Krysia : a Polish girl's stolen childhood during World War II / Krystyna Mihulka with Krystyna Poray Goddu.
"Few people are aware that in the aftermath of German and Soviet invasions and division of Poland, more than 1.5 million people were deported from their homes in Eastern Poland to remote parts of Russia. Half of them died in labor camps and prisons or simply vanished, some were drafted into the Russian army, and a small number returned to Poland after the war. Those who made it out of Russia alive were lucky--and nine-year-old Krystyna Mihulka was among them. In this childhood memoir, Mihulka tells of her family's deportation, under cover of darkness and at gunpoint, and their life as prisoners on a Soviet communal farm in Kazakhstan, where they endured starvation and illness and witnessed death for more than two years. This untold history is revealed through the eyes of a young girl struggling to survive and to understand the increasingly harsh world in which she finds herself"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781613734414
- ISBN: 1613734417
- Physical Description: xvii, 171 pages : illustrations, map, portraits ; 23 cm
- Publisher: Chicago, Illinois : Chicago Review Press, [2017]
Content descriptions
Formatted Contents Note: | Map: Krysia's Journey (1940-1942) -- A Polish Pronunciation and Vocabulary Guide -- Author's Note -- Prologue -- Part One: The End of Life As We Knew It -- Hints of Impending War -- The Last Autumn of Peace -- Strangers in the Sky -- Life Under Russian Occupation -- Shadows in the Night -- Part Two: Journey into Captivity -- Traveling by Cattle Car -- Traveling by Ox Cart -- Part Three: Life in Captivity -- Settling In -- Strange Happenings at Night -- Enduring the Winter -- Spring and Summer Surprises -- Part Four: Flight to Freedom -- Reunion and Departure -- A Seemingly Endless Wait -- The Trans-Siberian Train Journey -- Tragedy Strikes Home -- Setting Sail for Freedom -- Afterword -- Epilogue -- A Guide to Geographical Names. |
Target Audience Note: | Ages 10 to 13. 800L Lexile |
Study Program Information Note: | Accelerated Reader AR MG 5.5 5 190470. |
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Available copies
- 5 of 5 copies available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
- 2 of 2 copies available at Montgomery City Public.
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- 0 current holds with 5 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Montgomery City Public Library | J 940.53 MIH (Text) | 31927000026328 | Juvenile Nonfiction | Available | - |
Montgomery City Public Library | J 940.53 MIH (Text) | 31927000026341 | Juvenile Nonfiction | Available | - |
Krysia : A Polish Girl's Stolen Childhood During World War II
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Summary
Krysia : A Polish Girl's Stolen Childhood During World War II
As German troops and bombs descended upon Poland, Krysia struggled to make sense of the wailing sirens, hushed adult conversations, and tearful faces of everyone around her. Within just days, the peaceful childhood she had known would disappear forever. Krysia tells the story of one Polish girl's harrowing experiences during World War II as her beloved father was forced into hiding, a Soviet soldier's family took over her house, and finally as she and her mother and brother were forced at gunpoint from their once happy home and deported to a remote Soviet work farm in Kazakhstan. Through vivid and stirring recollections Mihulka details their deplorable conditions--often near freezing in their barrack buried under mounds of snow, enduring starvation and illness, and witnessing death. But she also recalls moments of hope and tenderness as she, her mother, her brother, and other deportees drew close together, helped one another, and even held small celebrations in captivity. Throughout, the strength, courage, and kindness of Krysia's mother, Zofia, saw them through until they finally found freedom.