Happy book birthday to THE BRASS CHARM by Monique Polak and illustrated by Marie Lafrance, out today from North Winds Press!
Tali is staying at her Oma’s apartment after a storm demolishes their house. She is upset at losing everything. “People have survived worse,” says her mother — Oma survived World War II, and never speaks of it. But that night, Oma shares her story of Holocaust survival, the brass monkey charm that she was given in the camp, and a message of kindness and perseverance in the face of disaster.
This book includes an author’s note, in which Monique Polak explains how it was inspired by her mother’s true experience at Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic.
Monique Polak is the author of 26 novels for young readers, as well as two non-fiction titles and a board book. Her books Hate Mail, Room for One More, and the historical novel What World Is Left, were all winners of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature. Her books have also been nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Arthur Ellis Award, and several have been selected as Best Books for Children and Teens by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec, where she teaches English and Humanities at Marianopolis College. Monique is represented by Amy Tompkins.