Someone Named Eva

My daughter has wanted me to read this one for about 4 years. It was really good! Nazi Germany from a totally different perspective, a girl from Czech. who was not Jewish and looked like the desired Aryan race that Hitler thought as a perfect German. Taken from her family and schooled in how to be a perfect German and then adopted out to a Nazi family. Well written and easy to read. Definitely some tears shed.

Someone named Eva takes place during WWII where Milada, an eleven-year-old Czech girl, is separated from her family by the Nazis due to her blonde hair and blue eyes. She is renamed Eva and is sent to be "re-educated" so she can be adopted by wealthy Germans who want an Aryan child. This book touches on a touchy subject but I think it's important for kids to be exposed to this. It's one thing to hear about the holocaust, it's another to read somebody's account. So the age for this will probably be 4th to 8th grade. Something that stands out is Milada's process through the re-education program and her struggling to remember who she is as the people change around her. I used to read this book all the time as a kid, it was one of my show more favorites. I'm Jewish on my dad's side, Sephardic to be exact, so I've always been interested in WWII. This book doesn't hold back any punches, but it's still tasteful. I recommend this book for kids that are interested in history, and the people affected by it. show less

Wonderfully written book that allows you to feel Milada's experience of being taken from her home by the Nazi soldiers. Wolf does a fantastic job of teaching readers how not only Jews were affected during the Holocaust, but also Christian children who looked like the perfect "Arayan" children. Milada is a strong character who does everything in her power to not forget her heritage, even after being given a new name, Eva, and being adopted by a high ranking Nazi family.

Czech-born Milada is ripped from her family by the Germans during WWII and placed in a training camp where she is reprogrammed to become the perfect German girl, someone named Eva. Milada struggles to remember who she really while she fights to survive. Things get really interesting when she is adopted by a German family with a high-ranking SS officer at the helm.

I taught this book to my sixth-grade reading class. Of course, I had to teach background knowledge about the war, but my students were really engaged by the story. Surprisingly a lot of the kids connected to Milada's story because of their own experiences in the foster care system. Even my son, who is 13 and hates to read, loved this book.

While teaching this book we had show more discussions about discrimination and persecution, lessons about propaganda, the Hitler Youth, and we studied wartime posters to compare women's roles in Nazi Germany to the changing roles of women in America at that time. show less

Someone Named Eva (Joann M. Wolf)
Historical Fiction. Set in WWII Germany/Czechoslovakia/Poland. Milada is a young Czech girl. She just celebrated her 11th Birthday in May of 1942. Shortly after this celebration her home is invaded by Nazi troops and her family is separated. Her father and brother are taken away, while her sister, mother & grandmother are held a school. Once there the children are separated and inspected. Milada is segregated with other children, she notes the one thing in common, they all have blond hair and blue eyes. Soon Milada is put on a bus and taken away, leaving behind her beloved family.

She finds herself in a "training camp". Once there they are taught German and only allowed to speak this "Aryan" language. show more They are taught about Germany and how to be a "Proper German Woman" to follow in Hitler's plan to create a new Germany. Soon Milada is stripped of her name , identity and past...she is to be called Eva from her on. Yet inside she recalls her grandmothers words before she is take from the Nazi's....those words are: "Always remember who you are, and where you came from". Her grandmother slips her a special star shaped ruby pin, this become the only tie to her past, as she desperately holds on to it over the years.

A touching story of one girls plight to survive the Hitler Regime. I found this well written story to be fascinating, emotional and thought provoking. It tells of the lost small village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, which was invaded (by Germany Under hitler's command) and ultimately destroyed. Hundreds of people were killed, taken to concentration camps, to die of starvation disease or at the brutal hands of the Nazi troops. But the main story is of the few Lidice children who were take from their home to be molded into what Hitler wanted as the "Perfect German". An emotional and heart felt story, leaving a lasting memory, of the little known village and its people, whom none of which were Jewish (most people relate to WWII and Hitler's reigme, not knowing that other people besides Jewish, were taken and killed). Also included at the end is a website in memorandum of those lives lost in the small but not forgotten town, Lidice Czechoslovakia.

My Daughter did a book report (on Someone Named Eva) and after reading it I was compelled to read (the book) my self. I was not disappointed. And excellent read. I highly recommend to adults as well as young readers. show less

Narrated by Rachel Botchan. Milada and her family live happily in Czechoslovakia, with Milada vaguely aware of someone named Hitler and her grandmother’s dislike of him. One night, Nazis raid their village, rounding up all the families and taking them to a holding center in Poland. There Milada is separated from her loved ones because of her fair complexion and blonde hair. She and other physically similar girls are schooled in the history of Germany, the German language, the Nazi philosophy, and what it means to be a good Aryan. Milada fears forgetting her grandmother’s advice to “remember who you are.” Botchan's young voice matches Milada's age and nicely expresses her plaintive moments, but the pacing is off with long pauses show more and stops in odd places. Read the print edition instead. show less

"Remember who you are Milada.
Remember where you are from. Always."
- Milada's gradmother


The Nazis come to Milada's home and take her away from her family. Because she fits the Aryan ideal, they rename her Eva and train her to speak only German. They want to make "Eva" into the perfect German citizen and then have her adopted by a German family. Before the Nazis take her, Milada's grandmother gives her a garnet pin shaped like a star as a talisman to help her remember her identity.

I read this book as part of my study of books for ages 9-12 with strong female protagonists.

This book was touching. I felt for Milada and the other girls. I can't imagine what it was like to be taken from their families to a cold place with no comfort and show more being forced to answer to a different name. Most of the time, they had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen next. Milada is a very strong character, with faults of course, but she is quite resilient.

I like reading books with a World War II theme. Instead of focusing on the concentration camps and the war itself, this book brings to light a different part of the Nazi agenda.

Recommended to:
Ages 9-12; readers, especially girls, who enjoy historical fiction or empowering books for girls. show less