The Devil's Arithmetic - A Holocaust Novel

             
As each year passes , we are brought more novels of the dreadful events of what happened during the Holocaust with in the last year "The Boy in the Striped PJ's" book by John Boyne and the DVD , Annexed by Sharon Dogar which features the side of Anne Frank's story from the POV of Peter - who was part of the family that stayed hidden with the Frank's and Anne's apparent boyfriend.
Today's book is actually a reprint of her original book published in 1988 " The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen.

Review : The Devil's Arithmetic - Jane Yolen - Orig. 1988 , Reprinted 2001.

The Devil's Arithmetic starts with a lovely modern day Passover meal where teenager Hannah couldn't think of anything more boring , however she is about to receive the shock of her life when she is magically transported back to the Holocaust and finds herself a prisoner in the Concentration Camps. Hannah with what little knowledge she can recall from her History classes and family tales , tries to warn those of the horrors and danger that is going to come their way , though it's a preposterous tale to believe that she is from the future and no-one believes a word she says. As History starts to take it's course , Hannah meets and makes some new friends whom we later discover are her relatives as children. When Hannah is transported back to modern-day , she is reunited with her Auntie whom was one of her friends in the war camp and after the journey, she starts to learn and appreciate the Jewish Passover and tales of Holocaust in a different light.
The Devil's Arithmetic is a story of courage , love, relationships and friendships that weave in and out to prepare a novel that is not only heartwarming but sobering at the same time.
The Devil's Arithmetic was also made into a film starring a young Kirsten Dunst as Hannah and also starred Paul Bettany from A Knight's Tale and Wimbledon and Mimi Rogers.