It took me a little while to get into this book but then about half way through I started crying cos I really felt the sadness of Rachel. This is a sad story but at the same time it is a story of love and the lengths we will go to to protect the ones we love.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for the arc of Holocaust Child Lalechka by Amira Keidar.

5 stars- This follows a baby girl whom is born in a Polish Ghetto she is called Rachel. Parents are Jacob and Zippa. they will do anything to keep her alive they have nicknamed her Lalechka. Before she is 1 the Nazi's begin to start systematically murdering everyone whom is in the ghetto. Jacob decides that if Lalechka stays in the ghetto that she will end up dead. Zippa (Lalechka's mother) decides the best thing is to smuggle her outside the ghetto to her polish friends Irena and Sophia. So they take the risk of pretending Lalechka is part of their family knowing the dangers of being caught and executing if they find out.. This follows Zippas Journal entries.., letters and even rare seen documents!!

sensational, gripping and intriguing! hooking .

In 1941 at the height of World War II, in a Polish ghetto, a baby girl named Rachel is born. Her parents, Jacob and Zippa, are willing to do anything to keep her alive. They nickname her Lalechka. Just before Lalechka’s first birthday, the Nazis begin to systematically murder everyone in the ghetto. Her father understands that staying in the ghetto will mean certain death for his child. In both desperation and hope, Lalechka’s parents decide to save their daughter, no matter the cost.

Holocaust Child Lalechka by Amira Keidar is a fantastic book that is all a true story (to my surprise after reading some of it). This book looks at a part of the Holocaust which in my experience is not widely documented or written about.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Great read, very interesting how it is written. Would recommend to others who enjoy this genre. Looking forward to more from this author in the future

A beautifully written story which will stay with me forever.

During WWII a baby girl is born; normal celebrations are dulled by the fact that she was born in Poland to Jewish parents. With the German occupation, it is no exaggeration to say that families fear for their lives and in the midst of this generations and faiths come together to try and save the life of this innocent child. This is that story.

I don’t read a lot of holocaust memoirs, mainly because they are so soul destroying but this is an important tale and one I just couldn’t pass up. The author gave up her job to write this novel and she has made a first class job of it. I was aware of events in Germany regarding the Jewish community during WWII, but there are revelations of life in Poland which were new to me. Completely engrossing, this is one book I just couldn’t put down; not only does it describe the war years but by the end we have been brought right up to date with the lives of all concerned and while it is a heart-breaking story, it is skilfully told and I admire the author for her skill and talent. Definitely one I recommend and, as such, it easily earns a full house of stars.

My thanks to Mel Sambells of Ad Lib Publishers for both my copy and trusting me with such an important novel; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Holocaust Child Lalechka by Amira Keidar was a heartbreaking but inspiring book about the love for one mother and her baby daughter told by her friends and their families. This book is a true story of sheer courage of a Jewish family through the most horrific time in World War 2. the survival from the Holocaust
You will need tissues and lots of them whilst reading this book. This is a story that has to be told and not hidden under the carpets!
It is a story of hope in the face of terror and a must read.

Holocaust Child Lalechka by Amira Keidar is a fantastic book that is all a true story (to my surprise after reading some of it). This book looks at a part of the Holocaust which in my experience is not widely documented or written about and instead it is often the Concentration camps like Auschwitz which get all the publicity. This book is written on many people's accounts and diary entries about their friendships together before the war, what happened to Shedlitz during the war including the ghetto and what happened to the holocaust child, Rachel, who was ultimately saved from death. This book to an extent is also a message of how you should not treat children.

I like this book first of all because of how it is actually completely true. Many of these holocaust stories are only based on true stories with large parts of fiction in them so it has been incredible to read a book which to my knowledge is non-fiction in its entirety. I like the honesty of the people involved in this story who have told us readers about what things were like when Jews were being killed by the Germans and being imprisoned for no good reason. But ultimately it was great to read about how these friends came together in one of the hardest times in history to help keep the child alive and provide her with an under-the-radar childhood.

There is not much I can say I really disliked about this story. The one thing which did hurt me and which I disliked was the way the poor child, Rachel was treated towards the end of the book. I will acknowledge that people may not have had the freedom to provide her with a better life but I fear that Rachels best interests were not always at the heart of the people who made decisions about her. I thought it was awful how she was removed from her home in Shedlitz just to migrate to Palestine where for many years she was stuck in orphanages because the English were not letting Jews into Palestine. I would say it would have been better for Rachel to stay in Shedlitz until she could go to Palestine without long waits in a number of orphanages. Secondly, although both her Uncle and deceased Mother wanted her to be with the uncle, she should not have gone to live with her Uncle if he was to later decide he could not look after her and send her to two more orphanages.

Altogether, I rate this book 4 stars because it is a very good true-life account of the horrors and achievements of the Holocaust. This shows that many Jews were killed but some Jews also survived thanks to the care of the brave Poles and others who risked death if found to be helping these Jews. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the holocaust, world war two or anyone studying the former or the latter. I would like to thank Net Galley and Ad Lib Publishers for giving me access to an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in return for an honest book review.

This was a sad and emotional story of three friends in Warsaw.
They remained friends for many years, but war came and tore them apart.
Zippy had a baby called Rachel and she did everything to save her life, which included giving her up for her friends who were not Jewish to look
After her.
Rachel had a hard childhood and was sent from one place to another, until she found peace in Israel.
I devoured this book as I can relate to what happened to my ancestors.

The world needs these books. We need to learn everything we can from the holocaust. We need to educate our children on what happened and ensure it never happens again.
A moving poignant read which you will remember after you finish the book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to see an arc

Really enjoyed reading this book. Obviously a very poignant read. Hard to read at times. As with all Holocaust books. Worth a read. The book is very well written. Lots of interesting stories to be told.

Where do I even start with this book.. I am so emotionally drained after reading it but I think it's incredibly important that the world reads this story..

Based on the annihilation of the ghetto in which they lived, the interviews and journal that this is based on, this book is so beautifully written I couldn't put it down.

The fact that you follow the life of Rachel before she is even born, right up until the modern-day.. is heartbreaking. This is the definition of a survival story.

The love her parents had for her, is heartwarming to read about, but you also see the struggles she faced through life, and it's hard to imagine everything that happened to all the people affected by the holocaust.

A story that is incredibly heart-wrenching, but a must-read to all.