Jerry Spinelli: Milkweed

He is called by many names and he has no idea who he is ... Stopthief, Gypsy, Jew, filthy son of Abraham. In the end it is safest if he is nobody at all.

Milkweed is set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw during World War II and the reader is taken through its ravaged streets by a small, curious and heartbreakingly naive orphan.

As the book opens we find our narrator alone in Warsaw unsure of his origins and completely unaware of the dangers which surround him. He is befriended by another orphan, Uri, who teaches him some basic survival skills. Our narrator quickly becomes an accomplished thief, able to feed himself and the other orphaned children who live on the streets.

Uri gives him the name Misha Pilsudski and makes him memorise a story of his origins as a gypsy in the hope that he will not be caught up in the persecution which is becoming more serious everyday. But Misha still fails to understand what is going on around him - and when the Nazis arrive in all their splendour he wishes to be one and join their parade.

Misha befriends a young Jewish girl, Janina, who lives in a large house and wears a red bow. However, one day she is gone and the house is no longer hers.

Misha finds her eventually but now they are both forced to live in the ghetto where food becomes increasingly rare while death stalks the streets. Misha manages to find food for himself and Janina by raiding rubbish bins in parts of Warsaw - risking his life for meagre food scraps. Trapped in the ghetto, Misha's life becomes less of a game and he finally begins to understand what is going on around him.

Spinelli has artfully constructed a picture of the Holocaust by creating a refreshingly innocent narrator for his tale. Misha understands so little of what is going on around him that those readers who know something of the events of World War II will find this narration both painful to read and gripping.

Those who, as they read, learn of these events for the first time along with Misha, will be equally compelled to read on. It is not an easy story as horrific events continually unfold.

However, Misha's spirit is endearing and his efforts to carry on despite what is happening around him, together with his fierce devotion to those he loves, is cause to stay with him.

Jerry Spinelli explores with sensitivity the themes of war, racism, persecution, identity and family.

Spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers and has won the Newbery Medal for Maniac Magee and the Newbery Honour Award for Wringer.

He grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania, where he dreamed of being a major league baseball player. However, this all changed when a poem he wrote was published in the local newspaper _ from then on he wanted to be a writer.

At the front of Milkweed, Spinelli has penned a small letter to his readers explaining why he chose to write this book, anticipating that many would ask that question. He plainly states that he wrote the book because he cares and as he has told many young writers over the years "write what you care about".

Publisher: Orchard Books

Price: $15.99

Age: 12-plus

Recommended: by Nicola Rawnsley