I was freakishly excited to read this, because a) who doesn’t like feels-destroying books? and b) I adored The Wrong Boy by Suzy Zail! I read it, gosh, about 2 years ago now and you can see my incredibly ancient review here.
Thank you Walker Books Australia for the review-copy! Alexander Altmann A10567 by Suzy Zail hits shelves on May 1st, 2014!
“Don’t let her know you’re scared,” Alexander’s father had said to him the first time Alexander had sat on Sari’s back.
Fourteen-year-old Alexander Altmann doesn’t need to look at the number tattooed on his arm. A10567; he knows it by heart. He also knows to survive Auschwitz, he must toughen up. Being soft will get him killed. Alexander will take any chance he’s given – and when that chance is caring for the German officers’ horses he grabs it. He just can’t let them know he’s scared.
I love how Suzy Zail manages to write Holocaust books that make you cry AND THEN pick you up with a sweet ending.
Honestly, if you can’t handle Holocaust stories (and I honestly don’t blame you), Suzy Zail is the author to try.
‘Scuse me, I just need a tissue.
I absolutely adored Suzy Zail’s first book, The Wrong Boy, which is about the Holocaust still…but it’s about a pianist. I’m a pianist! I LOVE PIANOS. So obviously the book ticked all the awesome boxes for me. Alexander Altmann A10567 was about horses. I’m…not so much into horses. So while all the love went to The Wrong Boy, I have reservations about Alexander Altmann A10567.
It does hinge quite heavily on our ha
iry four-legged friends. For me, who knows nothing about horses except the have hair and not fur (clever aren’t I?) it wasn’t confusing. It just didn’t spark my interest.
I felt the writing was description heavy. I love writing that packs a punch and scars you for life…but this? I felt myself wading through details a lot of the time. This right here is the reason it’s getting a 3-stars. Not because it was about horses, or because my soul withers at Holocaust books. I think I was comparing it to The Wrong Boy the entire time which probably wasn’t very healthy, and it didn’t live up to expectations.
It’s narrated by Alexander (didn’t see that coming, did you?) who makes me so sad to read about. He refuses to make friends and he’s living with a guilty secret. And, I need more tissues. IT’S JUST NOT FAIR, OKAY?! They had to feed these horses all the food. Don’t let the horses lose weight. Make sure they’re in perfect condition. And if the prisoners even stole a single oat? They’d be beaten to death! Nobody should have to live like that, an Alexander was only 14-years-old.
While it broke my heart, it’s not a violent or blood
y Holocaust book. It’s not going to give me nightmares like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Code Name Verity did. Alexander Altmann doesn’t cushion the facts…but it doesn’t delve into all of them either. It’d be fine for a younger audience. You know, because everybody deserves to cry.
and here’s a quickie question for you: what was the last historical fiction book you read?
Cait grew up reading historical fiction so therefore she’s read a LOT of holocaust books and shed many tears. Yet she continues doing it to herself. Why. Why? Her all time favourite WWII book is probably CODE NAME VERITY. It destroyed her. Currently, she’s reading THE ASSASSIN’S BLADE which is blissfully fictitious.
FIRST COMMENT! THIS NEVER HAPPENS! HUZZAH!Now to go back and read the post…
Haaaa! N'aww, you make me SMILE SO MUCH. I hope you liked the review. 😉
I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!I LOOOOOOVED The Wrong Boy (broke my heart) and I'm quite excited to give this one a try. Sad that you didn't enjoy it as much as The Wrong Boy, but oh well. HORSES? *snorts* Oh yeah, I know HEAPS about horses… I know they have 5 legs (their tail counts) and big hooves made for tramping on people, and MASSIVE teeth that are only there to bite three year old girls fingers off. Okay, the description I gave isn't very nice (or true), but that's because I had my finger bitten really hard by a horse when I was three. I was trying to feed it a carrot, and I think it need glasses, because it thought my finger was the carrot AND IT WOULDN'T LET GO. I was traumatized, and still don't like going near them now. *shudders*Ummmm…. last historical fiction book I read…Ummm…I haven't read much historical fiction this year, as none of it seems to be GOOD, which makes me sad because historical fiction is my favourite genre… *thinks hard* I think the last historical fiction book I read was The Tea Rose. Warning: It's MASSIVE. Like 800 pages or something. It was better then what I expected, and the setting was really interesting. Great review, Cait!
BTW, tried following by GFC a few days ago, but not sure if I am or not as I couldn't see my picture thingy on the gadget. Is there anything I could be doing wrong?
Oh, no, sorry, it's there now! I can see it! Yay! I'm now following you!(Feel free to delete the other comment.)
5 legs…Excuse me while I LOOOOOL. You're hilarious. Seriously. I'm snickering (which is kind of horse like now that I think about it. XD) N'aww, your poor 3-year-old finger, that actually sounds quite scary. The only time I can ever remember riding on a horse was at a market and they were miniature horses. I was probably 7 or something. And they put Mime on the big miniature horse and me on the small one. I. did. not. get. it. WHY WAS I NOT ON THE BIG HORSE? My 7-year-old self was kind of displeased to be riding lower than Mime. No, no, I'm not holding onto this injustice.
I TRIED to find Code Name Verity at my school today, but they only had Rose Under Fire. Humph. I really like books about the Holocaust for some reason. I've read quite a few of them – Jackie French and Jodi Picoult and Markus Zusak most memorably. Soooo sadddd. Maybe we're just sadists.
WHAT?!! YOU MUST READ IT. YOU MUST. Code Name Verity tore my heart out…although, to be strictly honest, the first part is kind of incredibly slooooow. *snoozes* After that, though. No. Just no. I liked Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French! Oh and it's not Holocaust, exactly, but Rose for the ANZAC Boys? LOVED.
Last historical fiction? Er… O my, I have no idea. Historical Fiction isn't my favorite genre and especially when it's about WW II I won't read it soon. I've become kinda allergic for WW II books. There are way too many of them. (The best one I know is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, definitely)
(What did your family say when they saw you taking tissues over and over, by the way?)arendedewit.blogspot.com
Oh I love The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas! Like, that's an all time favourite that devastated my soul. x) It's not my total favourite genre either, just because, you know, the trauma of realising that stuff really truly happened and it's SO cruel. *sobs quietly* No, no I read in private so my family didn't notice anything.
I want to look up that first book, The Wrong Boy, Cait! I love WW2 novels – but uhm, Holocaust ones are really tough. I have read a few real-life biographies, and oh dear. They just punch you in the face with their horror and pain *sob*. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom Selected To Live and The Things We Couldn't Say are great examples of my favourites.Oh, the book I just read that falls under the historical fiction genre is 'Until that Distant Day' by Jill Stengl. I am writing a review of it on my blog right now :).
Ohh, The Hiding Place is AWFUL. And, ahem, by "awful" I mean fantastic, of course. 😉 It's just so saaaaad. And the movie was horrible too. Never let me sleep again. >_< The Wrong Boy is FABULOUS. Honestly. The piano stuff is the best.
Hmmm….last historical fiction…..well, the only WWII book I've ever read is "We Couldn't Leave Dinah" which I was able to bear, since it wasn't about the Holocaust. Holocaust books=a very horrified and scared me. WCLD is a very old book that's about 3 children who are left by mistake on a small island seized by the Nazis and how they escaped. I liked it a lot, it was very good.
I'm with you on what Holocaust books equal. Yes, yes. I like knowing about the past, but, yeah, it does make me so incredibly sad. Wooooow, WCLD sounds AMAZING. I'm actually going to look that up.
This looks great…but then again, I don't really like horses. It might have something to do with the fact I went to a horse backing riding camp last summer and it was 40 degrees Celsius every single day. And oh, no air conditioning. Sucks.I think the last historical fiction book I read was The Agency by Someone I Forget. It was amazing.
NOT. FUN. Actually nothing is fun at 40. Except, maybe, eating ice cream and dying slowly in the air-con. I feel for you!! Duuude, I'm digging that authors name though. (I'm joking. hehe) But, on a serious note, if I ever used a pseudonym at any point, it'd be something like Someone I Can't Remember or You Know Who. Actually, You Know Who would rock. I could sign books as Voldemort.
CNV gave you actual nightmares? (I still claim all credit for forcing . . . ahem . . . gently shoving you to read it.) The last Historical Fiction I read was The FitzOsbornes at War.
Well, maybe not actual nightmares. Take everything I say with like, you know, a truckload of salt. NO WAIT. I AM ALWAYS 100% HONEST. Oh yes, but you definitely get all the credit for traumatising my soul.
Oh man, anything to do with the holocaust is going to be tragic and heart brekaing. The Boy in Striped Pyjamas was almost too much to bear for me. They are important though! Lovely review Cait 🙂
I still have to watch The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas movie…but I don't know if I can handle it. The book absolutely devastated me and I KNEW what was going to happen.
Hmmmm… I think The Book Thief was my last. I need to get back on that genre. Great review! P.S. Did you guys change your design? Because OMG! I love it!
Yes!! It just got updated like, this week! XD pretty happy with, so eeep! Thanks! I still have to read The Book Thief, shamefully enough, I actually watched it before reading it. I KNOW right? Send me to the corner.
This is going to be one of those books that will make me cry. I will definitely read this because I'm interested in books that has this kind if theme. Brilliant review 🙂
Yay! Thanks, Dre! Have fun, and don't say I didn't warn you. 😉 Buuuut, like I said, at least it has a sort of happy ending. 😉
Heavy descriptions make my really bored and I end up skipping a lot of things and then getting confused. D: I have read a couple of books about horses, and most of them were just okay for me. Hmm, the last historical fiction book I've read's probably Prisoner of Night and Fog. 🙂 Awesome review as always, Cait! <33
*whispers* I tend to skim over things too. You know, just read every second sentence and you get the drift. I've got Prisoner of Night and Fog to read next!! Ahhh, what have I done to myself?? >_<
Last historical fiction hmm… A Spy in the House (The Agency #1) by Y.S. Lee. I loved it! It was this awesome combo of history and spy-related-stuff and dry humor. :DAnd of course, this was a great review! (I don't know why you even have to wonder about that anymore 😉 )
Ohh, dry humour is the. best. I LOVE TO LAUGH. (Insert Mary Poppins song here.) And spy stuff always rocks too. x)
This book looks amazing, and no wonder I've never heard of it before if it was only released today!
Happy Birthday to Alexander Altmann!! And I have typed that title so many freaking times I even know his number off by heart!! A10567! GO ME.
Great review! As for last historical fiction… ummmmm… Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry, I think. I think. XD
I haven't heard of that one. Any good??
*hands you tissues*This genre isn't really my thing, but it DOES sound pretty good! Heartbreaking stories are good, haha.Great review, Cait! <33
*accepts tissues* I want to say the genre isn't my thing either BECAUSE IT MAKES ME SO DANG EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED. But you know me, I'm a sucker for feels-crushing-books.
Oh, Cait. I'm pretty sure I would cry, too. I cry at a lot of things. Tissues are granted. At the moment, I'm reading a historical fiction. It's Act of Faith by Kelly Gardiner. I'm only half-way through, but it is pretty good.
Oh, and I love your new design.
Yay!! So glad you like the new look! x) I'm quite happy with it…juuust sorting out a few glitches and then HUZZAH. I haven't heard of Act of Faith, which isn't surprising, lol…I tend to skip HF because it actually happened and that's weird and where's my dragons? But I do LIKE it. I should read more. XD
I like the new design! And the book sounds great, just not exactly my type of historical fiction – I'm more into Renaissance – and also super sad. I mean, Code Name Verity made me sob like a baby, and Out Of The Easy was suuuuper upsetting, but…
Eeep! I'm so glad you like it, Tabby! It's my favourite of our random blog design changes yet. Haha!! Agh, Code Name Verity? I will never recover. Never ever nope.
Cait…why do you do this to me? Gah…this sounds so good! Even if the writing had it's minor flaws, I'm glad everything else was pretty solid. 🙂 Although it is sort of odd to have a horribly sad story and a "happy" (I'm using that loosely!) ending for a YA Holocaust book. Thanks for sharing and, as always, BRILLIANT review! <3
I know, right?! WHY DO THEY GET HAPPY ENDINGS? IT'S WEIRD. But wait. What am I saying…it's suuuuch a relief to get to the end and think, "Wow, that could have been worse." But, after all they go through, um, PTSD here we come?!
Love the brilliantly honest review. I've got this one too and reading it next week, but I've never read anything about the holocaust before, at the risk of sounding stupid, I don't know all that much about it either. I'm glad it doesn't go into brutal details though, I read YA because it has a certain amount of fluffiness to it and doesn't delve into anything that'll keep you awake at night. Fantastic review.
I have The Wrong Boy, so I think I will give that a go first and maybe skip this one. I am like the ONLY person who just didn't get Code Name Verity, that book was so unrealistic/historically inaccurate that it made me want to throw it out my window! I've had to refer to Goodreads to find the last historical fiction book I read – BUT GOODREADS IS DOWN! :'( I loved Boy in the Striped Pyjama's for that gut-wrenching ending, now that was perfection and showed the true horror of the holocaust. It was one of those times where I understood the unhappy ending, even if I hated every second of it.
Oh god, it's always the historical books that make me sob hysterically. I've added this one to my shelf because apparently, I like beating up my feelings. I think Code Name Verity will always be the first book I thin of when it come to RIGHT IN THE FEELS books. However, if you haven't read it yet, please, please, please read Annexed by Sharon Dogar (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7898618-annexed?ac=1) because IT'S AMAZING. And if you don't love it, that's okay too.But it will likely make you cry.