Marika

by Andrea Cheng

Book Overview

As a young girl in Budapest in the 1930s, Marika dreams of growing up to be a scientist or maybe an explorer. An older brother who never tells her anything, a beloved rag doll, an embarrassing mother,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439556961
• ISBN13: 9780439556965
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 153 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Trouble in Germany

This book is about the struggles a girl had to endure during World War Two. Marika is the main character that, on top of her family being separated had to deal with everything a girl her age must deal with like friends, school and boys. The main struggle is that no one will tell her what is going on and why she constantly hears about Hitler. Everything gets worse when they are forced out of their home and must go stay with one of their friends. Marika's life suddenly becomes full of running in and out of basements, avoiding gunshots and constant worry of never seeing her family again The character Marika is a very strong character for enduring what she did and being able to survive. That is what I like most about Marika, her courage. Her courage along with ability to persevere is what helped her get through the war. My least favorite thing about Marika was her jealousy of her friends because they had normal, simple lives. I understand her wanting a normal family, house, and life but she doesn't need to be jealous of her friends.

Really good book!

This book was so good! It's about a girl named Marika, (also the name of my sister), and she's been raised Catholic, even thought she's Jewish. And then the Nazis come and Marika learns how dangerous it is to be a Jew during the 1940s. I liked this book because it taught me so much about WWII because I wanted to know a lot about it.

Will I Ever See Them Agian?

Marika is about Marika, a 12-year-old Jewish girl who lives in Budapest with her mother, Anya, and her brother, Andras. Her father, Apa, lived next door. One day Marika and Anya were taken to a holding place in their town and Andras was drafted into a slave labor camp. World War II had moved on to their peaceful little town. About a week later Apa came and got Marika, but he could not take Anya with him. That same day he dropped Marika off at Ilonka's house. Marika was to stay there and pretend that Ilonka was her aunt. One day Ilonka came home with news that Apa had gone missing. Would she ever see any of her family members again? The author uses great detail and really makes you feel like you are there. This book really keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. It really gives you a good idea of how it really was during that time.

It's too riveting to put down

Marika is about a girl who has to keep her family alive from the Nazi's invasion. They start invading in 1944 and Marika does not think the Germans can stop her from living her dreams. This is in 1944 the time of WWII. It is interesting to read about how she handled it. It is tear jerking to hear how her life was destroyed by one religion. Her, her brother, dad, and mom will have to stick together to stay alive. This is a beautifully written performance that you will never forget.

Marika, The Best Tragedy Since Shakespeare

This tear- tearing novel by Andrea Cheng depicts the difficult life of a Jewish teenager in Nazi Budapest. This book, written in first person, is a fantastic work of writing for ages 8 & up, though not recommended for younger or beginner readers. This wonderful piece of literature earns a full five stars, with the emphasis on the tragical parts of the story. Though short, this book is guaranteed to have you in tears by the end.