I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

Once the others leave, Max and Zena are left alone with Aunt Hannah to hug and cry. Max and Zena tell her about their escape from the Nazi soldier, and how Mr. Jablonski saved them. When Hannah asks about their father, the siblings explain he was taken by the Nazis a month ago. Hannah says that she wanted them all to escape the ghetto together, but their father thought it was too dangerous: Like most people, he wanted to believe that if they just went along with the Nazis, everything would be okay. Max asks Aunt Hannah where she went when she escaped, and she reveals that she has been fighting the Nazis with a group of partisans. She explains she is “a special kind of fighter. She did not belong to a real army, with uniforms and shining weapons […] Instead, they worked in small groups, plotting surprise attacks” (35). Aunt Hannah says that there are hundreds of partisan groups hiding in the forests in Poland and other countries. Not all partisans are Jewish, but everyone in Aunt Hannah’s group is, including Martin and Lev, the two men who are there with her. Max notices that Hannah has changed: She now has short hair, wears men’s clothes, and carries an air of “toughness and determination” (37).

Max wonders if a small group of partisans can really stand against the powerful German army. Then, he remembers the Bible story of David and Goliath: a young Jewish boy who defeated Goliath, a terrifying giant and warrior. Goliath had mocked the Jews, daring them to send their best fighter, but only David, a shepherd, stepped up. Goliath laughed at him, but David struck him down with a single shot from his slingshot. As Max looks at Aunt Hannah, he sees the same fierceness in her as David had, and it fills him with hope. He wants to ask her more questions, but there isn’t time. Hannah tells them they need to leave soon. As they follow her to Mr. Jablonski’s house, Zena whispers to Max that the robin did bring them luck. Max, who never believed in lucky birds, begins to think that maybe now he does.

Max, Zena, and the others sit around Mr. Jablonski’s table, which is covered with food: bread, cheese, and apples. To Max, it looks like a feast. He and Zena eat quickly, washing down their bites with milk. An illustration on Page 43 shows the group gathered around the table. Martin, the youngest of the group, is about 17. He’s large, with a quick laugh. Lev, who seems just a little older than Aunt Hannah, is small but muscular. His round glasses give him a shy, bookish appearance, but he’s the leader of their group. Mr. Jablonski is not Jewish or a partisan: He is a spy. He has fooled the Nazis into believing he supports Hitler, even becoming friends with the local Nazi commander, while secretly working with the partisans.

Lev explains that by sundown tomorrow, they’ll reach their camp. He shows Max and Zena a map of where battles are taking place, and Max realizes Germany is losing the war: “[T]he Nazis still controlled most of the countries in Europe, but their grip was slipping” (44). Lev explains that German troops in Russia are running out of supplies and food, and partisans are destroying German trains carrying weapons to Russia, as well as Panzer tanks. Max recalls the “enormous steel beasts rumbling through the streets of Esties” (44), and he feels excited as Lev describes how they destroyed the train earlier: Aunt Hannah, Lev, and Martin had carried explosives from their base in the forest, climbed onto a train bridge and tied the bomb to the underside of the tracks. Max pictures it all and starts wondering what awaits them in the forest.

That night, they begin their journey to Loda Forest, in eastern Poland. They walk through fields and pastures, and by the time they arrive at the forest, the sun has risen. Enormous trees surround them, and it’s dark beneath the thick canopy. As a child, Max had heard horror stories about Loda Forest, tales of wolves and bandits, but Aunt Hannah, Martin, and Lev walk confidently. Soon, Max becomes more comfortable in the forest. He thinks of his father and remembers their games of hide-and-seek. He feels like he can almost hear his voice now: “Max, Zena, where are you?” (51). They know that Nazi planes are flying overhead, searching for partisans, but they feel safe. Their camp is well-hidden on an island in the middle of a swamp.

Max notices that Zena is staring at the ground, and something is wrong with her. Her face is twisted in pain. She finally admits her toe hurts. They stop, and Aunt Hannah removes Zena’s boot to reveal that her big toe is badly injured, the nail nearly torn off. Aunt Hannah explains the boot is too small, but she’s seen worse. She lifts her pant leg and shows them a jagged scar from barbed wire, and Martin points out a scar on his arm. They all laugh as they mention Lev’s scar, which is on his rear end. Aunt Hannah washes Zena’s toe while Lev cuts open her boot, turning it into a sandal. They continue walking when they hear a faint buzzing overhead. “Bombers!” Martin shouts, and moments later, there is a massive explosion behind them.