Daniel barely remembers leading a normal life before the Nazis came to power in 1933. He can still picture once being happy and safe, but memories of those days are fading as he and his family face the dangers threatening Jews in Hitler's Germany in the late 1930's. No longer able to practice their religion, vote, own property, or even work, Daniel's family is forced from their home in Frankfurt and sent on a long and dangerous journey, first to the Lodz ghetto in Poland, and then to Auschwitz --, the Nazi death camp. Though many around him lose hope in the face of such terror, Daniel,...

Holly Springs, Mississippi, 1862
Hannah Green can't believe what happens to her family after the war breaks out. First, her sister Joanna falls in love with a Union soldier -- an enemy. Next, the same soldier tells Hannah and her family about General Grant's General Order #11, which commands all Jews to evacuate the territory for violating trade regulations. The Greens escape from Holly Springs just before their home is destroyed. They lose everything -- even their slaves, when Lincoln declares them free.
Now, because she is Jewish, Hannah cannot go home to Mississippi -- a...

At age eleven, Rosie Lepidus's main concerns are winning ring-a-levio, going to school, and staying out of trouble. But when Mama falls ill with pneumonia and Papa throws all the family's savings into the nickelodeon business, the burden of caring for her family falls on Rosie's shoulders.

Tall for her age, Rosie is able to pass for sixteen and take Mama's place sewing sleeves at a shirtwaist factory. Her family needs the money. But working conditions are horrible and the factory boss is incredibly strict. The girls are fined for nearly everything -- even talking or humming ...

With the success of Papa's latest baseball film, Rosie and her family move to beautiful Los Angeles to shoot more films starring Rosie. And there's no wasting time; within days of unpacking, Papa brings home an entire Wild West show so he can make authentic Westerns Rosie's so excited about riding a horse for the first time that she forgets to watch her step -- and before she knows it, she's caused a terrible accident for the show's best trick rider. Oy vey Where will Papa's Western movies be without a real trick rider...and with a star who doesn't even know how to get on a horse?...

"Great isn t good enough, I have to be perfect." Und das ist Miranda auch: Körper, Geist, Talent, Gesundheit ... alles scheint vollkommen zu sein. Bis die Gesundheit eines Tages angegriffen wird: Mirandas Sehvermögen lässt nach und der Arzt deutet dies als erstes Anzeichen einer verhängnisvollen genetischen Krankheit. Ihre Eltern kämpfen mit allen verfügbaren Mittel um ihr Leben, während sich für Miranda eine völlig neue Sichtweise auftut gegenüber den Eltern und ihrem Leben. Einblicke, die sie überraschen, schockieren, ihr Angst machen...

Death and dying are difficult subjects to discuss with children. If you are looking for a way to talk about death to your child or grandchild, When I Die, a short but powerful meditation on death, can give you a safe place to start.
How did Carol Matas come to write When I Die?
"The entire manuscript came to me all at once while I was meditating. I have changed it a little but it is almost exactly as I 'heard' it originally. I wasn't thinking about anything in particular, my mind was rather blank, so I can't explain why I thought of it or how it came to be....