The Old Brown Suitcase: A Teenager's Story of War and Peace

Jean Free is a retired teacher-librarian and library consultant in
Whitby, Ontario.

Fourteen-year-old Slava carries her old brown suitcase when she, her
sister Pyza, and their parents come to Montreal after having endured
World War II in Poland. She tries to fit into high-school life in a
different culture, but the terrible memories and hardships she has
experienced make her adolescent life difficult. Finally, after becoming
more proficient English (a language that’s new to her) and
establishing some friendships, she begins to look to the future with
optimism.

This sensitive and gracefully written book memorably captures the
refugee experience. Boraks-Nemetz, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto who
came to Canada at the age of 12, calls her book “documentary
fiction” because, though the story is based on facts, “several
characters were invented.” Nonfiction aspects of the book include an
introduction with particulars about the war in Poland, a bibliography,
and a supplementary reading list. Highly recommended.