• Age: 9 to 13
• Grade: 4 to 8
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Mama had always told twelve-year-old Susan that there was no safe place for a Jew, especially in German-occupied Hungary in 1944. Susan is skeptical and afraid when she and her little sister, Vera, are sent to a convent to be kept “safe” from the Nazis. Susan and Vera find their lives transformed and soon discover the true nature of courage when they are sheltered by a group of nuns who risk their lives to protect them.

Guardian Angel House was the nickname given to a convent operated by the Sisters of Charity in Budapest that sheltered over 120 Jewish children in German-occupied Hungary during World War II. This book tells the story of author Kathy Clark’s mother and aunt, who were sheltered there by the nuns.

Includes historical photographs and notes about the author’s family and the Hungarian convent that became known as Guardian Angel House.

Kathy Clark has written two books for the Holocaust Remembrance Series for Young Readers. Guardian Angel House is based on her mother and aunt’s lives as Jewish children hidden from the Nazis. The Choice is also inspired by her father’s experiences during the Holocaust. Kathy lives in Kanata Ontario and was raised by her mother and a loving stepfather. She learned of events described in The Choice as a grown-up when she became reacquainted with her dad.

Kathy Clark's profile page

"The book is well told and fast paced. Young readers, especially girls, will admire the characters and find the book suspenseful and easy to understand, yet also very educational."

Canadian Jewish News

"The photographs of real people who lived through this experience combined with the war ravaged city and its landmarks provide the harsh reality of the girls' existence during the war. That the book concluded with the happy reunion of most family members demonstrates the strength of the human spirit and makes the reader aware, that, through even the most vile and horrendous attacks on humanity suffered by the Jews during the Holocaust, hope springs eternal."

Resource LInks

"A moving story with roots in fact, Guardian Angel House is a great way to teach young readers about the Holocaust through fiction."

Children's Bookwatch

"A touching tribute to the Righteous Gentiles of the Guardian Angel House and a highly readable introduction to the Holocaust."

School Library Journal

"Kathy Clark has recorded the story of how her mother, Vera, and Vera's older sister, Susan, were saved in World War II by guardian angels—good people who risked their own lives to defy the Nazi juggernaut...Clark details aspects of their daily life so that children in the target age group will be able to identify with the difficulties and unhappiness the sisters experienced...The recreated story includes several heart-stopping moments, such as the time the girls barely escaped detection after the Nazis burst into the convent and the day an unexploded bomb was discovered in the yard...Guardian Angel House will prove to be a popular book in school libraries and for personal purchases. ***/4 Stars -Recommended"

CM Magazine

"This book is based on the author's aunt's true story, but it never feels like a biography. Readers identify quickly with Susan, an adolescent who doubts herself but who finds purpose and unexpected friendships in a time of strife. A gripping story unfolds as readers marvel with Susan at the life the nuns lead, feel her joy in finding ways to contribute, and share her sorrow as life is turned upside down. Although the horror of the Nazi reign is not the book's focus, readers experience the atrocities from the young girl's point of view. The truth is not sugarcoated, nor is it graphically stated, striking a perfect balance. Clark does the true story justice in this well-written account of one family's struggle through Holocaust."

VOYA.com

"Kathy Clark’s Guardian Angel House is a thoughtful exploration of World War II from a unique perspective. Clark paints an accurate portrait of the young Jewish girls protected by the safe haven that the Catholic convent offered. Both tragic and hopeful, Clark molds non-fiction into an adventurous tale suitable for younger readers."

teensreadtoo.com

"Guardian Angel House offers a glimpse of some of the many small but heroic acts of the Holocaust — and an interesting portrait of an institution that reached out across any religious barriers to save the lives of many children."

Canadian Children's Book News

Guardian Angel House (A Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers)

During the early years of World War II, the Hungarian government made life difficult for Jews, but managed to fend off invasion by Nazi Germany until 1944. In the nine months before the Russians troops drove the Germans out, the Nazis killed over half a million Jews. Some Jews, however, were protected by people like Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg or by other Hungarians. Guardian Angel House is the fictionalized account of a Budapest convent that saved 120 Jewish girls during that time.

After Susan’s and Vera’s father is taken to a labour camp, a Catholic family friend “Aunt” Isi persuades their mother to let them be taken to the nearby Convent of the Sisters of Charity. There, the girls participate in the life of the institution, appearing to be young Catholic orphans to outward observers. The nuns, however, encourage the girls to keep their Jewish heritage with Friday night prayers and the Passover seder.

Told from the viewpoint of 12-year-old Susan, the book chronicles her growing friendship with Sister Agnes, a young nun who gets Susan to assist her in the garden – where they both find pleasure in growing flowers and food for the convent. It also depicts her life with the other Jewish girls and a young Gypsy girl who also takes refuge from the Nazis – learning about life in the convent and worrying about their families.

As the Russian troops attempt to drive the Nazis out of Budapest, life becomes even more dangerous. The convent – located near the Citadel of the city – is not spared in the air raids and battles and one of the nuns dies protecting the children from the Nazis. Then, when the war is finally over, there is the difficult task of reuniting families and rebuilding shattered lives.

Author Kathy Clark based the book on the experiences of her mother and aunt who were sheltered by the Sisters of Charity and she includes many archival photos. Although there is no index, the author includes an introduction that briefly explains the history of World War II Hungary and an afterword that follows up on the history of the convent after the war.

Guardian Angel House offers a glimpse of some of the many small but heroic acts of the Holocaust – and an interesting portrait of an institution that reached out across any religious barriers to save the lives of many children.

Guardian Angel House (Holocaust Remembrance Book for Young Readers)

Susan and Vera, two young Jewish sisters, along with many other Jewish children, are sheltered from the Nazis by a group of Catholic nuns in a convent in Budapest during the Second World War. The nuns risk their lives to save them.