The Lead Soldiers

AGE: 12 up

This story is set during World War II and is based on fact. But those who balk at what sounds like another Holocaust novel should note that the war is only a backdrop for young Yorik`s life. Through Yorik`s close, almost photographic impressions, we follow the tightening of the German net around the Polish Jews in Warsaw. After their mother`s death, Yorik and his younger brother are cared for by their irrepressible aunt until they are all caught by the Nazis and sent to Bergen-Belsen. The 22 months in the camp are harsh but the boys find relief, as they have all along, in their war games. When the war is over, the boys are sent to pre-state Israel. Yorik knows that in order to survive, he must persevere and create a new life for himself.