The Cage

by Ruth Minsky Sender

Book Overview

A testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit, family, and, above all, hope, this "vivid memoir of a woman who lost her youth and family to the Nazis" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) is a Holocaust survival story that will be remembered for generations.

As long as there is life, there is hope...

After Riva's mother was taken away by the Nazis, Riva and her younger brothers were left to cling to their...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068981321X
• ISBN13: 9780689813214
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

The only book that caused tears to stream down my face.

I've read tons of autobiographies on Holocaust survivors and liberators. This book hits hard in a different way. It's not the brutality that caused the tears. It was the love and undying will to survive. A must read!

Quick read

This book is a quick read and can’t wait to read the sequel.

The Cage!!!

This book is so engrossing that it was hard to put down.

Heart-Wrenching but with a good ending

I read this book straight in 3 hours! I was absolutely engrossed in the story that I could not put it down. In fact, it had such an impact on me that after I had read the book, went to bed, I had nightmares that I was actually running away from the Nazis! This book is a real story about a young teenage girl who lived in Poland during the Nazi invasion. Her and her family lived many years in the infamous Ghettos of Lodz and ended up being deported to concentration camps. Some members survived and others didn't. This book is very easy to read. I would guess it at an 8th grade level. Yet, the way it is written is very melodious and it grasps your attention in an unforgettable way. This is a good book to have to pass on to future generations. I highly recommend it!

English Student RSS

The book the "The Cage" by Ruth Minsky Sender is an amazing story about the Holocaust. The story starts out with the main character, Riva, waking up in a cold sweat because of a nightmare she had about the Holocaust. While talking to her curious daughter who wants to know why the Holocaust happened she finds herself back in Lodz, Poland in 1939. Riva is the oldest child with three younger brothers. Her father died of a disease but she has a strong, loving Mama. The Jews of Poland during this time are being round up by the Nazis and brought to the ghetto. The ghetto gates are shut tight and Riva and her family like many others are trapped in this cage. Thousands of Jewish families are herded into the ghetto where there is no work, hunger, and disease. In the ghetto, Riva's younger brother, Laibele, contracts tuberculosis. In September, 1942 the Nazis are inside the ghetto taking away the sick, the old, as well as the children. Riva's mother decides to hide Laibele and suprisingly enough he is not found, however the Nazis take away Mama to a concentration camp. "I hear Mama's voice, filled with hope. A world full of people will not be silent. We will not perish in vain. She was so sure. But she perished, and the world was silent." Riva now has to be strong for her brothers' sake, for Mama, and for herself. She is determined to survive and won't let the Nazis destroy her hope. People around Riva look to her for support and hope. She lost her family to the Nazis, but she won't let them take her either physically or spiritually. I think this book is extremely well written. It keeps the reader wanting to know what will happen next. The writing is a fast paced read. I believe the story shows the truth and essence of the Holocaust. I would recommend this book to middle school students because of the issues described and because of its excellent style.

This is an excellent book!

I read and reviewed the book The Cage by Ruth M. Sender. It is about a young girl who spent ger childhood hiding and living in Nazi slave labor camps. This book tells how she suffered and srtuggled to stay alive during the Holocaust. It tells you what it was like for adults and children during this horrible period of time. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very descriptive and realistic. I always felt like I was in the story instead of just reading it. I always had trouble just reading a few pages because it was so interesting. This book is the kind you never want to put down. Its a real page turner. I gave this book five stars and if you read it you will too. You will like this book if you like books about the Holocaust. A book similar to this is the book Cild of the holocaust by Jack Kuper. This boy also hid from the Nazis during the Holocaust. So read this book. I promise you will enjoy it!