“Suzyand

Leah”By: Jane Yolen

1. HOW DO SUZY AND 1. HOW DO SUZY AND LEAH LOOK THE SAME?LEAH LOOK THE SAME?

•About the same age•Hair in pigtails/braids

•Carrying their possessions

HOW DO THESE GIRLS HOW DO THESE GIRLS LOOK DIFFERENT?LOOK DIFFERENT?

SUZYSmilingNeatly dressed

New clothes

LEAHWorriedOld clothes

Clutching her possessions with concern

2. WHAT DID SUZY OFFER 2. WHAT DID SUZY OFFER TO THE CHILDREN TO THE CHILDREN THROUGH THE FENCE?THROUGH THE FENCE?

•‘Sweets’ [Candy]•Oranges

3. WHAT PURPOSE MIGHT 3. WHAT PURPOSE MIGHT THE AUTHOR HAVE HAD THE AUTHOR HAVE HAD FOR INCLUDING THE FOR INCLUDING THE DETAILS ABOUT SUZY DETAILS ABOUT SUZY LAUGHING AT THE LAUGHING AT THE REFUGEES AND REFUGEES AND WONDERING IF THEY WONDERING IF THEY HAVE ‘BUGS’?HAVE ‘BUGS’?

Show how insensitive some Americans could be to the refugees

Show how the refugees were treated as objects

4. WHAT MIGHT THE 4. WHAT MIGHT THE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE BE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE BE FOR HAVING LEAH FOR HAVING LEAH ADDRESS HER DIARY ADDRESS HER DIARY ENTRIES TO HER ENTRIES TO HER MOTHER?MOTHER?

Remind the reader that Leah is an orphan

Sympathize with Leah’s feelings of fear and loneliness

5. WHAT PURPOSE MIGHT 5. WHAT PURPOSE MIGHT THE AUTHOR HAVE FOR THE AUTHOR HAVE FOR INCLUDING DETAILS ABOUT INCLUDING DETAILS ABOUT LEAH’S LIFE BEFORE THE LEAH’S LIFE BEFORE THE WAR?WAR?

Wanted the reader to see Leah as a ‘real’ person

Wanted the reader to realize how much Leah’s life had changed

6. EXPLAIN WHAT LEAH 6. EXPLAIN WHAT LEAH MEANS BY “THERE IS BARBED MEANS BY “THERE IS BARBED WIRE STILL BETWEEN US AND WIRE STILL BETWEEN US AND THE WORLD”?THE WORLD”?

She feels isolated and disconnected from the world because she lost her mother, her home, and her former life.

7. WHAT DOES ‘BARBED 7. WHAT DOES ‘BARBED WIRE’ SYMBOLIZE IN THIS WIRE’ SYMBOLIZE IN THIS STORY AND WHY DOES LEAH STORY AND WHY DOES LEAH SAY THIS?SAY THIS?

Symbolizes the barrier Leah feels between herself and the world around her

8. DOES THE GIRL IN THE 8. DOES THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE ON PAGE 116 OF PICTURE ON PAGE 116 OF YOUR BOOK LOOK LIKE ONE YOUR BOOK LOOK LIKE ONE OF THE CHILDREN SUZY OF THE CHILDREN SUZY DESCRIBES? EXPLAIN.DESCRIBES? EXPLAIN.

Yes.She looks worried

and a bit lost.Her clothes could be

the hand-me-downs from the Americans that Suzy describes

9. WHAT HAPPENED TO 9. WHAT HAPPENED TO LEAH’S MOTHER?LEAH’S MOTHER?

She was killed in a German Concentration Camp

10. HOW DID LEAH’S 10. HOW DID LEAH’S FORMER HOME ON THE FORMER HOME ON THE FARM CHANGE DURING FARM CHANGE DURING THE WAR?THE WAR?

The sky above Leah’s farm changed from blue [like her mother’s eyes] to dark and smokey

Many homes were ramsacked and burned during the Holocaust

11. HOW DID THIS CHANGE 11. HOW DID THIS CHANGE IN SETTING REFLECT WHAT IN SETTING REFLECT WHAT HAPPENED TO LEAH DURING HAPPENED TO LEAH DURING THE WAR?THE WAR?

Leah’s home changed from being a safe place [like her mother’s eyes] to a dark and dangerous place

12. LIST SOME OF THE 12. LIST SOME OF THE DETAILS THAT SUZY DETAILS THAT SUZY FOCUSES ON ABOUT FOCUSES ON ABOUT LEAH.LEAH.

One without a name tagOne in her pinafore“prickly as a porcupine”“Miss Porcupine”

13. SUM UP SUZY’S 13. SUM UP SUZY’S FEELINGS TOWARD LEAH FEELINGS TOWARD LEAH AT THIS POINT.AT THIS POINT.

Suzy dislikes Leah.She thinks Leah is overly sensitive and rude.

14. WHAT PURPOSE 14. WHAT PURPOSE MIGHT THE AUTHOR MIGHT THE AUTHOR HAVE FOR DESCRIBING HAVE FOR DESCRIBING LEAH FROM SUZY’S LEAH FROM SUZY’S POINT OF VIEW?POINT OF VIEW?

See Leah from the ‘outside’, or to see the refugee children the way American children saw them

Know how deeply the refugees were misunderstood

15. WHAT DO YOU 15. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT A KNOW ABOUT A REFUGEE CAMP?REFUGEE CAMP?

Eat meals in a groupFood not high qualityRefugees might not be

very clean or well-dressed

Refugees do not have many possessions

16. WHAT DO SUZY AND 16. WHAT DO SUZY AND LEAH THINK OF EACH LEAH THINK OF EACH OTHER?OTHER?

Girls dislike each other.Suzy thinks Leah is too

serious and sensitiveLeah thinks Suzy is too

silly and carefree

17. WHAT TRUTH DOES 17. WHAT TRUTH DOES THE AUTHOR REVEAL THE AUTHOR REVEAL ABOUT LEAH AND AVI?ABOUT LEAH AND AVI?

Leah is hiding food for Avi because he is growing and hungry.

18. WHAT HISTORICAL 18. WHAT HISTORICAL INFORMATION DOES THE INFORMATION DOES THE AUTHOR SUGGEST AT THE AUTHOR SUGGEST AT THE SAME TIME?SAME TIME?

Leah knows the food is not ‘kosher’ but hides this fact to make sure Avi eats

Jewish children went hungry and broke their religious laws because of their hunger

19. WHAT WOULD BE THE 19. WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY FOR SUZY TO BEST WAY FOR SUZY TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH OF LEAH’S AND AVI’S OF LEAH’S AND AVI’S EXPERIENCE?EXPERIENCE?

The Jewish children could tell her about their experiences.

20. HOW DOES BEING IN 20. HOW DOES BEING IN SUZY’S HOME AFFECT SUZY’S HOME AFFECT LEAH?LEAH?

Meeting Suzy’s mother reminds Leah of the last time she saw her own mother and brother at the concentration camp. What is supposed to be pleasant for Leah is painful.

21. WHAT DOES LEAH DO 21. WHAT DOES LEAH DO WITH HER FOOD AT WITH HER FOOD AT LUNCHTIME?LUNCHTIME?

She puts the food in a napkin to take to Avi.

22. HOW DOES LEAH 22. HOW DOES LEAH REACT TO THE REACT TO THE SETTING?SETTING?

She decides to ‘steel her heart’ against Suzy’s mom because she is afraid that if she loves her, she will forget her own mother.

IS HER REACTION IS HER REACTION LOGICAL OR LOGICAL OR UNDERSTANDABLE?UNDERSTANDABLE?

Makes sense considering the pain and suffering that Leah has gone through

23. SUMMARIZE THE 23. SUMMARIZE THE PASSAGE ABOVE IN ONE PASSAGE ABOVE IN ONE SENTENCE.SENTENCE.

In the diary entry dated October 11, 1944, Suzy describes how she feels when Leah has to go to the hospital.

24. INFER WHY LEAH MIGHT 24. INFER WHY LEAH MIGHT NOT HAVE TOLD ANYONE NOT HAVE TOLD ANYONE ABOUT HER PAIN ABOUT HER PAIN IMMEDIATELY.IMMEDIATELY.

24. INFER WHY LEAH MIGHT 24. INFER WHY LEAH MIGHT NOT HAVE TOLD ANYONE NOT HAVE TOLD ANYONE ABOUT HER PAIN ABOUT HER PAIN IMMEDIATELY.IMMEDIATELY.

Leah does not trust people in her new surroundings

She may be terrified of being taken away from the group because when people were separated by the Nazis, they disappeared.

25. WHAT FACTS ABOUT 25. WHAT FACTS ABOUT WWII DOES THE AUTHOR WWII DOES THE AUTHOR TEACH?TEACH?

During WWII the Nazis imprisoned and killed men, women, and children in concentration camps.

During this time, Jewish people had to wear yellow stars on their clothes.

26. WHY DO YOU THINK 26. WHY DO YOU THINK THE AUTHOR CHOSE TO THE AUTHOR CHOSE TO STATE THESE FACTS SO STATE THESE FACTS SO PLAINLY?PLAINLY?

To be sure that the readers understand the horror of what happened to millions of Jews

27. WHAT PURPOSE DOES 27. WHAT PURPOSE DOES THE AUTHOR ACHIEVE BY THE AUTHOR ACHIEVE BY TELLING A STORY TELLING A STORY THROUGH YOUNG THROUGH YOUNG CHARACTERS?CHARACTERS?

Help the author show how the war destroyed people’s innocenceAllows the author to end he story on a hopeful note, as Leah faces a new—and possibly—happy life

Note:Note:

Social & Political events during the time of the story drive the main characters’ actions and explain their different perspectives.

Leah’s Diary Entry Sept. Leah’s Diary Entry Sept. 1414Destruction of Leah’s home and death of her mom = Leah is sad and fearful

Suffering shapes Leah’s character

Suzy’s Diary Entry Sept. Suzy’s Diary Entry Sept. 1414

Ignorance of other’s suffering = Suzy’s silly and carefree

Innocence shapes Suzy’s character

The End.