Did You Love the Diary of Anne Frank?

Me too! It was one of those stories that you read and it changes you. It effects the way you view the world, the way you see yourself and the way you think of other people. I will never forget reading that book and what it still means to me.

I was always curious about the other people that lived in the Annex with Anne. I wanted to know more about her wise and inspiring father, her seemingly perfect sister, the annoying dentist.... but most of all, I wanted to know more about Peter, the boy that Anne loved.

The idea of love in such a time and place seems like the ultimate act of hope. Really that was who Anne was - a girl who loved and was full of hope. In her diary, she says: " I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." Amazing when you consider the things that she lived through.



I jumped at the chance to get to know Peter and Anne better - even if Annexed by Susan Dogar is historical fiction. I initially thought this would be a great book for two of my fourth grade boys that are history buffs. Wrong. Not appropriate for them.

At first I was surprised by some of the content of the book, but then I remembered that Peter was a 16 year old boy when he entered the Annex. Then the wet dreams and sometimes sexual content of the book made sense. No, there was never anything inappropriate between Anne and Peter, not really, but he does have some rather graphic dreams.

Even so, my heart broke, once again as the group was discovered. They were on the last train out of Holland before the Allies came - the last train to Auschwitz. My heart broke as they were seperated, and Peter's story reminded me, once again, why it is so important to never forget what happened. This was a terrible and yet uplifting story that I would highly recommend to older teens and adults.