Behind the Bedroom Wall

• Genre: Fiction; young adult historical
• Originally Published: 1996
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 660L; grades 3-7
• Structure/Length: 15 chapters; approx. 184 pages
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: In 1942 Germany, 13-year-old Korinna has been brainwashed into following Hitler. When she discovers her parents are hiding a Jewish mother and daughter, Korinna struggles to decide whether to turn them in or protect her family; as she begins to sympathize more with those in hiding, someone uncovers her secret, and Korinna realizes everyone deserves to be free from persecution.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: The Holocaust, brutality and violence, antisemitism

Laura E. Williams, Author

• Bio: Born in Seoul, Korea; has also lived in Belgium, Hawaii, and Connecticut; writer and teacher; has written folktales, children’s books, YA books
• Other Works: The Long Silk Thread: A Grandmother’s Legacy to her Granddaughter (1995); The Ghost Stallion (1999); The Executioner’s Daughter (2000)
• Awards: Jane Addams’ Children’s Book Award (1997)             

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Propaganda of the Third Reich
• Compassion for Jews and Disillusionment with the Nazi Regime
• Trust and Deception

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the Holocaust as the social and historical context for the novel’s action.
• Develop an understanding of the Third Reich’s Hitler Youth program; understand the impact of the program on its members’ values and beliefs.