Hana's Suitcase: The Quest to Solve a Holocaust Mystery by Levine, Karen

This award-winning true Holocaust story, newly updated, connects generations through one woman's quest to find the truth behind a mysterious suitcase.

In March 2000, Fumiko Ishioka, the curator of a small Holocaust education center in Tokyo, received an empty suitcase from the museum at Auschwitz. On the outside, in white paint, were the words "Hana Brady, May 16, 1931, Orphan."

Fumiko and the children at the center were determined to find out who Hana was and what happened to her all those years ago, leading them to a startling and emotional discovery.

The dual narrative intertwines Fumiko's international journey to find the truth about Hana Brady's fate with Hana's own compelling story of her life in a quiet Czech town, which is shattered by the arrival of the Nazis, tearing apart the family she loves. This suspense-filled work of investigative nonfiction draws in young readers and makes them active participants in the search for Hana's identity.

Praise for Hana's Suitcase
- "Hana wanted to become a teacher, and surely through this little book her dream is being realized." --Archbishop Desmond Tutu, from his new foreword to Hana's Suitcase
- "The account . . . is part history, part suspenseful mystery . . . with an incredible climactic revelation." --Booklist


Author: Karen Levine
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Published: 01/05/2016
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.90h x 7.30w x 0.30d
ISBN: 9781101933497
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 2
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 60541 / Hana's Suitcase


Review Citation(s):
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2016 pg. 214 - Recommended, Satisfactory
School Library Journal 02/01/2016

About the Author
Karen Levine is the recipient of two Peabody Awards for her radio work. She originally produced Hana's Suitcase as a radio documentary that won a gold medal at the New York International Radio Festival. Karen lives in Toronto, Ontario.