Milkweed [Audio Cassette]

 

 

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I bought this book for my 12 year old son last year. He had been slowly making his way around to reading it (different from his usual favorite genre - fantasy). He stayed up ALL night to read it...couldn't put it down, so I decided to read it. If he was willing to lose sleep over it, I had to know what was in it.

Milkweed is an amazing story. Misha (the main character) is so well developed. As a parent you want to discipline him, hug him, and laugh at his antics. I actually found myself laughing out loud when he was hit by an automobile...not because the accident was funny, but becasue he gets into soooo many scrapes, and is so extremely precocious. His heart for his street "family" and his adopted Jewish "family" while living in the ghetto built for the Jews in Warsaw is touching. He is the only one small enough to squeeze through a hole in the wall surrounding the ghetto, so spends his nights pilfering food, sneaking it back into the ghetto, and then sharing it with his "family" and a group of orphaned children.

This book is great for children 10 and up as a read alone, but it would also make a great family read aloud. The discussion afterward should be scintilating.

. Milkweed: A review

Open your eyes to the world. In your life, you go to school, have a comfortable home, and have a family that loves you. Now look at Misha's world. He is an orphaned boy living in Warsaw, Poland with a large group of orphans and street kids. To survive, he steals food from the rich ladies walking on the streets carrying large paper bags. This is his life. Milkweed is about a young boy named Misha, who lives in Warsaw during the Second World War. He lives in an assortment of places, such as a barbershop, and the ruins of a building. Misha lives with his buddy Uri and other orphans too. This is the breathtaking, adventurous life of Misha Pisdulsky.

Misha is a young boy with no identity. When he was found by his friend Uri, He was wearing a yellow stone necklace, given to him by his family. Misha is a speedy and intelligent little thief. He learns quickly and sticks to knowledge like glue. Misha is my favorite character because even though food is scarce, he still tries to steal more food to give to other orphans. The author gives him realistic personality traits, just like a real person. Another character in this book is Misha's friend Uri. Uri is the boy who first found Misha, while he was stealing bread from a store. I found that Uri can be very controlling and bossy. That is why I don't take such a liking to Uri as I do to Misha. Misha likes to tag along with Uri and play with him, and is oblivious to Uri's controlling attitude. Though controlling, Uri is an extremely intelligent boy who uses his wit to survive and stay out of trouble. One of Misha's best friends is a girl called Janina. Janina is a young girl with a spunky attitude. She likes to tease Misha, but still has a friendship with him. At that time, Janina is a spoiled little girl who has many toys and positions that would make others die to have. I feel that Janina has a very interesting personality that can switch from kindness to raging fury. That is why I feel that she can be a slippery customer. I think that all of these characters have unique personalities that make them stand out from the crowd. They were very memorable and make you open your eyes to the world.

Milkweed is a very educational book full of many morals. One of the key themes in this book is: don't prejudice others. I learnt this from the main setting of the story, World War Two. There were millions of Jewish people at that time who were blamed for causing Germany's depression. The Jewish were "relocated", (taken to work camps and eventually killed). This should be part of history to not repeat itself again. There is no ethnic group or race better than another. Another key theme in this book is to be who you are. You should never be forced to be someone who you don't want to be. I learnt this from Misha, who is forced to have different identities at times, and He takes to them. But he realizes that you don't need an identity to be yourself.

This is a very well written book, as you have heard me say before. It is full of education, sadness and adventure. While spinning the tale from the eyes of and orphan, the author Jerry Spinelli ( Newbery Medal winner) also describes how the life of orphans was full of struggling, while the life of others such as Janina, was so relaxing and full of things that bring joy to children, such as a mere ball or bike. While the author describes the holocaust through Misha's eyes, he also describes how Misha can comprehend things. When he learns about lighting candles on a cake, he comes up with the conclusion that a bomb is the candles on a cake and someone must be having a large birthday party. These are the main reasons that make this novel never- put- down able. The author can show you a different side of life, while making it exciting and adventurous as well.

When I read Milkweed, I thought that it was one of the best written novels that I had read. But this doesn't mean that I wouldn't change some small things in the writing. Some things that I would change would be that I would make the novel into a second version for other ages, so that every one can learn about the Holocaust, and I would make the ending a bit slower, as it was rushed going through the years of Misha's life. This novel makes you feel many emotions, such as empathy, happiness, and sadness. With the way that the author tells his tale, it makes you feel as if you are experiencing the adventure yourself.

Think about this. You have a comfortable life, but do you want to learn about life in the past? Most prefer to turn their backs to what happens in the world, but why? Why not grasp the information, and see to it that this never happens again? This book is full of the excitement, darkness and adventure of the holocaust, and is recommended by me to readers of ages ten and up. But that should never prevent anyone younger to learn about this time in the world, for even though eyes are closed to it, why don't you open your eyes and turn on the light of life in the past to others?

Milkweed is about Misha, an orphan living on the streets of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. The whole story is through his humble eyes as he steals, befriends a group of boys and gets a family. How he always escapes the fearful Flops and Jackboots. How he gets his ear shot. How every night, he enters homes and shops and innocently steals food. How he is sadly separated from his "sister" finally one day. This enchanting story weaves to what happens after the holocaust as well.

Milkweed has fascinating details from the Holocaust and Misha's life is described brilliantly. You feel as though you are right there, next to Misha, running beside him as he escapes from the Jackboots, crawling behind him through the two-brick hole in the wall, from beginning to end. The characterizing is done very vividly; you can visualize every character instantly! The style of writing is also so unique and captivating! Once you start this book, it's just too hard to put it down! Milkweed is another classic from the great author of Crash, Loser, Maniac Magee and Stargirl. Two thumbs up!

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2.0 out of 5 stars it's o.k.
This book is merely o.k. After reading all of the glowing reviews, I guess I was expecting too much. I kept reading, waiting for it to get better, but that never happened. Read more

Published on Jan 14 2010 by Yoyo Mama

5.0 out of 5 stars Milkweed
My teacher assigned us 2 books relating to the Holocaust to read, and I couldn't be happier that I got Milkweed. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2004 by Allegra

5.0 out of 5 stars Milkweed SUPEAR NOVEL
I thought it was a good book because it is an interesting story of a boy who does not know anything about himself during the period of the WWII holocaust. Read more

Published on May 27 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A Holocaust Story
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli was the best, most riveting novel that I have read for a long time. The story is told from the viewpoint of a small, naïve, orphan boy living in Warsaw,... Read more

Published on May 27 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Everyone
Hi, I am in 7th grade, and Milkweed was one of the best books I have ever read! Misha, who is the main character of the book, befriends another boy named Uri, and together they... Read more

Published on May 27 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Spinelli's best
Milkweed is a rare find. It tells a heartbreaking story in a unique voice that is as appropriate for adults as it is for children. Read more

Published on May 7 2004 by Jon Oliver, Co-Author of Lesso...

5.0 out of 5 stars it's really good...
I had to read a historical fiction book for a History book report project from teh period of the Westward expansion to Vietnam War. I chose teh Holocaust and Milkweed. Read more

Published on May 1 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest book ever
Two pages and I realized I was hooked this book is unbelievable I can't even fing words to describe it if you want a book that will blow you off your feet than buy Milkweed

Published on Mar 11 2004 by Drew

4.0 out of 5 stars Milkweed
Jerry Spinelli has once again written a powerfully moving story in his latest book, Milkweed. This story about a young, slightly stupid, Jew is well written (even though it's in... Read more

Published on Mar 8 2004 by lovepeacejoy17

5.0 out of 5 stars Milkweed- An exceptional novel
Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli, was an interesting and vivid novel about a young boy with many names, whos only memory lies in a yellow stone on a necklace around his neck. Read more

Published on Mar 5 2004 by Lisa George

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