The Thought of High Windows [Paperback]

Grade 8 Up-Esther describes her life as one of a group of Jewish children taken from Germany to France by the Red Cross during World War II. The novel begins when she is 15 and living in a French castle; her childhood in Berlin is described through flashbacks. After France's surrender to Germany, the situation becomes more dangerous for the refugees. Afraid that the Nazis will arrest her, Esther leaves the castle and eventually becomes involved with the Jewish Underground. Based on true events, this is an immediate, painfully honest story. Since she is from a more traditionally Jewish family, Esther is an outcast among the youngsters in her group, many of whom consider themselves to be "modern Jews." They also tease her about being overweight. Her relationship with her only friend, Walter, is complicated by his interest in another girl. Esther's longing for her family and feelings of depression make her a very real character and her increasing losses and loneliness draw readers into her experiences. The title comes from her many attempts to jump through windows, whether to hide from teasing or to save her life. An enigmatic ending brings closure without being overly optimistic. Kositsky has created an engaging, introspective narrator, and she uses detail to define even minor characters clearly. This is a mature novel, honest about the dangers and uncertainties of life for Jews during World War II. The inclusion of French, German, Yiddish, and Hebrew words adds authenticity, but there is no glossary to define them.
Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
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Superb, wrenching Holocaust fiction.

Kositsky’s focus on human imperfection and quotidian detail poignantly reminds readers that the Holocaust - in all it inhumanity - happened to real human beings.

Kositsky deftly handles the irony of Esther’s maturation - that her girlhood tendency towards self-destructive acts is finally overcome by horrors greater than low self-esteem. The conclusion, which finds Esther committed to the Resistance and the war still raging, forces readers to supply their own ending; cautiously hopeful is as good as it gets.

Kositsky has created an engaging, introspective narrator, and she uses detail to define even minor characters clearly. This is a mature novel, honest about the dangers and uncertainties of life for Jews during World War ll.

When trapped or frightened, Esther sees windows -- and flying out of them -- as her only salvation. Young, Jewish and on the run from the Nazis, Esther is one of a group of children who manage to flee Germany for Belgium and then France at the beginning of World War II. Despite her perilous situation, she frets over her frumpy looks, is ridiculed by the popular girls and loves a boy who -- at the best of times -- treats her like a sister. As the war rages on and Esther bears witness to its horrors, her pain and isolation grow -- until only the highest windows bring the promise of release.

Lynne Kositsky is an award-winning poet and young adult author whose work includes The Thought of High Windows, Claire by Moonlight, and the Rachel books for the Our Canadian Girl series. Lynne lives in Toronto with her husband and two shelties.