The Secret of Gabi's Dresser

We are a group of girls entering fourth grade. We picked this book to start off our summer book club. Almost everyone liked the book but for some it was a little too sad. We had a lot of discussion from this book about the meaning of a true friend and we were split down the middle about whether Nina was a true friend to Gabi. Overall, it was a well written fictionalized historical book that gives girls a good glimpse of life in the past.

I consider The Secret of Gabi's Dresser by Kathy Kacer as a good choice for kids interested in reading historical fiction about the Holocaust. The book is based on an event which happened to Ms. Kacer's mother as a child in Czechoslovakia. The story line focuses on the feelings of the young girl and is easy to understand and follow. The reader learns about Gabi's life, some of her family's Jewish traditions, and how her life changes when the Nazis take control of her country and influence the people (anti-semetism). She loses her best friend who is not Jewish and is forced out of school. Eventually, she if forced to hide in the dresser when tthe soldiers search her house. There is no direct physical violence in this book although the underpinnings of the war and the Holocaust are always present for those who know about them. It is fairly fast to read and should sustain most readers.

This is a truly stunning piece of writing that never becomes self-pitying. The story is told in a truthful, strong manner, and in a way that makes it approachable to all generations. Lyrical, and touching, this is an important piece of literature.