THE HIDING PLACE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL

THE HIDING PLACE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL by Corrie Ten Boom with Elizabeth and John Sherrill. Adapted by Mari DeMatteo. Illustrated by Ismael Castro.

The Hiding Place. I can remember first watching the movie somewhere around 6th-7th grade. From there, I read the book. Like so many others, I was moved by the bravery, the commitment to conviction, and the power that one's faith can play in their life. To say this book has impacted my life would be an understatement, and while today, I am going to sing the praises of the graphic novel adaptation, reading the book in its entirety is still extremely valuable.

The Ten Booms were a well respected family of watchmakers located in the heart of the Netherlands. Strong in their Christian faith, when the Germans invaded their country, they were appalled by the treatment of the Jewish people. Instead of standing by and watching the abuse, a secret room was constructed in their home and they became part of the underground movement to help Jewish people hide and ultimately escape from the horrors the Germans were inflicting on them. Eventually, the Ten Booms were discovered and the family was sent to the concentration camps. Several of them ended up losing their lives.

The graphic adaptation does a marvelous job of sharing the highlights of The Hiding Place story. Readers are aware of the terrible times depicted, but the pictures are not gory making this a good fit for introducing what happened during WWII with the concentration camps to older kids. Be aware that while not gruesome, there is a good chance that this will spark deeper conversation about the horrible atrocities. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!