The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible . . . on Schindler's List

School Library Journal11/01/2013
Gr 5–8—Leyson describes his childhood prior to the Nazi invasion of Poland as "a world defined by the love and warmth of family." In 1938, he moved with his mother and four older siblings from a small village to join his father, who was working in the city. But soon after, everything changed as the Nazis "tightened their grip on Kraków." Through luck, skill, and tenacity, Leyson's father became one of Oskar Schindler's first Jewish workers and managed to secure a place on his notorious list for his wife and children. Throughout his six years of immense suffering, including in the Plaszów work camp, Leon was convinced that his luck would eventually run out. But Schindler made sure that didn't happen.