73 pages • 2 hours read
Behind the Bedroom Wall
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1996
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Introduction
Behind the Bedroom Wall
- Genre: Fiction; young adult historical
- Originally Published: 1996
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 660L; grades 3-7
- Structure/Length: 15 chapters; approx. 184 pages
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: In 1942 Germany, 13-year-old Korinna has been brainwashed into following Hitler. When she discovers her parents are hiding a Jewish mother and daughter, Korinna struggles to decide whether to turn them in or protect her family; as she begins to sympathize more with those in hiding, someone uncovers her secret, and Korinna realizes everyone deserves to be free from persecution.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: The Holocaust, brutality and violence, antisemitism
Laura E. Williams, Author
- Bio: Born in Seoul, Korea; has also lived in Belgium, Hawaii, and Connecticut; writer and teacher; has written folktales, children’s books, YA books
- Other Works: The Long Silk Thread: A Grandmother’s Legacy to her Granddaughter (1995); The Ghost Stallion (1999); The Executioner’s Daughter (2000)
- Awards: Jane Addams’ Children’s Book Award (1997)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The Propaganda of the Third Reich
- Compassion for Jews and Disillusionment with the Nazi Regime
- Trust and Deception
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
- Develop an understanding of the Holocaust as the social and historical context for the novel’s action.
- Develop an understanding of the Third Reich’s Hitler Youth program; understand the impact of the program on its members’ values and beliefs.
