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

In Budejovice, a quiet village in Czechoslovakia, laws and rules were introduced to restrict the freedom of Jewish people during the dark days of World War II. A small plot of land by the river was allocated to the village’s Jewish youth. While almost all areas of the village were off limits to the children, here they were able to meet and play.

A small shack on this land became the community center – a place to escape from persecution and discrimination. And it was here that some brave young people decided to create a newspaper, a magazine that would prove to themselves and their community that they were still creative, energetic, and adventurous. The magazine, Klepy (which means Gossip), was born on August 30, 1940, and over the next two years, twenty-two issues were created and circulated. The magazine included simple type-written stories, elaborate paintings, and editorials, all created in the midst of war.

John Freund was one of the young “reporters” who contributed to the magazine. In April 1942, John and the other one thousand Jews of Budejovice were deported to the concentration camp, Terezin. Most of these deportees were immediately sent on to Auschwitz and to their deaths. John was among a handful of Budejovic Jews who survived the war. He currently lives in Toronto. Remarkably, copies of Klepy also survived.

The Underground Reporters chronicles the lives of the young people who contributed to the newspaper. The story is full of adventure, mystery and excitement. With drawings, poems, stories and jokes, The Underground Reporters looks at life with as much optimism as possible, providing hope for a peaceful world to come.

 

Kathy Kacer est une auteure primée qui a écrit de nombreux livres sur l'holocauste pour les jeunes lecteurs, dont The Magician of Auschwitz, L'histoire d'Edith, Le journal de Sara et Les espions de la nuit. Elle s'estime honorée de contribuer à faire connaître l'histoire familiale de Jenny Kay Dupuis. Kathy vit avec sa famille à Toronto.

 

Kathy Kacer has won many awards for her writing, including the American Jewish Library Association Award. In 1999, she wrote the first book in Second Story's Holocaust Remembrance Series, The Secret of Gabi's Dresser. Since then, she's penned four other books in the series. Kacer now writes about the Holocaust for young readers and travels the country speaking about it. Kacer lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family.

Kathy Kacer's profile page

"Kacer's taut recounting of the grim background story highlights the brave gallantry of the children."

City Parent

"This story is well-written and interesting, and meets the equity test."

Voice (Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario)

"A rich assortment of photographs and maps helps young readers connect with the people and places described in the book."

Professionally Speaking (Ontario College of Teachers)

"The Underground Reporters is an amazing story about survival, rather than death."

Jewish Independent Online

"The book can also be an inspiration for children about how the human spirit can triumph over adversity."

CM Magazine

"Interspersed with black-and-white photographs, stories and artwork from the newspapers is a riveting story of courage."

Jewish Book World

"Readers will gain knowledge of the events that occurred during the beginning of World War II through the eyes of ordinary people."

Resource Links

"The simple yet poignant style holds your attention."

Association of Jewish Libraries

"Kacer makes these children come alive, leading her readers into the story as if it were a novel, while commemorating the lives of the kids."

The Toronto Star

"Historical settings are well researched and vivid…characters and plot are at the forefront."

CCL

"The undying spirit of the Jewish people during those dreadful times is emphasized, and descriptions of life in the camps are excellent."

VOYA

"Copies of the original editions and black-and-white photos salvaged from the war add to this incredible piece of Holocaust history."

Kirkus Reviews

"We need a book like this that reminds us there is always hope and the human spirit will always survive."

Lethbridge Herald