The Children's Train

Escape on the Kindertransport

Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
368 Pages
Reviewed on 02/11/2016
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Jana is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire School of Law and received her masters in Journalism from the University of Iowa. Her past work in politics, public policy, and the media, coupled with her determined focus on children and social justice, have uniquely placed her to tell this story about the children who fled Nazi Germany on trains to freedom but had to leave their parents behind.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

A vivid, informative story that will pull at your heartstrings is what The Children’s Train (Escape on the Kindertransport) is all about. Hitler’s reign has begun in Germany and all of the Jewish people are his targets. England has agreed to try to save the children. Parents with broken hearts put their children aboard the train headed over the border and to new homes and families, while they remain to face the horrors of being Jews. We closely follow the paths of several of the children - Peter, his sister Becca, Hans, Stephen, and Eva. It is a long and scary time of separation, not knowing if your family has made it alive or has fallen under Hitler’s punishment. Peter becomes the hero of the story as he returns to Germany and joins the Resistance in an effort to save his family, his friends, and his country. He quickly learns how to kill the enemy, set bombs off, and help to blow up a concentration camp. Becca and Eva are the two things that inspire him to keep up the fight until victory is won and Hitler’s days are ended.

I really enjoyed The Children’s Train, but it was hard to read because while it was fiction, the facts were very real and very painful. I was on the edge of my seat each time a Nazi soldier appeared and was amazed at the bravery of both the children and adults dealing with each horrifying incident. Jana Zinser has certainly written a book that deserves high acclaim and honor. I believe that The Children’s Train is a must-read account of the kindertransport and of the many young lives that were saved. A great historical fictional story that should not be missed.