O’Brien Press ISBN 9781847179753 £8.99
Tomi is the story of Tomi Reichental, a young boy growing up in a small village in Slovakia in the late 1930s and 1940s, who gets caught up in the cataclysmic events of World War Two. Tomi is Jewish. He describes an ideal rural childhood, growing up in an extended family on a small farm – hard work but rewarding. All this changed when the Nazis occupied Slovakia in 1944. After years of minor persecution by Slovaks, Jews were now rounded up and deported to concentration camps. At the age of 9, Tomi found himself in Bergen-Belsen camp, along with many members of his family. Altogether, 35 members of his extended family were to die in concentration camps. Tomi describes growing up and his experiences of anti-Semitism in a matter of fact way, which actually seems to make them more shocking. He describes the greed and selfishness of ordinary Slovak people, as well as the fanaticism of the Nazis. There are also acts of kindness by inmates, and, surprisingly, by one or two of the guards. Tomi is one of the lucky ones. He survived, and returned briefly to his home village. He then moved to Israel to rebuild his life, and wouldn’t talk about his experiences for many, many years. This is an extremely readable book, dealing with emotive and controversial issues in a sensitive way. Upper KS 2 pupils will find it thought-provoking and some of the content challenging. I t is a perfect way into the topic of the Holocaust.
Alf Wilkinson, The Historical Association