• Age: 9 to 15
• Grade: 6 to 9
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Thirteen-year-old Jakob’s family has hidden their true identity as Jews and are living as Catholics in Budapest during WWII. One day, in a burst of loyalty, Jakob decides to reveal that he is Jewish, a choice that puts his whole family in danger. Jakob hopes his best friend Ivan, a Christian whose father is a high-ranking military official, will help his family, but he comes to believe that Ivan has abandoned them. Sent as a prisoner to Auschwitz, Jakob is kept alive by his passion for revenge against Ivan. When Jakob is finally freed, he discovers that Ivan too made a choice that day, a choice that changes everything Jakob thought was true.

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.

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