Summary
Diary of a Young Girl is the translated diary of Anne Frank. This is the diary she wrote while hiding from the Nazis in the Secret Annexe during WWII. The diary details the daily lives of the people in the Annexe as well as many of her emotions as an adolescent in hiding. She also wrote a lot about her relationships with the other people in the Annexe, such as with her mother, her father, and the Van Daan's, another family that went into hiding with them.
Theme Focus: Shelter and Refuge: A Historic Focus
The book of course fits well with a theme on shelter and refuge because almost her entire diary was written while she was in hiding. Her diary brings out many of the problems that those that tried to hide would have had. She talks about food shortages, medical problems, fear of being discovered, her own depression, greediness, isolation, and the tension between everyone hiding. Several moral issues can of course be discussed in relation to this book as well that have to do with why the family was hiding in the first place. These issues tend to center around the crimes against humanity that occurred during WWII by the Nazis and whether it is right to persecute someone for what they believe. Another issue that could be brought up in relation to the theme of hiding is what emotional effect it had on those in hiding and those that were helping those in hiding. The best way to help students examine the theme and be able to discuss the surrounding issues would probably be to include historical background, video, and pictures in coordination with the book, so that they have the knowledge needed to discuss.
Literary Quality
Diary of a Young Girl has all of the literary qualities that good YA books should have, which is why it is used in so many classrooms. The diary is written from the perspective of a young adolescent girl and is full of tension. Hiding from the Nazis is, of course, something which no student will have to do, but the book allows the reader to have this experience. However, while Anne's living experience isn't typical, her emotions as an adolescent growing up were very much like that of a typical adolescent. Anne writes very descriptively about her time in the Annexe and the translation uses correct grammar. Finally the themes presented are of great concern for everyone in the world and give students the opportunity to grow both emotionally and intellectually because of the density of the themes.
Potential Popularity and Student Interest
While Diary of a Young Girl is a good YA book, I think it has limited interest. Because it is a diary written by a girl, I think that mostly girls would be interested in it. The book would probably also appeal to older girls 15-18 because of the sophisticated way Anne looks at the world. Although boys might enjoy learning about the Annexe and how they were hidden, the book focuses a great deal on Anne's emotions and feelings towards the other people in the Annexe, so boys may feel disconnected from a great deal of the book. Historically, I think the subject matter of this book interests many students, so offering a choice of books on the Holocaust that a student may choose from may be a good way to differentiate interests.
Consideration for the Reader
The Lexile Level for this book is 1080. Although the book is a diary, there can be many potential problems for students to comprehension. The most obvious is their understanding of the historical period in which the family lived. The students would need to learn about what happened first during that time so that they could connect that back to what happens in the book. The second challenge to student comprehension would be some of the vocabulary that is war specific. Certain references to the war and some of the events Anne talks about like ration cards would have to be explained to students, who may not understand why they would only have certain amounts of food. The last problem to comprehension for the students is that it is written in diary form. If students had been used to reading stories told by a person that flows well, the diary may seem to jump around a lot and some students may feel lost or miss parts of the story. It also doesn't really follow a traditional plot structure either, so some students may have trouble understanding that their isn't a climax or a happy ending to this book.
Potential Uses for the Classroom
In a classroom, this book would be used to talk about the Holocaust and all the issues surrounding that time period, such as the moral issue of persecuting people for their beliefs. Specifically, it could of course be used to discuss what some of the people in hiding must have been going through and it allows us a glimpse into what it was like emotionally for the entire family. It could also be used to help the students see the commonalities between their growth as adolescents and Anne's growth into maturity. Another use for the book in the classroom could be to teach about indirect and direct characterization. Anne describes herself and her family in such great detail that we get a good idea of who the personality of each person. Finally, the book could be used to teach description because Anne was very good at describing everything in great detail.
Potential Censor Targets
The biggest potential censor target for this book is that it deals with the Holocaust, which some people don't think their children should learn about at such a young age. Another potential censor target could be that Anne doesn't survive. Some censors would be reluctant to let students read a book in which the main character dies. Finally, the censors may challenge is the ordeal of the hiding itself. The hardships which the people go through are difficult to deal with emotionally for any age, so some censors may challenge the use of the book because of what they think is the emotional immaturity of the students.