Hana's Suitcase: The Quest to Solve a Holocaust Mystery

Gr 5–8—The recipient of multiple honors, this moving title simultaneously shines a spotlight on the life of a young Holocaust victim and makes the process of exploring and unraveling history relevant and exciting. In 2000, after receiving an empty child's suitcase from a museum in Auschwitz labeled "Hana Brady, May 16, 1931, Orphan," Fumiko Ishioka, curator of a Holocaust museum in Tokyo, decided to track down Hana and discover what happened to her. Alternating between describing Hana's life in Czechoslovakia as the Nazis came to power and following Ishioka's process of learning about the girl's story, Levine creates tension and drama as readers slowly uncover Hana's fate. Bonus material includes notes from Levine, Ishioka, and Hana's brother, George Brady; photographs from Hana's childhood and from Ishioka's and Levine's travels and visits; and memories from those who knew Hana and her family.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal