I just finished reading THE BLOOD YEARS by Elana K. Arnold. It is the 2024 ALA winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award for outstanding portrayal of the Jewish experience. Arnold uses her grandmother's life story as inspiration for the character of Frederieke "Rieke" Teitler. Beginning in 1939 and ending after WW II, THE BLOOD YEARS takes readers into the life of young Rieke as she and her family navigate living in Romania during the frightful years surrounding the war.
Rieke and her older sister struggle not only because of the war, but also because their absent father has left their mother depressed and unable to fulfill her motherly duties most days. Eventually, the three leave the apartment they can't afford and move in with Rieke's grandfather. She loves her Opa and enjoys working with him in his jewelry shop. Life improves some until those in power begin persecuting the Jews. Rieke and her family must deal with changing rules and limited resources that only worsen as the Germans get closer.
In addition to the war, Rieke is suffering from TB. She tries to keep her illness from her family so as not to worry them, but it becomes impossible to hide as her condition worsens. She often feels responsible for the problems her family faces as they are forced to move from one horrible location to another in an attempt to survive.
THE BLOOD YEARS deserves the award from the ALA and is a must have for classroom and library collections.
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