The Children’s Train

Literature & Fiction

synopsis

Synopsis

In November 1938 on The Night of the Broken Glass, the Jewish people of Germany are terrified as Hitler's men shatter their store windows, steal and destroy their belongings, and arrest many Jewish fathers and brothers. Parents fear for their own lives but their focus is on protecting their children. When England arranges to take the children out of Germany by train, the Kindertransport is organized and parents scramble to get places on the trains for their young family members, worried about what the future will hold. Soon, trains filled with Jewish children escaping the Nazis chug over the border into Holland, where they are ferried across the English Channel to England and to freedom. But for Peter, the shy violin player, his sister Becca, and his friends Stephen and Hans, life in England holds challenges as well. Peter’s friend Eva, who did not get a seat on the Kindertransport, is left to the evil plans of Hitler. Peter, working his musician’s hands raw at a farm in Coventry, wonders if they should have stayed and fought back instead of escaping. When the Coventry farm is bombed and Nazis have reached England, Peter feels he has nothing left. He decides it’s time to stand and fight Hitler. Peter returns to Germany to join the Jewish underground resistance, search for the mother and sister he left behind in Berlin, and rescue his childhood friend Eva.

bio

Author Biography

As Jana tells it, the remarkable story of the Kindertransport children in Nazi Germany touched her heart and would not let go: “Since the moment I heard their incredible, historic tale, they have not left my mind. The Kindertransport children came to live in my conscience and would not leave until I told their story.” Jana hopes readers will find the courage to stand up to the injustices that affect us all. Jana Zinser is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire School of Law and received her masters in Journalism from the University of Iowa. Her past work in politics, public policy, and the media, coupled with her determined focus on children and social justice, have uniquely placed her to tell this story. It’s a story as timeless and essential as ever, a story that will capture the hearts of the world. Jana lives in Colorado with her children.

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Author Insight

Uncertain Future

September 1, 1939. Nazi Germany-- No one knew the extent of Hitler's evil. September 1 saw the last Kindertransport from Germany. As soon as Germany invaded Poland the borders were closed and no more trains left for England.

Book Excerpt

The Children’s Train

CHAPTER 24

A CHANGE OF PLANS

(September 1939)

As the sun rose on the morning of September 1, 1939, another Kindertransport passed across the border into Holland. Inside the train, Marla sat down and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes. She barely slept during the Kindertransports. She spent most of the time praying that they would cross the border safely.

That night, a small boy of five sitting across the aisle sobbed. Marla opened her eyes and motioned to him. He tentatively walked to her.

She picked him up and cuddled him on her lap. “It’ll be okay,” she told him. “You’re going to a good place. I promise. It’ll all be over, soon.”

The boy sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes. “My Papa says it’s just starting.”

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Jana Zinser

The Children’s Train

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

Uncertain Future

September 1, 1939. Nazi Germany-- No one knew the extent of Hitler's evil. September 1 saw the last Kindertransport from Germany. As soon as Germany invaded Poland the borders were closed and no more trains left for England.

Book Excerpt

The Children’s Train

Comment on this Bubble