Theo - Hardcover

Barbara Harrison

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0899199593 ISBN 13: 9780899199597

Publisher: Clarion Books, 1999

Synopsis

When the Nazis announce that all orphans in Athens are to be rounded up and sent to Germany, Theo and his older brother Soc travel to a small village where they can hide and join the resistance movement. But upon reaching their destination, Soc is executed for sabotage, leaving Theo to be taken in by the resistance fighters Patir Alex and his wife. Now Theo's only companion from before the war is his shadow puppet, Karagiozis, a beloved and heroic character in Greek puppet theater. The young puppeteer puts on shows with Karagiozis, depicting scenes of Nazi defeat and re-enacting tales about the history of Greece, as he struggles to understand the meaning of heroism and to make sense of what is happening in the world around him. Against the bleak backdrop of the fiercely beautiful Greek landscape, Barbara Harrison weaves a moving, dramatic story about kindness, bravery, and the perseverance of humanity even in the most devastating of times.

About this title

About the Author:

Barbara Harrison is a middle school English teacher and codirector of Children's Literature New England. She is coauthor with Daniel Terris of biographies of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, both based on the authors' award-winning HBO documentaries. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

From Booklist:

When readers first meet Theo, he is an emaciated orphan struggling for survival in a little Greek village occupied by Nazis. When all orphans are forced to register, Theo and his older brother attempt an escape that ends with his brother's brutal execution. Theo's dream of becoming a hero starts to come true when he begins entertaining fellow Jews by performing puppet shows, but he eventually finds out that to save his people, he must kill the enemy. In this first novel, Harrison shows strength in storytelling. She dramatizes brutality with restraint and convincingly depicts Theo as an innocent child scarred but not corrupted by the evil around him. The lesson Theo learns--heroism is "about good, about regret, even sadness at what one may be forced to do" --is conveyed with poignancy and conviction, making this a worthy addition to the many accounts of Jewish suffering during World War II. Roger Leslie

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0899199593
• ISBN 13: 9780899199597
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 166