Book Descriptions
for A Friend Called Anne by Jacqueline Van Maarsen and Carol Ann Lee
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Jacqueline van Maarsen was Anne Frank’s best friend. “Jopie,” as Anne called her, shares memories of Anne that have not been documented previously, and also tells her own story. Jewish on her father’s side, van Maarsen was also a victim of oppression against the Jews. But just before families were being rounded up for deportation to camps, van Maarsen’s Catholic mother managed to get her and her sister removed from the rosters of Jews in living in Amsterdam. She was suddenly not Jewish anymore, and went from a life of fear and restriction to one that was free but tainted with deep sadness. Every day more and more of her friends disappeared without discussion or explanation. After the war, van Maarsen reconnected with Anne’s father, Otto Frank, and he showed her Anne’s diary and told of plans for its publication. The two shared palpable pain and tenderness, and Jacqueline and Otto Frank remained friends until his death. (Ages 10–14)
CCBC Choices 2006 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2006. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
When Jacqueline met Anne on her way home from school in the 1940s, the two girls formed an instant friendship. But with every day came an increasing sense of fear, especially as the Nazis took over Amsterdam. Despite the impending war, the friendship between Anne Frank and Jacqueline van Maarsen would never be broken, even when Anne was forced into hiding. In this beautiful memoir, Jacqueline remembers Anne, their friendship, and the chilling Holocaust experience of barely escaping deportation by the Nazis, helplessly watching friends and family disappear, and starting her life again after the war. Through Jacqueline's memories and black-and-white photos, Anne Frank will come to life and continue to be remembered.
"[A] fascinating account of Anne, her family, and her friends before she went into hiding . . . This absorbing book vividly portrays life in occupied Amsterdam and throws interesting sidelights on Anne Frank's story."—Booklist
"[A] fascinating account of Anne, her family, and her friends before she went into hiding . . . This absorbing book vividly portrays life in occupied Amsterdam and throws interesting sidelights on Anne Frank's story."—Booklist
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.