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World War II and the Holocaust are difficult but im-portant subjects to read about. Between 1939 and1945, an estimated 50 to 70 million people died—sol-diers and civilians, young and old, intended victims,and accidental casualties. In Germany and other Eu-ropean countries, Nazis targeted and pursued Jewishpeople; about six million Jews were killed, and ap-proximately one and a half million of that numberwere children. Other groups were also targeted: po-litical opponents, disabled people, Jehovah’s Wit-nesses, homosexuals, and Gypsies. Thousands werekilled. History teaches us these facts, and timelinesenumerate the hideous trail of destruction.

It is through the narratives of victims, perpetra-

tors, bystanders, and survivors that we become awareof the human side of these events. Every person wholived in Europe during that terrible time has a unique,personal story, an individual account that forces thereader or listener to alter his or her vision of the periodfrom that of large-scale devastation and impersonalnumbers to real-life tragedy. Statistics tell us whathappened, but the stories let us know how it felt.

Fortunately, these stories survive, thanks in partto museums, archives, libraries, and more. One suchplace is the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Recently published by the Anne Frank House, AnneFrank: Her Life in Words and Pictures is a book to readand pore over, as it includes many photographs of theFrank family never published before. In A Family Se-cret, we read about the experiences of a fictionalDutch family during World War II. Powerful story-telling, combined with the narrative energy of thegraphic novel format, convey the details of this hor-rific moment in world history. In another equally pow-erful graphic novel, The Search, the main facts aboutthe Holocaust are revealed through the eyes of anotherfictional family affected by the Nazi occupation of theNetherlands. Based on meticulous historical research,each of the latter books presents information relatedby eyewitness accounts.

These books, appropriate for students in middleschool and up, may be used individually or as a unit.As such, this guide provides discussion questions andactivities for each book, and closes with cumulativequestions and activities that may be used to link thethree books.

Introduction

OBJECTIVESTeachers will find these books helpful in achiev-ing the following objectives:Students will be able to place the Holocaust in itshistorical context.Students will gain an understanding of how itfelt to live during that period.Students will gain an appreciation of and asense of responsibility for living in a democraticsociety.Students will be able to articulate an explana-tion for the act of genocide, i.e., it occurred be-cause individuals, organizations, andgovernments made choices that not only legal-ized discrimination but also allowed prejudice,hatred, and, ultimately, mass murder to occur.Students will be inspired to think critically andto grow emotionally and intellectually.Students will learn that people had differentroles during the war: victims, helpers,bystanders, and perpetrators.Students will understand some of the dilemmasof the victims, helpers, bystanders, andperpetrators.

From Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures

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Anne Frank was born in 1929 to loving, edu-cated, middle-class parents in Frankfurt amMain, Germany. On her thirteenth birthday, June12, 1942, she received a red-and-white plaiddiary. The subsequent events of her life,

recorded assiduously,filled up this little bookand innumerable note-book pages, and re-sulted in the literaryclassic The Diary of AnneFrank. Anne became asymbol of the horror ofthe Holocaust. AnneFrank: Her Life in Wordsand Pictures is the per-fect companion to her diary as it presents pho-tographs of the family alongside excerpts fromthe diary and explanations of correspondinghistorical events. Such complete documentationof everyday life from the standpoint of one fam-ily enhances students’ ability to comprehend thescope of the catastrophe to millions. For moreinformation about Anne’s story and others,please visit:http://annefrankguide.net/http://annefrank.com

The visual format of the graphic novel blends textand images in a way that appeals to young people.The printed words work in unison with the illustra-tions to tell the story. This is most clearly seen inpanels where the text provides information that isn’tavailable in the pictures, or where the pictures showimportant details that are intentionally absent fromthe text. These books are most suitable for middleschool and high school students of all academic lev-els and backgrounds, for they give a fresh perspec-tive to a new generation of learners. The reader canmove from one panel to the next at his or her ownpace, which allows for the opportunity to notice nu-

ances of the storyboard, including background im-ages, colors denoting mood, and other nontextualinformation.

To learn more about graphic novels and howthey can enhance your students’ learning experi-ence, refer to the following resources recommendedby the National Council of Teachers of English:www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/

summer/podcastsvideos/TextMessages/15IntroGraphicNovels_detail.asp

www.ncte.org/magazine/archives/122031www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/

LA/0853-jan08/LA0853Graphic.pdf

About the Graphic Novel Format

From Anne Frank: Her Lifein Words and Pictures

About ANNE FRANK: HER LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURESMenno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol; translated by Arnold J. Pomerans

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1. Find Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on a map, andresearch information about its standard of living.What kind of neighborhood does it appear theFranks lived in? What city here in the United Stateswould you compare it to? How far is Amsterdamfrom Frankfurt? How different were these cities inthe 1930s?

2. What can you determine about the Frank familyfrom these photos? What do you see that indicateshow they lived? What can you tell from the photo-graphs about the historical context of the time inwhich they lived?

3. Find reports in current newspapers of religious in-tolerance, racism, genocide, and threats to individ-uals’ civil rights. The anthropologist Margaret Meadonce said, “Never doubt that a small group ofthoughtful, committed citizens can change theworld. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Listfive ways you would change the world to rid it ofsuch abuse.

4. Compare the photos of the Frank family prior to1942 with the images of their attic hiding place.“Who would have guessed three months ago thatquicksilver Anne would have to sit so quietly forhours on end, and what’s more that she could?”(p. 94) Do you think you could behave so well undersimilar circumstances? And why?

5. After about a year of living in hiding, Annewrites, “We long for Saturdays because that meansbooks . . . Our only diversions are reading, studyingand listening to the wireless.” (p. 110) How wouldyou pass the time in such a situation? Imagine youhave thirty minutes to pack a bag with your mostcherished possessions. Draw pictures of the items.

6. There is a saying that “one picture is worth athousand words.” Which picture in this book is

worth that, in your estimation? Why?

7. Otto Frank said that he was not interested in pur-suing the person who betrayed his family. Make achart listing the advantages and disadvantages ofengaging in such a quest.

8. What has most shaped your understanding ofWorld War II: Anne’s diary, popular films such asThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas, history class, orother books?

9. Since we have computers now, very few peoplekeep diaries (or even write letters!). Have you everread the diary of one of your ancestors? Would youlike to? Keep a journal for one week in which you re-late all your feelings as well as your activities; thenconsider how you would like someone else to read it.

10. In the course of keeping a diary, Anne learnsabout herself and makes astute observations abouther situation and others’, such as: 

“It’s amazing how much these generous and un-selfish people do, risking their own lives to help andsave others. The best example of this is our ownhelpers . . . Never have they uttered a single wordabout the burden we must be, never have theycomplained that we’re too much trouble.” (p. 98)

“Even though I’m only fourteen, I know what Iwant, I know who’s right and who’s wrong, Ihave my own opinions, ideas and principles,and though it may sound odd coming from ateenager, I feel I’m more of a person than achild—I feel I’m completely independent of oth-ers.” (p. 140)

“Can you tell me why people go to such lengths

to hide their real selves? Or why I always behave

very differently when I’m in the company of oth-

ers?” (p. 141)

Discussion Questions forANNE FRANK: HER LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURES

(Continued on page 4)

“What’s the point of the war? Why, oh, whycan’t people live together peacefully? Why allthis destruction?” (p. 152)

“It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all myideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. YetI cling to them because I still believe, in spite ofeverything, that people are truly good at heart.It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life ona foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I seethe world being slowly transformed into awilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that,one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering

of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, Isomehow feel that everything will change for thebetter, that this cruelty too will end, that peaceand tranquillity will return once more.” (p. 159)

Is there any quotation from Anne’s diary that partic-ularly moves you? Is there one that you feel youcould have written yourself? Consider your owndiary: Did you learn something about yourself?Were you able to see a situation more clearly havingwritten about it?

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This engaging graphic novel opens on a con-temporary scene in Amsterdam as a teenageJeroen prepares for Queen’s Day festivities. Inhis effort to gather items to sell at the flea mar-ket, he explores his grandmother Helena’s attic,discovering items from her past that spark aninitial conversation about the war years, heryouth, her family, and her friends. She reveals adeeply held family secret, her father’s complicitywith the Nazis, and further describes how terri-bly divided her two brothers were politically,while she did everything in her power to protecther dear Jewish friend Esther. Later, when Jeroenfortuitously finds Esther at a Dutch Memorial Dayceremony, he is able to bring about a most joy-ous reunion and a revelation that reverberatesthrough time.

Graphic novels are the perfect genre for in-troducing young people to historical events theymight otherwise avoid. The images speak a kindof shorthand, depicting what would take manywords to say, as they are read in conjunctionwith the text.

About A FAMILY SECRETEric Heuvel; translated by Lorraine T. Miller

(Continued from page 3)

Discussion Questions for

ANNE FRANK: HER LIFE IN WORDS AND PICTURES

1. Helena’s narrative begins with the meeting of hernew neighbor Esther, a Jewish girl from Germanywho gives a brief history of the Nazi rise to power.What was Kristallnacht? How did it affect the aver-age German? How was it portrayed outside of Ger-many? Find newspaper accounts of that time usinghttp://news.google.com/archivesearch

2. The Nazis needed collaborators to carry out theirgoals. What would have influenced someone to be-come a Nazi collaborator? What factors would haveencouraged someone to join the Resistance?

3. After the Nazi takeover of Holland, there weredeep divisions in Helena’s family regarding resist-ance and collaboration. What was Helena’s father’sdecision, as depicted on page 16? Would you havebeen supportive of such a decision?

4. What actions did the Dutch people take to resistthe Nazi occupation? What was the price of resist-ance during the war? Was it worth the risk? Imagineyour school principal has just established a new pol-icy that everyone must attend Saturday morningclasses. Discuss with your classmates the likelihoodof everyone going along with it. Break into groupsto determine the actions to take.

5. The Nazis abolished some human rights in everyplace they conquered. Which rights would it behardest for you to lose? To which losses could youreadily adapt? Consider the right to go to school, tosee a doctor, to use public transportation, and to goto the movies. List your most important humanrights.

6. Why did Helena prefer being at Esther’s house tobeing at her own (p. 21)?

7. Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor marked a turn-ing point in the war. How was this news received bythe Dutch? Were Europeans aware of the Germanplan to exterminate the Jews? How do we knowwhat they knew and when they knew it? Create atime line of World War II events.

8. The Nazis carefully organized razzias, in whichJews were rounded up and taken away to concen-tration camps. How would you react to seeingneighbors suddenly taken away by governmentagents? Could this happen today?

9. After the long and very cold Hunger Winter of1944-45, Amsterdam was finally liberated, but thetransition back to normalcy wasn’t completelysmooth. What do you think about the way collabo-rators were dealt with? What happened to Helena’sfather? What was the price of collaboration?

10. Were you surprised at Jeroen’s interest in hisgrandmother’s history? Interview the oldest mem-bers of your family to learn the stories of their past.What about your own experiences do you hope topass on to your future children and grandchildren?

Discussion Questions forA FAMILY SECRET

From the interior of A Family Secret

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1. What were some of the first signs of discriminationagainst the Jews? When Hitler rose to power, hechanged certain laws; therefore, he acted “legally.”How important is it for average citizens to be fullyinformed of changing laws? To have the ability togo to court or publish their opinions?

2. Helena’s father, the policeman, gives Esther thechoice to go with her parents or somewhere else(p.19). Bob chose to stay with his parents (p. 34),while Esther chose to flee. What would you havechosen? Why?

3. Where did Esther go after the war? She was still ateenager—who helped her make that decision?Where would you have gone?

4. Do you agree with Daniel and Jeroen that the al-lies should have bombed the concentration camps(p. 52)? What would have been the consequence ofsuch an action?

5. In Amsterdam, as well as in many other cities after

the war, newspapers constantly ran ads for peopletrying to find surviving family and friends. Can youimagine such a scenario today? It is of course some-thing very different, but after Hurricane Katrina dis-placed many people and destroyed much of NewOrleans, how did family members find each other?

6. Today Auschwitz-Birkenau remains an emblem ofevil, a site of historical remembrance, a vast ceme-tery. Hundreds of thousands visit the camps eachyear to learn, to grieve, or to reflect on the past. Isthis appropriate? State reasons why you would visitAushwitz-Birkenau today or why you think youwould not visit the former concentration camp.

7. How far back do you know your family’s history,its stories? When did the first members of your fam-ily come to this country? Why did they come? Whatwas their journey like? How were they met once theyarrived? Are there photographs? Have you visitedthe places where your ancestors lived?

Discussion Questions forTHE SEARCH

From the interior of The Search

(Continued on page 7)

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The sequel to A Family Secret, The Search takesus back to Helena’s home, where she is recon-necting with her old friend Esther, whom shehasn’t seen since 1944. Esther’s own family ison their way to join the gathering; she, too, hasa teenage grandson—Daniel—and he is equallyeager to explore his family’s past. As they headoff together to reunite with the family thatsaved her, Esther continues to relate the storyof her childhood and survival, a parallel to He-lena’s tale. From there she finds (with the helpof the Internet) the only person who witnessedher parents’ last days, and so she finally learnsthe entire truth. When the whole group is onceagain together, mourning their respectivelosses, Helena’s memory is triggered and shepresents Esther with her family’s sixty-year-oldfamily photo album.

The colors and hues of each frame expandthe mood of the story as it unfolds and boundsfrom the Netherlands to Germany to Israel and

back, from city to country, from beauty to hor-ror. The graphic format is the perfect vehicle forrelating this saga.

About THE SEARCHEric Heuvel, Ruud van der Rol,and Lies Schippers;translated by Lorraine T. Miller

8. Every day thousands of family photographs aretaken without regard to future generations’ views ofthem. Yet family photographs can be consideredcultural artifacts because they document the eventsthat shape families’ lives. How does Esther’s albumdo just that? Can scholars benefit from researchingfamily photo albums?

9. Nowadays, many families simply keep and dis-play photographs on their computers. Does the rap-idly changing technology endanger the potentialfor photographic documentation, or does it improve

it? It’s now possible to alter photographs almostundetectably. Does this pose a threat to futurehistorians?

10. Compare and contrast Helena’s experience dur-ing the war with Esther’s. Are they similar eventhough one girl was not Jewish, while the other was?Pretend you are a reporter for television and youhave the chance to interview each of the charactersinvolved in this story (Helena, her brothers, Esther,the farmer, the policemen, et al.). Write the scriptfor your questions and their answers.

(Continued from page 6)

Culminating Questions and Activities1. In A Family Secret and The Search, the grandmoth-

ers, who were teenagers during the war, obviously

had not shared details of their pasts with their own

children. A generation was skipped, as it was their

teenage grandchildren who unlocked their pasts. It

is not unusual for some survivors to refrain from dis-

cussing the past. Read stories of other survivors at

www.holocaustsurvivors.org/survivors.php and

identify the reasons why some are compelled to

share their experiences or, conversely, withhold

them.

2. It is said that for democracy to survive, there is

nothing more important than a free and open press.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at the

United Nations General Assembly, 1948, states:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and

expression; this right includes freedom to hold

opinions without interference and to seek, receive,

and impart information and ideas through any

media and regardless of frontiers.” Do you agree?

Is this still an issue today?

3. Compare what we know now with what was

known as the events of World War II were unfolding.

Go to www.newspaperarchive.com/ or http://ny-

times.com/ to read newspapers from those years.

How much news were Americans getting? What was

on the front pages and what was buried in subse-

quent pages? Who decides which stories appear on

which pages?

4. Were Nazis able to influence world opinion? Look

at newspapers today and find reports of prejudice,

hatred, and anti-Semitism, as well as heroism, re-

sistance, rescue, etc. Are there any noticeable

trends? Is there something that you can do yourself

about what annoys you?

Additional Web ResourcesThe following Web sites will be helpful to teachers:

www.ushmm.org

www1.yadvashem.org/exhibitions/album_auschwitz/

mutimedia/index.html

http://fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/

www.holocaust-trc.org/edures.htm

www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/resources/links.htm

www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-holoc.htm

About the Anne Frank HouseThe former hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her

diary is now a well-known museum. The museum

tells the history of the eight people in hiding in the

Secret Annex and those who helped them during the

war. Anne Frank’s diary is among the original ob-

jects on display. In addition to the historic rooms,

where the history of Anne Frank is central, there are

other exhibitions in the museum; and the Anne

Frank House develops educational products and ac-

tivities to promote tolerance and mutual respect in

society. For more information, visit:

www.annefrank.org.