A Train Near Magdeburg: Young Adult Adaptation
About this book
—ABRIDGED EDITION of the True Story of the Rescue of a Holocaust Death Train in World War II— SUITABLE FOR Grades 9-12 and Beyond
Jewish children on a death train. Nazi murderers. American soldiers. A teacher turned detective, solving a historical mystery, two generations later. It's not a novel. It's not 'based on a true story.' It really happened, and teenagers were there to tell about surviving the horrors of the Holocaust—and living to thank their liberators, just a few years older than themselves... in their own words.
421 PAGES.
Publisher's Summary
"It's not a novel. It's not based on a true story. It really happened, and I am a witness. You will be, too."
Told from the teenage/ young adult perspective of Holocaust in four European countries, all bound for a common destiny-Bergen Belsen and the final train transport intercepted by young American soldiers on April 13, 1945.
AS A YOUNG TEEN living a comfortable life with family, what do you do when the Germans march into your town to persecute you, and your neighbors and your friends turn their backs? As life turns upside-down and you are now a young prisoner—fighting for survival in a concentration camp and FORCED TO BOARD A DEATH TRAIN to nowhere—how do you go on as people are dying all around you?
*
AS A YOUNG AMERICAN SOLDIER in World War II, fighting brutal battles across Europe—having been shot at and shelled, having seen your friends killed, and no longer even able to remember what your own mother looks like—what is the plan when you STUMBLE ACROSS A HOLOCAUST TRAIN full of suffering families that shocks you to your core, even after you think you have seen it all?
*
And what happens when the SOLDIERS AND SURVIVORS again MEET FACE TO FACE, seven decades later?
“I survived because of many miracles. but for me to actually meet and cry together with my liberators—the ‘angels of life’ who literally gave me back my life—was just beyond imagination!” –Leslie Meisels, Holocaust survivor
— TABLE OF CONTENTS —
A NOTE FROM A TEACHER 9
INTRODUCTION 13
BOOK ONE 17
A PLACE CALLED BERGEN-BELSEN 19
THE LAST TRANSPORT 43
DARKNESS DESCENDS 51
LOST IN GERMANY 63
THE ASH YARDS OF POLAND 83
A CHILD IN HOLLAND 137
‘HUNGARY IS JUDENREIN’ 157
BOOK TWO 195
A DATE WITH THE COSMOS 197
A TIME TO DIE 207
THE BULGE AND BEYOND 231
BOOK THREE 245
WHAT THE SOLDIERS SAW 249
‘THE AMERICANS ARE HERE’ 265
‘I’LL NEVER FORGET TODAY.’ 295
BOOK FOUR 303
‘THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT’ 305
‘NOW I KNOW WHAT I FOUGHT FOR.’ 325
‘FOR THE SAKE OF HUMANITY’ 329
THE MEDICS 337
THE ORPHAN 355
DENIAL 359
THE MYSTERY 365
‘WHAT DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO BE?’ 381
AFTERMATH 385
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 397
LIST OF REUNIONS 401
NOTES 403
Formats and signed editions
Most titles are available in paperback and in collector's hardcover with an embossed spine and glossy colour dust jacket. Many are also available as ebooks and audiobooks.
Signed editions include a decorative bookplate that Matthew signs personally, by hand, adhered inside the front cover. Never autopen, and only available through this store.
Shipping and returns
Most titles ship from our fulfiller in Florida, some from us in upstate New York. We usually ship within a few days by USPS Ground Advantage, which carries insurance. We do not offer same or next day delivery, and we do not ship internationally.
Returns: there is a two week window to begin the process. Email us and we will send a shipping label, deducting its cost from your refund, less the irreversible 3 percent bank transaction fee and up to a 10 percent restocking charge once we recover and inspect the books. Digital products are not returnable.
Gift orders never include the price on the packing slip.
What readers say about the series.
Over 2,500 five star reviews across the series
My husband is a WW2 buff and has seen about every documentary ever made on the subject. What got him interested was his father and uncles' WW2 war stories. He was pulled into this book right away.
I bought the series because I hoped to find answers to questions I had about my dad. Some of them have been answered along with things I didn't understand about my six uncles.
My Dad served in the 3rd Armored Division, Normandy to Germany. He did not talk about it, it is nice to sit down and read about it. Thank you very much. My Dad, Eugene Harper.
Could not put this book down. Tears fell as I read pages and I smiled through others. I wish I could articulate the emotions that accompanied me through the stories of these beautiful people.
I feel like I am sitting in the room with the veteran as he speaks. Very nice series. 3 down, several to go.
By and large, they're all interesting and capture the experiences of young men thrown into the horrors of a vicious war, but this one is different. It should be required reading for every high school and college age student.
Questions people actually ask.
Do I have to read the series in order?
No. Each volume stands on its own and covers a different theater of the war. Most people start with the one closest to where their own family served.
What exactly does signed mean here?
Matthew signs a decorative bookplate for each volume personally, by hand, and it is adhered inside the front cover. Never autopen. Only available through this store.
Is this a good gift?
It is the most common reason people buy these books. We never print the price on the packing slip.
Are these appropriate for a teenager?
There is no sexualised content, but there is discussion of the violence of war and some swearing in the more emotional passages. Matthew did not censor the veterans. He suggests fourteen and up, high school age, maybe thirteen depending on maturity.
How long does shipping take?
We usually ship within a few days by USPS Ground Advantage, which carries insurance. No same or next day delivery, and no international shipping. Full details on the FAQ page.
Dying for freedom isn't the worst thing that could happen. Being forgotten is.
Every purchase helps ensure these stories are remembered, and supports veteran outreach and Holocaust education non-profits on a monthly basis.
Explore all the booksBooks ship from New York or Florida, usually within a few days, USPS Ground Advantage, insured.