Booktalks Quick and Simple

	Siegal, Aranka. UPON THE HEAD OF A GOAT New York : Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2003. IL YA ISBN 0374480796
Click on the book to read Amazon reviews	Have you ever wondered if there is a book out in the world that can explain the story of one of the Hungarian Jews? Well in the book Upon the Head of the Goat by Aranka Siegal the struggle of the Jewish people in Hungary is illustrated by a small pretty Jewish girl named Pere’. The girl Pere’ goes through an epic journey of suspense and struggle. The book started off in the lovely setting of Pere's grandma’s farm. Pere’ went to her grandma’s house for a summer filled with swimming, baking, and playing with the neighbor friends. She has to go back to her house in Hungary though. When she arrives in her Hungarian residence she finds out that her dad has been sent off to war. She continues her regular day life of going to school, playing with her friends, and enjoying the sun. That enjoyable situation all ends one day when they are told to go live in a Ghetto with all the other Jews. It is hard for Pere’s family. Pere’s family struggles to get enough food to feed her two sisters and brother. Pere’ must go to extreme measures to help her family survive. The times get hard from hiding from the Germans to humiliation from the boys at school. This book is a great example of how a holocaust book should be. The begining can be slow with great details but there are very suspenseful sections. If a person wanted to learn something about the holocaust from a book, this book is one of those books. It has real people and real events. The story is based on a true story of a Jewish girl so as you can imagine it is rich with personal details. I recommend this book to anyone who feels they could bear the personal details. Do you think that Pere’ will survive or be sent to a concentration camp and eventually to her death? To find out if Pere’ survives go to your local library and check out Upon the Head of the Goat. (Kyle Poisson, student, Mansfield High School)
	SUBJECTS: Siegal, Aranka. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Ukraine -- Berehove -- Personal narratives. Berehove (Ukraine) -- Biography.

Have you ever wondered if there is a book out in the world that can explain the story of one of the Hungarian Jews? Well in the book Upon the Head of the Goat by Aranka Siegal the struggle of the Jewish people in Hungary is illustrated by a small pretty Jewish girl named Pere’. The girl Pere’ goes through an epic journey of suspense and struggle.
The book started off in the lovely setting of Pere's grandma’s farm. Pere’ went to her grandma’s house for a summer filled with swimming, baking, and playing with the neighbor friends. She has to go back to her house in Hungary though. When she arrives in her Hungarian residence she finds out that her dad has been sent off to war. She continues her regular day life of going to school, playing with her friends, and enjoying the sun. That enjoyable situation all ends one day when they are told to go live in a Ghetto with all the other Jews. It is hard for Pere’s family. Pere’s family struggles to get enough food to feed her two sisters and brother. Pere’ must go to extreme measures to help her family survive. The times get hard from hiding from the Germans to humiliation from the boys at school. This book is a great example of how a holocaust book should be. The begining can be slow with great details but there are very suspenseful sections. If a person wanted to learn something about the holocaust from a book, this book is one of those books. It has real people and real events. The story is based on a true story of a Jewish girl so as you can imagine it is rich with personal details. I recommend this book to anyone who feels they could bear the personal details. Do you think that Pere’ will survive or be sent to a concentration camp and eventually to her death? To find out if Pere’ survives go to your local library and check out Upon the Head of the Goat. (Kyle Poisson, student, Mansfield High School)