Chaya. Then nazi soldiers come and take them away. They have them as slaves. Chaya and other friends Are all trying to escape but when a soldier captures one of them Hannah tells Rivka to go. So she unties Rivka and ties herself for they could leave. Then she see a door opens it and seesno one she just saw her house and family inside. Soon she realized that she was back in her uncles home. She had lived the life of her aunts friend and now she new y her aunt always talked about her

This book would be wonderful to use in a holocaust/WWII unit. This book, along with Number the Stars, are great at giving a account of a jewish child in the middle of the war. This is a very heavy, intense subject, but still incredibly important to gain knowledge about our past and change our future. ( )

Summary: Chaya is a young girl aged 16 by the end of the book. She is taken from her modern jewish life and whisked back to 1942 in Poland. She realizes that she is in the body of her aunt who was a concentration camp survivor. This tale detail some of the horror that was experienced by Jews during World War II. Chaya meets new friends, tests the willpower of her soul, and watches people die around her. A graphic book that shows a small piece of humanities horrible past.
Review: I was captured by this book. The characters were all believable and full of life. This book shows how quickly children can behave as mature adults when dire situations are presented to them. Extremely moving ending and I do recommend reading this book.
School Use: This book could be used as supplement to a World War II history lesson. Ann Frank would be the top choice to read, but The Devil's Arithmetic does show the same spirit of survival, humanity, horror, and willpower.