The Journey Back

Title of the book: The Journey BackBy: Johanna ReissReviewed by: M. PoppinsPeriod: 5Hitler hated Jews. He started World War II. Every time he came across a Jew, he would kill them. Annie de Leeuw and her family were Jews. Her whole family had to go hiding. Annie and her sister Sini hid in the Oosterveld's house. The Oostervelds lived in Usselo, a very small town in Holland. Annie and Sini grew very close with Johan, Dientje, and Opoe (the Oostervelds). After the war ended, Annie and Sini had to go back to their real home. Their mother was dead. Their oldest sister, Rachel, was back too. She lived with another family during the war. When everyone was home, including the girls' father, nothing was back to normal. Every night, Sini went out and danced with the soldiers. Rachel became a Christian, and she spent most of her time reading the Bible. Annie's father was always distracted. He sold cows. Sini left to be a nurse in a different town. Then, Ies (Annie's father) decided that Annie needed a mother, not just her sisters. He decided to marry a woman that had lost her husband in the war. She even had a daughter. Ies told Rachel to go to a different town, because she and his wife-to-be were just a couple of years apart, and he said that it would never work. After Ies and Magda (his new wife) got married, Nel (Magda's daughter) went to finishing school. Annie was always home with Magda, which she now called Mother. Annie could never seem to please her. Annie always visited Johan, Dientje, and Opoe too. They treated her like their own family. Magda would not let her visit for a long time, though. One day, she would probably be with them again, and it would be for the rest of her life. I thought that this book was very good. "German soldiers. They knocked down the door, stormed in, marching and stamping and shouting to the rhythm of their boots." This was one of Annie's dreams. The author always made Annie scared, and that was what made it interesting. She always thought of the Germans, she was so afraid of them."Later, Johan, later." No matter what happened, Johan was always the first person that Annie called to. When she was afraid, happy, or sad, she would always think of Johan. It shows that Annie always thought of her family first, and her family was Johan, Dientje, and Opoe.I liked at lot of parts in this book. I liked the parts when Annie went to the Oosterveld's house. She would always be happy, and she wouldn't have to worry about any German soldiers trying to kill her because Johan would be there, and she would always be safe.

In the 4th grade, i read the prequel to this book, THE UPSTAIRS ROOM. Now, 4 years later, i read THE JOURNEY BACK. The first couple chapters quickly refreshed my memory of what happened during WWII to Annie, and i feel they would have sufficed as an introduction had i not read THE UPSTAIRS ROOM. this book proves that although a treaty was signed, the war was no yet over for the people involved.

After reading "The Journey Back" I am more aware of the hardships, dangers, and deprivations Jews and others went through after World War II. The story takes place in Holland, and its about what happens to the members of a Jewish family after the war ends, and they return home. The main character in the sotry is a thirteen-year-old girl named Annie de Leeuw. She and jer sister Sini might have been killed if it weren't for the Oostervelds, the courageous family who hid them for three years. The other main characters are Annie's father and her oldest sister Rachel. When Annie returns home she finds that her family no longer knows one another. Her mother is dead; her father is distracted. Her sister Sini tries to make up for lost time by going dancing every night, and Rachel has changed her religion to Christianity. Another important character in the book is Magda, Annie's stepmother. No matter how hard she tries, Annie cannot seem to please her. To Magda, Annie is the most imperfect girl in the entire universe. She criticizes Annie's clothes, hair, manners, and about everything else. For this reason I think Annie's conflict is man vs. himself since she has to built a new life for herself. I like the book in general, though the end was a dissappointment since it didn't give details about what would happen to Annie and her family. I wish the author would explain things better, and not just leave some conflicts unresolved, like in the case of the mean stepmother. My predicitions for the future of Annie's family are that the stepmother will always be mean, and Annie will have to get used to her new life. I give the book four stars. Like I already said the end needs some work. I still think it's a very informative book, and it helped me learn more about Worl War II.

The War is over and Annie and her family are safe now. Througout the war they hid in different farmhouses, trying to escape going to the camps. But now Annie has to leave the people she lived with for so long, the Ooostervelds, whom she loves, and go live back in the city. When she gets there she has to see a special doctor for her legs, since she walks crooked, for being cooped up for so long. She goes to a new school, where she is very shy and has a hard time making friends. Her Mother is dead, and her Father remarries a lady that already has a daughter and Annie just can't get along with her. I thought it was very nicely written, and had some very interesting facts in it.

The Journey Back is an interesting story about how a Jewish girl after hiding for 3 years reunites with her family. Reiss's descriptions of the poverty that existed after the war are astounding in their acuracy. This book is amazing and I suggest you read it