Call number
JF DOG
Collection
Genres
Publication
HMH Books for Young Readers (2010), Edition: 1, 352 pages
Description
Historical Fiction. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: Everyone knows about Anne Frank and her life hidden in the secret annex â?? but what about the boy who was also trapped there with her? In this powerful and gripping novel, Sharon Dogar explores what this might have been like from Peter's point of view. What was it like to be forced into hiding with Anne Frank, first to hate her and then to find yourself falling in love with her? Especially with your parents and her parents all watching almost everything you do together. To know you're being written about in Anne's diary, day after day? What's it like to start questioning your religion, wondering why simply being Jewish inspires such hatred and persecution? Or to just sit and wait and watch while others die, and wish you were fighting. As Peter and Anne become closer and closer in their confined quarters, how can they make sense of what they see happening around them? Anne's diary ends on August 4, 1944, but Peter's story takes us on, beyond their betrayal and into the Nazi death camps. He details with accuracy, clarity and compassion the reality of day to day survival in Auschwitz â?? and ultimately the horrific fates of the Annex's occupants… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ShelleyDaugherty
I love the idea behind this book and I was not disappointed. I have always wondered about other members of the Anne Frank annex and this book, though a work of fiction, gives a view of what it must have been like for Peter (the boy Anne Frank was in the annex with while hiding from the Nazis). We
This book also looks at life in the camps, based on recounts from the survivors. It explores what it must have been like to deal with death everyday and how these horrific images and situations change people. Even documentation shows that Peter was a survivor. But how did he survive for so long under such conditions? The author points out she wanted to portray Peter as "every man" when it came to the Death Camps section and I believe she did an excellent job of this. He could have been anyone in the camps and still be everyone.
This book also covers the blossoming relationship between Anne and Peter during their time in hiding. It feels true to teenage romance and is simplistic as well as true to the behaviors of teens during the time period. I would say this is a fantastic book and a must read. Especially for boys who are working on Holocaust projects because it really "speaks" to them. Although it does include the s*** word, it is only used for the specific action and not for vulgarity sake so I am willing to overlook that when deciding whether to include it in our library collection as well.
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see Anne as being determined to record and have her story known, but Peter is portrayed as someone who just wants to blend in and go on with his life. He wonders about his faith, as well as how to survive in tight quarters and many times deals with a combination of hormones and teen angst which are heightened by their situation.The frustration of not even being able to go outside along with dealing with break ins which could very well bring the Nazis right down on them, during their hiding, were constant contributors to Peter's state of mind.This book also looks at life in the camps, based on recounts from the survivors. It explores what it must have been like to deal with death everyday and how these horrific images and situations change people. Even documentation shows that Peter was a survivor. But how did he survive for so long under such conditions? The author points out she wanted to portray Peter as "every man" when it came to the Death Camps section and I believe she did an excellent job of this. He could have been anyone in the camps and still be everyone.
This book also covers the blossoming relationship between Anne and Peter during their time in hiding. It feels true to teenage romance and is simplistic as well as true to the behaviors of teens during the time period. I would say this is a fantastic book and a must read. Especially for boys who are working on Holocaust projects because it really "speaks" to them. Although it does include the s*** word, it is only used for the specific action and not for vulgarity sake so I am willing to overlook that when deciding whether to include it in our library collection as well.
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LibraryThing member brandileigh2003
This is a haunting book. It is also a very creative idea, and I was entralled in the journey, and even knowing that these characters did not meet a favorable end, I was still rooting for them and wishing otherwise.
I enjoyed getting a fresh perspective on these well known characters, and it felt it
The only issue I had was the chapter headings-- they felt flat to me. Other than that I highly recommend, it is emotional and powerful!
I enjoyed getting a fresh perspective on these well known characters, and it felt it
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could be real.The only issue I had was the chapter headings-- they felt flat to me. Other than that I highly recommend, it is emotional and powerful!
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LibraryThing member DonnerLibrary
Annexed is a novel based on The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. It tells the story of the families hiding in the annex from the perspective of Peter van Pels, the young man in hiding with Anne and Margot Frank. His story is told in memories from the time he sees a friend taken by the Nazis,
I think taking the story told by Anne Frank and turning it to be told from a different member of the group would be a very daunting undertaking. After all, Anne's diary and the recollections of her father are the only records that we have of their time spent as Jews in hiding during World War II. Trying to understand the events from Peter's perspective must have been difficult as there are little to no records of him outside of Anne's observations.
I really liked how Dogar started at the end instead of the beginning. As Peter lies in the sick bay wondering if he is dead or alive, the memories become real again. These memories are how the reader is able to experience the events with Peter. The memories allow Peter to fully examine his feelings about what was happening in the annex. How did he truly feel about Anne? Did he really love her or was it just that they were forced to be so close together with no room to escape? What did Anne's writing mean for all of them? How would he be able to tell his story?
The one thing that I really disliked when I started reading was the chapter headings. I appreciated the dates to help with the time line of events and the locations but the little subtitles were annoyingly obvious to me. It has been so long since I've read The Diary of a Young Girl that I cannot remember if these titles reflect in any way the way Anne Frank dated her diary entries. After a while, I simply moved into each chapter without reading the headings.
Annexed is a heavy book and hard to read knowing the outcome for the people involved. I think it could be a very good read along side Anne's diary and could encourage a great discussion about what life was like for those who didn't get a chance to tell their stories. Although I am ready to move on to a much lighter book next, Annexed also makes me want to re-read The Diary of a Young Girl to hear the story from Anne once more.
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through the two years spent in hiding, and then in to the work camps that lead to his death.I think taking the story told by Anne Frank and turning it to be told from a different member of the group would be a very daunting undertaking. After all, Anne's diary and the recollections of her father are the only records that we have of their time spent as Jews in hiding during World War II. Trying to understand the events from Peter's perspective must have been difficult as there are little to no records of him outside of Anne's observations.
I really liked how Dogar started at the end instead of the beginning. As Peter lies in the sick bay wondering if he is dead or alive, the memories become real again. These memories are how the reader is able to experience the events with Peter. The memories allow Peter to fully examine his feelings about what was happening in the annex. How did he truly feel about Anne? Did he really love her or was it just that they were forced to be so close together with no room to escape? What did Anne's writing mean for all of them? How would he be able to tell his story?
The one thing that I really disliked when I started reading was the chapter headings. I appreciated the dates to help with the time line of events and the locations but the little subtitles were annoyingly obvious to me. It has been so long since I've read The Diary of a Young Girl that I cannot remember if these titles reflect in any way the way Anne Frank dated her diary entries. After a while, I simply moved into each chapter without reading the headings.
Annexed is a heavy book and hard to read knowing the outcome for the people involved. I think it could be a very good read along side Anne's diary and could encourage a great discussion about what life was like for those who didn't get a chance to tell their stories. Although I am ready to move on to a much lighter book next, Annexed also makes me want to re-read The Diary of a Young Girl to hear the story from Anne once more.
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LibraryThing member seescootread
From the start of the story to its heartrending conclusion Annexed is a good blend of fiction and history. I love reading historical stories from alternate points of view, and I enjoyed reading about the tragic life of the van Pels and the Franks from Peter’s perspective as he reflected back on
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the last three years of his life. Peter who says so little, but has a mind full of racing thoughts. Peter is the sole teenage boy hiding in an annex with five adults, two being his parents, and two teenage girls. Entering the annex almost against his will Peter struggles with heartbreak and feelings of shame for not fighting back against their tormentors. I feel the story depicted accurately what it would be like for a young teenage boy to come of age in a tightly cramped space while hiding from a war literally on his doorstep. The writing style felt very journal like, each chapter marking another day or event as time passed in the Annex and beyond. As the time drew nearer to their eventual discovery you are caught up in their fear and on the edge of your seat. This story has moments that are uplifting and moments that are heartbreaking. Annexed is a haunting tale of love, loss and the horror of the Holocaust. Show Less
LibraryThing member ilbooklvr
Good companion to compare with The Diary of Anne Frank. Language definitely makes it a young adult selection.
LibraryThing member GRgenius
When I came across this book, I wasn't certain what to think. All the buzz I had heard came from people discussing the book even prior to having read it. How so? Well, as you may have guessed from the book description, the story is taken straight from one of the grizzly headlines of the
'Annexed' allows readers to revisit the events as they transpired in the Annex and yet lends them a new voice...that of Peter van Pels. Though his thoughts and actions were not recorded by his own hand (thus the fictional aspect of the story), the author did much research in order to present what might have passed through this young man's heart and mind with as much historical accuracy as possible. The few liberties taken are addressed by the author in both the preface and the epilogue in an open and honest fashion lending more credibility to this work than one might suppose from the whispers and chatter.
In short...an enjoyable read in structure and imagination by the author while portraying the heart wrenching cruelty and despair of the acts that are recounted in all their unfortunate details. Recommended reading for mid to older teens (and beyond) due to content....but one certainly worth the read.
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past...we've all heard (or most have at some point) the story of those years spent in the Annex from THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK through her thoughts and ideas as recorded by her own hand; in fact, it's a part of most school reading programs as a means of studying those dark times in history. The worry heard most was as to whether or not this book would be riding on the coattails of this famous work or could it possibly do an injustice to what really transpired...in my opinion, neither one came to fruitation which bodes well for this work.'Annexed' allows readers to revisit the events as they transpired in the Annex and yet lends them a new voice...that of Peter van Pels. Though his thoughts and actions were not recorded by his own hand (thus the fictional aspect of the story), the author did much research in order to present what might have passed through this young man's heart and mind with as much historical accuracy as possible. The few liberties taken are addressed by the author in both the preface and the epilogue in an open and honest fashion lending more credibility to this work than one might suppose from the whispers and chatter.
In short...an enjoyable read in structure and imagination by the author while portraying the heart wrenching cruelty and despair of the acts that are recounted in all their unfortunate details. Recommended reading for mid to older teens (and beyond) due to content....but one certainly worth the read.
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LibraryThing member gubry
I’m not really sure where to start with this review first, but I’ll just start from the beginning. The beginning was slow, really slow, and I wasn’t exactly sure if I was going to even continue to read it. But I decided to read it all the way and it did pick up and it got better. It was a
I found it nice to learn about Peter, what he thought and his views on life. When the secret annex was found in the book, I remember being worried for them despite the fact that I knew what already happened to them from researching and the Diary of Anne Frank, of course.
There was controversy about what Peter thought about Anne, as in his his feelings for her. But I wasn’t bothered by that, like others pointed out in their reviews (the ones that I've read). There wasn’t really anything bad about what he thought in this book, but for some reason, others thought so about this book.
While I did enjoy those parts of the book, some parts of the book, not so much. The chapter-headings on the book were boring and useless in my opinion. So, I was relived to find that people agreed with me about that. There were narratives of Peter dying and to be honest, I didn’t like it at times, and I wanted to skip them, but I still read it anyways because I liked this book. And although while I did like Part 2, I also didn’t like it at the same time. It was still very enjoyable though. Also, I’m on the fence about Liesel. I’m not sure if I liked the role she played in the story, but that's just me.
Overall, the book was an interesting concept.
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well written novel in terms of its concept.I found it nice to learn about Peter, what he thought and his views on life. When the secret annex was found in the book, I remember being worried for them despite the fact that I knew what already happened to them from researching and the Diary of Anne Frank, of course.
There was controversy about what Peter thought about Anne, as in his his feelings for her. But I wasn’t bothered by that, like others pointed out in their reviews (the ones that I've read). There wasn’t really anything bad about what he thought in this book, but for some reason, others thought so about this book.
While I did enjoy those parts of the book, some parts of the book, not so much. The chapter-headings on the book were boring and useless in my opinion. So, I was relived to find that people agreed with me about that. There were narratives of Peter dying and to be honest, I didn’t like it at times, and I wanted to skip them, but I still read it anyways because I liked this book. And although while I did like Part 2, I also didn’t like it at the same time. It was still very enjoyable though. Also, I’m on the fence about Liesel. I’m not sure if I liked the role she played in the story, but that's just me.
Overall, the book was an interesting concept.
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LibraryThing member readingbeader
I have always loved to read a familiar story from a different point of view. Mists of Avalon and Wicked are two of my favorites. Annexed is Peter Van Pels version of life with the Frank family hiding in Amersterdam. I hadn’t read a WWII account for several years because so much seemed the same
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and each ending was sad or bittersweet. I am glad I read this one even though I already knew the ending. Ms. Dogar made Peter interesting and accessible. She fleshed him out from the semi-flat, paper doll version we get in Anne’s diary. His response to her writing about him felt real and his conflicted feelings about hiding struck a nerve with me. He is believable and I liked him. I liked him so much that I wanted him to survive, and had to stop and think about what I remembered of the history of the annex occupants. I will be buying this for the PHS library immediately, and have students ready to read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member ComaCalm
Written as a companion piece to Anne Frank's diary, this is the story of Peter van Pels, the boy who was in love with her. The story is written as if by Peter, telling of what it was like for him to be cooped up in the Annex with this strange, eccentric girl amongst a lot of other people. Seeing
At first when I picked up this book I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as it could be. But as this is a touchy subject to write about, I figured the publishers wouldn't publish it if it wasn't good.
I wasn't disappointed. Completely (well almost) historically accurate, I feel like Peter is now a real person, rather than a boy in Anne's diary. The story that Peter tells is completely believeable and drags you right into that cold, sufforcating world of the Annex and tells the story of it's residents. If Peter ever had the chance to write a biography, I doubt it would differ much from this.
There are gaps where we're not quite sure what happens in parts of Peter's life, like where he died for instance, so Sharon Dogar had to guess. I think she did it marvellously.
Beautifully told, I'd recommend this to any fans of Anne Frank, in fact I feel it's a must read. Only bad point I can think of is that this will probably used in schools, so a lot of kids might end up hating it! After all, teacher's pick stories to bits...e's happy and singing about rainbows... but that's just my oddness.
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his life from his sick bed in the Nazi death camp of Mauthausen, from just before arriving at the Annex to his death, this is a beautiful and moving storyline.At first when I picked up this book I was worried that it wouldn't be as good as it could be. But as this is a touchy subject to write about, I figured the publishers wouldn't publish it if it wasn't good.
I wasn't disappointed. Completely (well almost) historically accurate, I feel like Peter is now a real person, rather than a boy in Anne's diary. The story that Peter tells is completely believeable and drags you right into that cold, sufforcating world of the Annex and tells the story of it's residents. If Peter ever had the chance to write a biography, I doubt it would differ much from this.
There are gaps where we're not quite sure what happens in parts of Peter's life, like where he died for instance, so Sharon Dogar had to guess. I think she did it marvellously.
Beautifully told, I'd recommend this to any fans of Anne Frank, in fact I feel it's a must read. Only bad point I can think of is that this will probably used in schools, so a lot of kids might end up hating it! After all, teacher's pick stories to bits...e's happy and singing about rainbows... but that's just my oddness.
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LibraryThing member MStevenson
This powerful story relates the well-documented events in the secret annex of Anne Frank's diary from the point of view of sixteen-year-old Peter van Pels. The author cleverly reimagines what happened between their families, sharing cramped living quarters for two years, with Peter's frustration
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and anger at being in hiding, and his frequent butting of heads with Anne before coming to see her with new eyes. He agonizes over whether he will ever make love to a girl, fights with his parents, sulks and questions God and religion before finally maturing into a man. Interspersed with Peter's first person accounts of life inside the annex are the horrific experiences of his last days in the death camps of Auschwitz and Mauthausen, where he fights against being treated like an animal and regrets that he may not be able to tell his story. Using historical and intimate details , this story of adolescents struggling in the face of unthinkable adversity will raise questions about The Diary's connections and omissions, and appeal to readers of Holocaust literature. Show Less
LibraryThing member PhoebeReading
I first heard of Sharon Dogar's Annexed because of the controversy. This novel, told from the perspective of Peter van Pels (the boy who was briefly loved by Anne Frank during their tenure in the famous attic), would apparently detail their sexual relationship--a fact which very much upset van
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Pels' last surviving relative. Book banners and horrified parents were immediately up in arms--how could anyone both appropriate and besmirch Anne Frank's memory?To which I only gave a derisive snort--had these people even read Anne's diary?I did, and though it's been about a decade, even I recall with clarity the sexual passages in the uncensored diary. Sure, some of these passages stood out in my mind because I was, myself, a teenager, but they also seemed striking to me because they were so very true to a young girl's sexual awakening. In fact, that fearless honesty is what makes Frank's diary one of the few Holocaust narratives that I don't find, honestly, a little tiresome. This was a voice that had so much more to talk about than the horrors of war--including, certainly, sex.Ironically, Dogar talks about sex far less than Anne Frank did. I went into Annexed expecting something akin to sexy Anne Frank fan-fiction. In terms of sexual content, there's almost none, despite the adolescent male narrator. Peter van Pels has a handful of wet dreams at the beginning of the novel--later, he and Anne kiss and cuddle and once he mentions feeling her breasts against him. The horror! These accounts struck me as merely honest; this is not a salacious book.But it is a fairly effective one. Dogar gives us a complimentary narrative to set alongside Anne's. Though I was initially annoyed by the plain-spoken voice she utilizes for Peter's narration, eventually I was convinced of the honesty of the tone. Though not particularly artful, this is a good match for Anne's writing in the original diary. In terms of characterization, Peter himself is exceptionally well-realized, and his interactions with his parents, and the other attic inhabitants (not to mention the attic cats) do quite a bit to endear him to the reader. And his relationship with Anne builds slowly, deliberately, and absolutely believably.Peter's observations about Anne, both initially and as the relationship developed, were fascinating. Though I've seen some reviewers decry Dogar's portrayal of Anne as an annoyingly-driven young writer, I bought it, and I certainly bought Peter's self-consciousness about their young relationship being preserved for the ages in Anne's diary. In a way, I can't help but think of them as a young version of the couple in Margaret Atwood's "Their Attitudes Differ": "Please die, I said, so I can write about it." Dogar does a good job of accurately reflecting the thorny complications of a relationship with a writer.Not everything in here works perfectly. I was irritated by some of the stylistic choices: the dull-as-dirt chapter headings, the intrusive frame narration that only got more grating as the book proceeded, the stark weirdness of a present-tense narration in a story that's a flashback. I'm certain Dogar did this deliberately; she eventually merges the voices. But when it comes down to it, it just doesn't work. Dying Peter's voice intrudes even on the later scenes, which are, themselves, quite dark as they're set in the death camps. I found myself skipping many of these italicized passages to no ill effect so I could better focus on the central story of Peter as a living boy.Despite this, the core story remains powerful and affecting. Ultimately Dogar is successful at giving voice to Peter, a real person who has so often been relegated to playing a bit part in the life of a girl he once briefly loved. Disclosure: I received a review copy of this volume from netgalley.com. Show Less
LibraryThing member CCCalGal
An excellent sequel to be sure, this storyline can also stand on its own. With vivid imagery and delicious emotional battles "Sapphique" is one of those books that you just don't want to put down. Young readers and teens will find the fantasy of this book puzzling and spellbinding at the same time.
I have noticed some readers have labled this as a romance, but there is little romance in it. Most of the relationships are friendship at best.
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The author carefully gives just enough information to the reader to keep them wanting more and leads them to a climax which is both fulfilling and open to a continuation. The characters are unique and come with their individual problems, each one that the readers can relate to: being an outcast, lack of self-esteem, strong in thought, questioning their place and purpose. All of this at a level that would entice a well-read middle school through high school. While the storyline solves few of the emotional problems the characters have, it does resolve the main issues of good vs. evil and the existence of the imaginable. A good book for readers to continue the series or just pick up for a fun read.I have noticed some readers have labled this as a romance, but there is little romance in it. Most of the relationships are friendship at best.
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LibraryThing member kittycrochettwo
When I first started reading Annexed, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, I had read The Diary of Ann Frank as a teen and wasn't sure how much of the story I actually remembered, but "Annexed" transported me back to Ann Frank, giving me a whole new perspective on life in the Annex, because we
This book is broken into two sections, with the first section giving us a glimpse of life in the Annex thru the eyes of Peter. He is a typical 16 year old boy, he grieves the loss of his first girlfriend Liese, wondering what might have happened to her when her family is taken away, knowing he and his family is going into hiding with the Frank's but dreading it. The finality of what is to be as the door closes and he spends the next two years in the Annex, the close quarters become stifling. He didn't really even like the Frank family in the beginning, but after spending time together he and Ann become close. While she expresses herself thru words he draws, and they both talk about what they will do once the war is over. Unfortunately they never get the chance to find out.
The second section of the book is The Camps, which allows us to follow the Franks and the Van Pel's as they are taken on a train to the concentration camps. While it is a fictionalized account of what Peter experiences in the camp, they are reconstructed from others who survived.The accounts are so real that you can feel Peter's suffering. Hating the person he had to become in order to survive, often wondering if he was the only Jew left. In the epilogue the author gives us an actual account of what happened to the eight from the Annex.
The author does an outstanding job of weaving fact with fiction,the story of Peter and the concentration camp is something I will never forget. A thought provoking story that puts a different spin on the time spent in the annex. A book that shouldn't be missed!
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hear the story from the voice of Peter Van Pel, a young man just about to turn 16, who was hesitant about hiding out with the Franks, actually not really liking either of the Frank daughters but in the end, the families become close, and its easy to believe that young Peter could have fallen in love with Ann. This book is broken into two sections, with the first section giving us a glimpse of life in the Annex thru the eyes of Peter. He is a typical 16 year old boy, he grieves the loss of his first girlfriend Liese, wondering what might have happened to her when her family is taken away, knowing he and his family is going into hiding with the Frank's but dreading it. The finality of what is to be as the door closes and he spends the next two years in the Annex, the close quarters become stifling. He didn't really even like the Frank family in the beginning, but after spending time together he and Ann become close. While she expresses herself thru words he draws, and they both talk about what they will do once the war is over. Unfortunately they never get the chance to find out.
The second section of the book is The Camps, which allows us to follow the Franks and the Van Pel's as they are taken on a train to the concentration camps. While it is a fictionalized account of what Peter experiences in the camp, they are reconstructed from others who survived.The accounts are so real that you can feel Peter's suffering. Hating the person he had to become in order to survive, often wondering if he was the only Jew left. In the epilogue the author gives us an actual account of what happened to the eight from the Annex.
The author does an outstanding job of weaving fact with fiction,the story of Peter and the concentration camp is something I will never forget. A thought provoking story that puts a different spin on the time spent in the annex. A book that shouldn't be missed!
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LibraryThing member lrobe190
The Diary of Anne Frank is a literary classic about a young Jewish girl's dreams and thoughts and fears during the two years she spent hiding in an office annex during the Holocaust. Annexed is the imagined story of life in the annex told from Peter's point of view.
Dogar used Anne Frank's diary to
Dogar used Anne Frank's diary to
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bring realism to the story and did extensive research on the Holocaust. As a stand-out young adult author, she is able to describe the thoughts and feelings of a teenage boy and what it must have been like living in such close quarters, knowing that he might never again live outside those walls. Told from two points of view, the reader experiences Peter's "present" as he lies dying in a concentration camp near the end of the war and his past, the two years of living in the annex. An epilogue details what happened to each of the annex residents after they were betrayed. This book will make you think and cry and want to go back and read Anne Frank's diary again. Absolutely a must read!! Show Less
LibraryThing member theepicrat
It has been a while since I have read The Diary Of Anne Frank, so I do not remember exact details of Peter - or any solid memory of Anne's personality. After reading Annexed, I am tempted to re-visit this classic and gauge whether Sharon Dogar has captured the essence of these people who actually
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existed. Annexed is a rather slow-paced, and I'm not too sure to where it was leading up exactly. It may not add much to the original Diary, but Annexed may satisfy your curiosity as to how Peter might have felt during this time, especially under the scrutiny of Anne. Show Less
LibraryThing member bethanne79
Is it wrong to say I really enjoyed reading this book? Maybe a better thing to say is that I liked reading from Peter's perspective. Imagining what those years in the attic were like for him was well done by the author. The basic details kept up with Anne Frank's timeline which was nice. It was a
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wonderfully written book on a very hard time in the world's history. Show Less
LibraryThing member GaylDasherSmith
Fascinating view of Ann Frank's annex from the male perspective. Wonderfully written
LibraryThing member booksandwine
Were you assigned Diary of A Young Girl in school? If not, I am willing to bet you know who Anne Frank was and all about the annex. We all know Anne's ultimate fate,but it doesn't make her diary any less touching. Knowing the ending doesn't detract from the emotional impact.
Annexed tells the story
It's an emotionally moving journey. Interwoven are threads of humanity we all can relate to among the horrors. For example.
'"There's nothing like a good story!" I'm in the attic. The sun shines and I sit in it and read. The book makes time change. Stops it hanging. Somewhere I can hear the breeze in the tree behind me. I can feel the sun on my back and the pages turn and I forget. There are only the people on the page and what will happen next.' - pg. 59
I think these moments, where Peter would describe something I have absolutely felt, broke me into a thousand little pieces, because I knew what would happen to Peter. You get to thinking about how he lost so much, how it's likely you will never endure what he endures. I'm one of those people who has to shut off the Sarah McLaughlin Humane Society commercials. I can't take it. I have a lot of empathy inside me, and it hurts to read about real people and not-so-real people sometimes who live a life radically different from me. But maybe that's a wonderful thing about being a reader, the consideration of others. I know I have definitely said that before, but every time I read a serious book, I can't help but think this.
I thought Annexed to be an absolutely necessary read. I mean, I think that it is necessary stories like these be written so we don't forget. World War II survivors and Holocaust survivors are getting older and dying out, so it's essential that we do keep talking about it and remembering, so it does not happen again. I should confess, I read a lot of articles on CNN.com and the other day there was an article on it about a former Nazi being deported from the United States. I scrolled to the comments, of course, and was appalled. Some stated we should just forgive and forget, just pardon the poor old man. Guys, he was a concentration camp guard, you have to be a member of the Nazi party to be one of those guards. Normal civilians don't get those jobs. Anyways, off the soap box for that article.
Well, I personally believe if we forget history, we are doomed to repeat it. Ultimately this book belongs in the classrooms of history and English teachers. It's fascinating, a quick read, and utterly compelling. I can see students enjoying this book.
"And we're only people--that's what I keep thinking. We're only people just like all the people who walk past the attic, never looking up, never knowing we're up here waiting for our world to begin again." - pg. 133
Annexed tells the story
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of Peter van Pels, the boy who ultimately grew to love Anne while hiding in the attic. Obviously, we know Anne's story, but what of the other people who were with her? Aside from the recollections of Otto Frank, and Anne's diary, we don't really have any first hand accounts of those in the annex. It certainly leaves room for imagination. Let me say, this novel is a strong piece of historical fiction. It is clearly meticulously researched, yet not couched in academia. I thought it was so interesting to get inside Peter's head. We see him go from being rather annoyed with Anne to seeing her in a different light.It's an emotionally moving journey. Interwoven are threads of humanity we all can relate to among the horrors. For example.
'"There's nothing like a good story!" I'm in the attic. The sun shines and I sit in it and read. The book makes time change. Stops it hanging. Somewhere I can hear the breeze in the tree behind me. I can feel the sun on my back and the pages turn and I forget. There are only the people on the page and what will happen next.' - pg. 59
I think these moments, where Peter would describe something I have absolutely felt, broke me into a thousand little pieces, because I knew what would happen to Peter. You get to thinking about how he lost so much, how it's likely you will never endure what he endures. I'm one of those people who has to shut off the Sarah McLaughlin Humane Society commercials. I can't take it. I have a lot of empathy inside me, and it hurts to read about real people and not-so-real people sometimes who live a life radically different from me. But maybe that's a wonderful thing about being a reader, the consideration of others. I know I have definitely said that before, but every time I read a serious book, I can't help but think this.
I thought Annexed to be an absolutely necessary read. I mean, I think that it is necessary stories like these be written so we don't forget. World War II survivors and Holocaust survivors are getting older and dying out, so it's essential that we do keep talking about it and remembering, so it does not happen again. I should confess, I read a lot of articles on CNN.com and the other day there was an article on it about a former Nazi being deported from the United States. I scrolled to the comments, of course, and was appalled. Some stated we should just forgive and forget, just pardon the poor old man. Guys, he was a concentration camp guard, you have to be a member of the Nazi party to be one of those guards. Normal civilians don't get those jobs. Anyways, off the soap box for that article.
Well, I personally believe if we forget history, we are doomed to repeat it. Ultimately this book belongs in the classrooms of history and English teachers. It's fascinating, a quick read, and utterly compelling. I can see students enjoying this book.
"And we're only people--that's what I keep thinking. We're only people just like all the people who walk past the attic, never looking up, never knowing we're up here waiting for our world to begin again." - pg. 133
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LibraryThing member allureofbooks
I'm not sure how to review a book like this. It is an absolutely brilliant book, but certainly not one I can claim to have enjoyed. Who could enjoy such a story? That being said, I consider it one of the best books I have ever read. It is a moving testimony to bravery, pain, suffering and hope. The
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to be the one you choose to read so you can remember.
The writing is so clear: so simply written and so full of emotion. I feel like I have lost people I know. In many ways, a lot of us know this group: the Frank and Van Pels families. We first learned about their years of hiding in the Annex through Anne Frank's diary. And here, Sharon Dogar takes us on a fictionalized account of Peter's journey.
The best way I can think of to describe the way I felt while reading this book is to say that I feel like I was shoved headfirst into Peter's pensieve. I was an invisible onlooker during every part of his story, from the Annex to Auschwitz. It has been a long time since I have been able to so clearly see a movie version of the story I am reading play in my head. I sure chose a wrenching story to be so immersed in.
Sharon Dogar mastered the ability to shed light on the way Peter must have felt while hiding in the Annex. She described not only the feelings of frustration and and fear and longing for the outside...but all the normal things a teenage boy goes through. She balances them all perfectly and makes Peter really seem like a person. That is what makes reading this book so hard - you are getting to know and love a person that you already know has a horrible fate.
There are so many gripping passages in this book, I could quote all day long. Sometimes it was the expressions of hope and love that were more jarring than the ones of war or fear. Regardless, the voice that Dogar gives her characters will get a grip on you that doesn't let go, even when the story is over.
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“I don’t exist anymore. They’ve turned me into a nobody so that they can wipe me off the face of the Earth.â€
......................
“Maybe I’m ashamed because it’s hard not to feel ashamed, when just being born is something you can be killed for.â€
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“I know that sometimes love is as hard to bear as hate, that it can hurt as much.â€
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“Even if you replace my name with a number, give me no spoon to eat with, or clothes, or shoes to walk in – so that I am forced to live and eat like one. I am not an animal.â€
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“No, I was not hungry. Hungry is a word that you can understand. This hunger is not in my stomach, it is in my skin – my bones. If you cut my legs off they would walk toward a bowl of soup without me.â€
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This is a book that should be read.
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Holocaust is not a time in history that we want to remember, but it is a time that we cannot let be forgotten. Books like this serve as a reminder of the lowest of humanity...but also the highest. One cannot call Nazis vermin without also naming the Jews heroes.I cannot recommend this book highly enough to be the one you choose to read so you can remember.
The writing is so clear: so simply written and so full of emotion. I feel like I have lost people I know. In many ways, a lot of us know this group: the Frank and Van Pels families. We first learned about their years of hiding in the Annex through Anne Frank's diary. And here, Sharon Dogar takes us on a fictionalized account of Peter's journey.
The best way I can think of to describe the way I felt while reading this book is to say that I feel like I was shoved headfirst into Peter's pensieve. I was an invisible onlooker during every part of his story, from the Annex to Auschwitz. It has been a long time since I have been able to so clearly see a movie version of the story I am reading play in my head. I sure chose a wrenching story to be so immersed in.
Sharon Dogar mastered the ability to shed light on the way Peter must have felt while hiding in the Annex. She described not only the feelings of frustration and and fear and longing for the outside...but all the normal things a teenage boy goes through. She balances them all perfectly and makes Peter really seem like a person. That is what makes reading this book so hard - you are getting to know and love a person that you already know has a horrible fate.
There are so many gripping passages in this book, I could quote all day long. Sometimes it was the expressions of hope and love that were more jarring than the ones of war or fear. Regardless, the voice that Dogar gives her characters will get a grip on you that doesn't let go, even when the story is over.
......................
“I don’t exist anymore. They’ve turned me into a nobody so that they can wipe me off the face of the Earth.â€
......................
“Maybe I’m ashamed because it’s hard not to feel ashamed, when just being born is something you can be killed for.â€
......................
“I know that sometimes love is as hard to bear as hate, that it can hurt as much.â€
......................
“Even if you replace my name with a number, give me no spoon to eat with, or clothes, or shoes to walk in – so that I am forced to live and eat like one. I am not an animal.â€
......................
“No, I was not hungry. Hungry is a word that you can understand. This hunger is not in my stomach, it is in my skin – my bones. If you cut my legs off they would walk toward a bowl of soup without me.â€
......................
This is a book that should be read.
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LibraryThing member dempsey1106
The first thing that you should know about this book is that it is based on true facts, but is not a true story.
Dogar takes true events from Anne Frank's life, and then imagines what it would be like to be Peter, who lived with the Franks in the attic. The book is written well. There are times
If you like World War II stories, especially Holocaust stories, then I think you will enjoy this book. My recommendation would be for grades 9 and up (though mature 7 and 8 graders could handle the book).
Dogar takes true events from Anne Frank's life, and then imagines what it would be like to be Peter, who lived with the Franks in the attic. The book is written well. There are times
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when it can be a little slow, and there are things that I feel were a little far stretched, but such is the way with many books. I truly enjoyed the story, and was so happy to get a fresh view of this real-life story. If you like World War II stories, especially Holocaust stories, then I think you will enjoy this book. My recommendation would be for grades 9 and up (though mature 7 and 8 graders could handle the book).
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LibraryThing member AmyLynn
Annexed is Sharon Dogar's vision of Peter Van Pels' time in the annex with Anne Frank. The story switches from his time in the concentration camp, and in his delirium, returning to the annex, and dealing with a different kind of captivity.
Peter Van Pels is a reliable narrator, expressing his
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading Anne Frank's diary or Zlata's diary, and wants the story of a boy living in hiding, or the idea of what one thought about in the concentration camps.
Peter Van Pels is a reliable narrator, expressing his
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feelings for the girl Liese he loses at the beginning of the book, the irritation Anne's endless optimism causes him, and the way he struggles with hiding for safety, rather than facing the nazis or rescuing his friends. As a sixteen year old guy, Being surrounded by parents, unable to leave the annex, Peter doesn't have many outlets, and the alliance he forms with Anne is a gradual process.I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading Anne Frank's diary or Zlata's diary, and wants the story of a boy living in hiding, or the idea of what one thought about in the concentration camps.
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LibraryThing member KarenBall
"They're full of hate, Peter! So full that they turn it into hating us -- into hating anything that's different -- and then they try to kill it. They're trying to wipe us out... like pestilence. But one day... even after we've all gone, they'll have to look at themselves and the hate will still be
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there. What then?"Our eighth graders read The Diary of Anne Frank when they study the Holocaust, and Sharon Dogar has retold the story from teenage Peter Van Pels' point of view. Peter and his family hide in the Annex with the Franks, and the events and emotions from a teenage boy's point of view are compelling. Told partly in the time that was spent hiding, and partly when Peter was barely surviving at Auschwitz and Mauthausen, this is based on actual events, evidence from the concentration camps, and what is recorded in Anne's diary but with fictional conversations and responses from Peter himself. What would it have been like for him? Strong writing and characters, with plenty of questions. Realistic and thought-provoking (some mature content), and appropriate for 8th grade and up. Show Less
LibraryThing member elliepotten
"Will we be imaginary one day? Will we be just like one of Anne's stories? Or worse, will the story that survives be the Nazi one - that we were only ever good enough to be wiped out. How? How could anybody do this?"
I didn't know quite what to expect from this novel. The Diary of a Young Girl is
The book is written from the point of view of Peter van Pels, the teenage son of the family in hiding with the Franks. It begins with Peter watching his (entirely fictional) girlfriend Liese and her family being rounded up and driven away. He can only stand in the road in despair. He makes his way reluctantly to the warehouse to join the Frank family - and his first impressions don't exactly fill him with joy... But slowly he adapts to life in the annexe, finds a new strength he didn't know he had, and begins an odd flirtation with livewire Anne.
This romantic element seems to be the main issue for many of the novel's detractors, but actually I found it quite subtle and entirely plausible. In such a confined space, with hormones raging and very little to engage their attention elsewhere, I found it completely believable that precocious young Anne could set her sights on Peter - and that he might feel extremely conflicted about it, but also tempted by her quick wit and cheerful charm. I occasionally found Peter's narrative a little self-conscious and slow, even manipulative at times, and it didn't have all the little details about daily life that made Anne's journal really come alive, but I still enjoyed it! I thought Dogar's depiction of the various characters living in the annexe was spot-on, and she captured the experience of a frustrated teenage boy rather well.
Unlike Anne's iconic diary, which obviously ended just before the annexe's occupants were found and taken away, Dogar extends her novel right through to Auschwitz and beyond - and this is where I thought she really excelled. Peter's whole narrative is precipitated by his flood of memories as he lies in the sick bay at Mauthausen, deliriously waiting for the call to wake up and start another day in hell. Between chapters there are occasional interjections from the dying boy to remind the reader that this is not going to end well. After they are captured Peter describes the horrendous train journey out of Amsterdam, the separation from his mother and the Frank women, how he learned to survive in the camps, and how he lost his father to the gas chambers. I could barely read the last twenty pages or so, I was crying so hard.
At the end of the day, it may be uncomfortable reading but I don't think we can ever remind ourselves too often of the evil that humanity has perpetuated in the past, especially when hatred and ignorance are still used as excuses to inflict pain on minority groups today. It really is well worth a read, whether you're already familiar with The Diary of a Young Girl or not, and I think it would make fantastic supplementary material for a high school project, for example. Dogar includes a brief epilogue at the end of the book explaining where and how each of the characters died, as well as a short bibliography which includes seminal works of Holocaust literature like Primo Levi's If This is a Man and Elie Wiesel's Night. Recommended.
I didn't know quite what to expect from this novel. The Diary of a Young Girl is
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one of my favourite books of all time, so the idea of a novelisation of the same events was simultaneously exciting and just a little bit worrying. Happily - and to my great relief - I found that for the most part, Dogar's endeavour manages to walk the fine line between 'respectful tribute' and 'artistic license' quite successfully!The book is written from the point of view of Peter van Pels, the teenage son of the family in hiding with the Franks. It begins with Peter watching his (entirely fictional) girlfriend Liese and her family being rounded up and driven away. He can only stand in the road in despair. He makes his way reluctantly to the warehouse to join the Frank family - and his first impressions don't exactly fill him with joy... But slowly he adapts to life in the annexe, finds a new strength he didn't know he had, and begins an odd flirtation with livewire Anne.
This romantic element seems to be the main issue for many of the novel's detractors, but actually I found it quite subtle and entirely plausible. In such a confined space, with hormones raging and very little to engage their attention elsewhere, I found it completely believable that precocious young Anne could set her sights on Peter - and that he might feel extremely conflicted about it, but also tempted by her quick wit and cheerful charm. I occasionally found Peter's narrative a little self-conscious and slow, even manipulative at times, and it didn't have all the little details about daily life that made Anne's journal really come alive, but I still enjoyed it! I thought Dogar's depiction of the various characters living in the annexe was spot-on, and she captured the experience of a frustrated teenage boy rather well.
Unlike Anne's iconic diary, which obviously ended just before the annexe's occupants were found and taken away, Dogar extends her novel right through to Auschwitz and beyond - and this is where I thought she really excelled. Peter's whole narrative is precipitated by his flood of memories as he lies in the sick bay at Mauthausen, deliriously waiting for the call to wake up and start another day in hell. Between chapters there are occasional interjections from the dying boy to remind the reader that this is not going to end well. After they are captured Peter describes the horrendous train journey out of Amsterdam, the separation from his mother and the Frank women, how he learned to survive in the camps, and how he lost his father to the gas chambers. I could barely read the last twenty pages or so, I was crying so hard.
At the end of the day, it may be uncomfortable reading but I don't think we can ever remind ourselves too often of the evil that humanity has perpetuated in the past, especially when hatred and ignorance are still used as excuses to inflict pain on minority groups today. It really is well worth a read, whether you're already familiar with The Diary of a Young Girl or not, and I think it would make fantastic supplementary material for a high school project, for example. Dogar includes a brief epilogue at the end of the book explaining where and how each of the characters died, as well as a short bibliography which includes seminal works of Holocaust literature like Primo Levi's If This is a Man and Elie Wiesel's Night. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member jessicaschmidt917
Dogar turns the famous story of Anne Frank and her diary on its head, now telling it from the point of Peter Van Pels, the teenage boy whose family hid with the Franks in Amsterdam for two years during the Holocaust. In the annex, Peter is miserable; there's no privacy, no space. The questions of
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every teenage boy-- "Will I ever make love to a girl?" "Who will I be as a man?"-- are amplified by their conditions, and Peter and Anne slowly seek each other out in their attempts to answer them together. The story is framed by Peter's thoughts as he lies dying in a concentration camp, reflecting back on his life and the events of the past two years. Readers who have read Anne's diary will recognize some scenes (and be delighted to hear things from Peter's side), but it is not a prerequisite to enjoy Annexed. This is a work of fiction, and Dogar is very clear to separate fact from fiction in notes to the reader and an epilogue depicting the fate of each character. Strongly recommended for grades 9-12. Show Less
LibraryThing member asomers
This was an interesting concept, to tell the story of Ann Frank from another perspective, but I could not accept the author's portrayal of Peter. If he had been a fictional character I would have found the story much more compelling. It is a heartbreaking tale, but it will not be added to my list
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of "must-reads" for Holocaust fiction. Show Less
Awards
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Children's Book — 2010)
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Mass Import -- Pending Differentiation)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Teen — 2013)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2012)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — High School — 2013)
Pages
352
ISBN
0547501951 / 9780547501956
Lexile
L