A Frost in the Night

"A Frost in the Night" sets itself apart from other literature that focuses on the Jewish experience, the Holocaust in general. The plot takes place during the final days of freedom before Hitler came to power and the Third Reich reigned. It is a gently paced story of young Eva, a Jewish girl learning to cope with the changing tide of fortune and the labels she will be branded with as the coming war changes those around her. This autobiographical novel follows the change of the seasons throughout one year. Readers are drawn into a quaint portrait of a loving family that thrives upon tradition and faith. Respected and rather well-to-do in the hometown, Eva's family is among the lucky ones who aren't immediately forced into dire straits when power shifts party hands. Through various perspectives, especially the main character's awakening to maturity, readers understand how each family member is affected by and reacts to the problem of Hitler. The novel only hints at the hard times to come, ending on the bitter note of Hitler's rise to the chancellorship, and a vivid premonition of the blood that will later be shed. For that matter, it is a teaching book, offering insight into the Jewish lifestyle prior to WWII, with child-friendly renderings of the troubles to come. Yet at times, the novel reads as if there were no direction in sight; as if readers are meant to amble along with Eva as she experiences this one year, not knowning what the next day holds. However, Edith Baer offers a unique voice to her main character and crafts a stark and vivid fictional account of real-life events.

"A Frost in the Night" "A Frost in the Night" is a book about a young girl named Eva who is Jewish. It is the year 1932 during the time when Hitler is rising to power. Eva hears many things in which she doesn't understand, which makes this book even more breath-taking. She is shipped away from home where she lives with her mother, father, grandfather, aunt, and cousins. She goes to Ettington and stays with her Grandparents for part of the summer. Eva, a loving young child, is exposed to many things that she doesn't understand. She lives with prejudice all around her, but doesn't really understand why. Nothing makes sense to her. Her grandfather seems to be the only person who believes that she should know what is happening, since even Eva's own father believes that the horrible things that are happening are "not meant for the ears of a child." After returning home from the summer holidays, Eva is branded by phases such as "...only real Germans are allowed..." Along with problems with hatred, economical problems start to arise with the people around her. Jobs are lost and food slowly becomes more sparse as Hitler gets stronger and stronger everyday. However, Eva doesn't experience this personally because her family has their own shop and money to fall back on. How will this child react when and if she finds out about all of the problems in the community? I would recommend this book to higher levels of readers because of intense detail. This book is a slower book to read, but there is a reward for taking all of the time to read it. I would give this book four stars. If you love to read a good story, read A Frost in the Night.