Alias Anna, Susan Hood
Alias Anna, Susan Hood
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
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Alias Anna
A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis

Author: Susan Hood, Greg Dawson

Narrator: Aimée B. Dawson

Unabridged: 3 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 03/22/2022

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

The moving true story of how young Ukrainian Jewish piano prodigies Zhanna (alias “Anna”) and her sister Frina outplayed their pursuers while hiding in plain sight during the Holocaust. A middle grade nonfiction novel-in-verse by award-winning author Susan Hood with Greg Dawson (Zhanna’s son).She wouldn’t be Zhanna. She’d use an alias. A for Anna. A for alive.When the Germans invade Ukraine, Zhanna, a young Jewish girl, must leave behind her friends, her freedom, and her promising musical future at the world’s top conservatory. With no time to say goodbye, Zhanna, her sister Frina, and their entire family are removed from their home by the Nazis and forced on a long, cold, death march. When a guard turns a blind eye, Zhanna flees with nothing more than her musical talent, her beloved sheet music, and her father’s final plea: “I don’t care what you do. Just live.” This incredible true story in-verse about sisterhood, survival, and music is perfect for fans of Lifeboat 12, Inside Out and Back Again, and Alan Gratz.Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

About Susan Hood

Susan Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Alias Anna, Lifeboat 12, Ada’s Violin, Brothers in Arms, The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics, Shaking Things Up, and Titan and the Wild Boars. She is the recipient of an E. B. White Read-Aloud Picture Book Honor, the Christopher Award, the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Golden Kite Award, and the Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, given annually for “a distinguished work of nonfiction.” Visit her at susanhoodbooks.com.

About Greg Dawson

Greg Dawson has been a journalist for over 50 years, winning awards for his work as a TV critic, columnist and feature writer at magazines and newspapers including The Boston Herald, Indianapolis Star, and Orlando Sentinel. He is the author of two books on the Holocaust, Hiding in the Spotlight and Judgment Before Nuremberg, and Busted in Bloomington, a collective memoir of the ‘60s written with his wife, Candy Dawson. To learn more go to www.gregdawsonbooks.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Darla

In Kharkiv, Ukraine, there is a twisted menorah memorial for those who died at the infamous Drobitsky Yar on December 15, 1941. There are two names on that list of the dead who did not really die that day. Zhanna and Frina Arshanskaya escaped from the Nazis that day. Their father Dimitri said, I don......more

Goodreads review by littlemiao

I almost didn’t finish this book because one passage hit me like a slap in the face. It is a verse retelling of a Shoah survivor’s account, written by a children’s book author in collaboration with the survivor’s son. I think these accounts are important and I honor their work. However, in one passa......more

Goodreads review by Molly

I read this in less than 24 hours, and then passed it to a kid who did the same. This book will stay with you-and it should.......more

Goodreads review by Melanie

Zhanna Arkanskaya lived with her parents in Ukraine, loving to explore her city and the world around her. So much so, she ditched school and ended up in places where she shouldn’t be often enough that her candy-making father forced music lessons on her as a way to occupy her mind. It worked. Her min......more

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