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Kanada Paperback – November 14, 2006

by Eva Wiseman (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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Kanada. The name meant untold riches and promise to Jutka, a young Hungarian girl who was captivated by stories of a vast, majestic country where people were able to breathe free of hatred and prejudice. Freedom was in short supply, but hatred was everywhere in Hungary as hundreds of thousands of Jews were deported to concentration camps during the last year of WWII. Jutka, her friends, and her family are sent to Auschwitz.

In that hellish place, there was another Kanada. It was the ironic name given to the storehouse at Auschwitz where the possessions — clothing and jewelry — stripped from the victims were deposited, and where Jutka was put to work.

The war may have ended, but it did not end the suffering of many of the inmates of concentration camps. Many had no homes to go to, and if they did, they were not welcome. Hundreds
went back to Poland and were murdered. Famished, diseased, and homeless, they lived in the hopelessness of camps, wondering if they could ever find a home in the world. Some went to Israel, but for Jutka there was only one dream left her — the dream of a country full of hope, where she would no longer have to live in fear.

Eva Wiseman’s powerful novel describes the war and its long, difficult aftermath with compassion and tenderness.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    10 years and up
  2. Print length
    247 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    5 - 6
  5. Dimensions
    5.43 x 0.64 x 7.66 inches
  6. Publisher
    Tundra Books
  7. Publication date
    November 14, 2006
  8. ISBN-10
    088776729X
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0887767296
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

During World War II, life for Jutka, a 14-year-old Hungarian Jew, turns upside down within a matter of months. Jutka and her family are transported to Auschwitz, where her mother and grandmother perish, and she endures unimaginable cruelty, which Wiseman described in significant, sometimes graphic detail. Dreams of Canada, inspired by a book from a Canadian relative, sustain her. After the liberation, Jutka falls in love with Sandor, who dreams of relocating to Israel. Jutka must choose a future with the man she loves or her own dream of Canada and life with her only remaining kin. The book is notable among Holocaust fiction as it depicts life after the war, when concentration camp survivors, ostracized and homeless, picked up the pieces of their lives. However, the story sometimes meanders as it strives to depict the times, and some elements and terms (for example, Eretz Israel) want more explanation. Still, Jutka is a resilient, realistically drawn heroine, and readers will easily bond to and pull for her as she navigates her loss of innocence. Heather Booth
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Praise for My Canary Yellow Star:

“[My Canary Yellow Star] is not just a welcome addition to Holocaust fiction but an extraordinary novel in and of itself.”
— Books in Canada

Praise for No One Must Know:

“…A gentle and moving introduction to the enduring legacy of the Holocaust.”
— School Library Journal

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tundra Books; First Edition (November 14, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 247 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 088776729X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0887767296
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 6
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.43 x 0.64 x 7.66 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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Eva Wiseman

Eva Wiseman

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
18 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jewish Book World Magazine
5.0 out of 5 stars Kanada
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2007
It's 1944, and Jutka Weltner, a fourteen-year-old Hungarian Jew, spends her time with her friends, going to the moives and daydreaming about having a boyfriend. But with the invasion of the German army into Hungary and the onset of World War II, life is fragile and the future seems uncertain for Jutka and her family. Her father and brother Dezso are "volunteered" for the forced labor regiment and are sent to an unknown destination, leaving her mother in charge to care for Jutka and her grandmother. With limited food coupons, an enforced curfew, and the fear of ridicule and abuse from the Arrow Cross soldiers who enjoy making examples of the Jews, Jutka lives in constant trepidation. As new laws come into existence, Jutka's life takes a downward spiral; her privileges as an honor student are denied, she is forced to wear a "six-pointed canary yellow star", and her family is moved to a tiny apartment in the ghetto. The family is then transported to Auschwitz where Jutka is separated from her elderly grandmother and weakened mother; she endures unimaginable brutality from hard labor to endless beatings, but dreams of her family in Canada give Jutka the emotional strength to survive her nightmare imprisonment. Told in a strong first person narrative, this heart-wrenching novel takes the reader through a difficult journey as Jutka's sufferings are intimately and often graphically documented. However, what differs in this Holocaust title is the focus on life after the war, and how Jutka strives to find a place in the world after she has lost so much. Similar to "I Have Lived a Thousand Years" by Livia Bitton-Jackson, which
Also focuses on the Holocaust experience in Hungary, this book realistically depicts the bitterness of war as told through the eyes of a young girl coming of age. Ages 12 and up. Reviewed by Debra Gold
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars "Kanada"
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
I’m not quite sure how to write this review. First of all, the title was a bit misleading. From the synopsis and the title, I understood that the book would be mostly about the “Kanada” work detail in Auschwitz when in reality the entire Kanada section takes up only a couple of pages. The second thing is, the number of historical inaccuracies actually surprised me given that the author wrote the book based on her parents’ experiences; however, when in summer of 1945 the main character drinks espresso in an outdoor café when both Germany and Austria were basically starving and nearly obliterated, it made me say a really long inward “whaaaat?” as I re-read the scene twice and double-checked the date. Nope, still summer 1945. Similar things appeared from time to time and spoiled the reading experience for me a little, if I’m being completely honest.
The plot itself is interesting and Jutka, the main heroine, is certainly very sweet and relatable and easy to root for. A Hungarian Jew with her family caught up in the war, she witnesses the slow dismantling of the Jews’ rights and faces discrimination on a daily basis from the people who she used to think were her friends and close acquaintances.
After being deported to Auschwitz, she tries to survive the best she can and applies her all to help her friends as well. However, here’s where another strange thing happens: after spending the day in the Kanada section and seeing firsthand how much easier the work is and how it would be possible to secure the food items and valuables for herself and her friends which would certainly ensure their survival, she refuses the Kapo’s offer to be assigned to his work detail permanently, which… doesn’t make sense at all? Inmates were fighting to get into Kanada, and Jutka’s reluctance caused another “whaaaat?” from me after reading this.
The book is well-written, with relatable, sympathetic characters and an inspiring message; however, I wouldn’t recommend it as a reliable research source. Read it as historical fiction - I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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Top reviews from other countries

Josephina
5.0 out of 5 stars Very happy with my purchase
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Immaculate quality and my all-time favourite book. I have read it at least 10 times! Amazing author and read The book arrived without a bend on it. Great buy.
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Daniel Cloutier
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
Thanks
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