Cover of Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness

Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness

A testament to the power of stories, and how they may bring hope even in times of darkness.

"Everyone gathers around, and from her lips to their ears the stories go, and for a little while the camp disappears, and for a little while they are all free."

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As night falls, the women gather their children to listen to Mara tell her stories. They are stories of light and hope and freedom, stories of despair and stories of miracles, stories of expected pain and stories of unexpected joy—all told in the darkness of the concentration camp barracks.

Through extensive research noted in the back of the book, Gary Schmidt has skillfully woven together stories from such sources as the Jewish religious scholar, Martin Buber, Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel; and folklorists, Steve Zeitlin and Yaffa Eliach.

Combining lore of the past with tales born in the concentration camps, Mara's stories speak to us from a time that must never be forgotten.

Audience
young adultchildrensmiddle grade
Length
short · 112 pages

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Liked Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

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“People who read Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Great Death
  2. Bird
  3. After the First Death
  4. The Key Is Lost

“If you want more of the same (historical fiction), start with these.”

  1. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
  2. Sobibor
  3. Flames of the Tiger
  4. Numbers

“If it was the Holocaust that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Greater Than Angels
  2. The Devil's Arithmetic
  3. Milkweed
  4. The Sanctuary Tree

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories
  2. Children of Terror
  3. Let The Celebrations Begin!
  4. The Camp