Book Title: The Life of Anne Frank (available here)

Author: Kay Woodward and developed by the Anne Frank House Association

Publisher: Welbeck publishing

Publication Date: January 2020

Most Suitable For: Upper KS2

Reviewed By: Jane Carter, Senior Lecturer in Education

This is a well-researched and beautifully produced non-fiction text that details the life of Anne Frank. It is accompanied by a red checked folder (the same red checks of Anne’s diary) that contains various reproduced artefacts from the time, including reproductions of a ration book page, letters, maps and posters.

The book is written in a clear and unsentimental style. It provides details of the months leading up to Anne’s time in hiding, background about her family and the political situation in Germany and then the Netherlands. Each page contains detailed, illustrated descriptions of each stage of Anne’s short life from her hiding place in the Annexe until she was discovered in 1944. It also gives details about those she was in hiding with and the very brave people who kept them safe.

The book is accessible for primary school children and has language appropriate for children in Key Stage 2. Its format makes it a book that children can linger over, taking in the facts and also the illustrations and photos on each page. It does not go into detail about the horrors of the concentration camps that the family was taken to after the arrest but also does not shy away from explaining that most of the family died. The last few pages of the book explain how the only survivor, Otto Frank, was given Anne’s diary and how having read it, he knew that this was a story that all the world should read.

The book could be used in schools in a wider teaching context. Anne’s is no ordinary diary and the gravity of the historical and political context needs to be keenly felt, particularly as our children grow up in an age where it would seem they need to be alert to hate crimes and movements. Teachers and parents would be advised to use the documents and activities in the folder in a way that shows due sensitivity to the historical themes.

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***Book Giveaway***

Thanks to the publishers at Welbeck, we have FOUR copies of The Life of Anne Frank: Slipcase Edition to give away to our followers.

There ware two ways to enter: 1. Twitter entry – To enter, follow @booksfortopics and RT the giveaway tweet. 2. Instagram entry – Follow @booksfortopics on Instagram & TAG in the giveaway post’s comments a friend who may also like to win this book for their home or school library.

We will give away 2 copies for Twitter and 2 for Instagram. You can enter twice. Giveaway closes 11.59pm 9th March (UK) – terms and conditions here.

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You can order The Life of Anne Frank online or from your local bookshop or library.

Many thanks to the publisher for sending us a review copy of this book and to Review Panel member Jane for reviewing it.

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