37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M.S. St. Louis, 1939 by Barbara Krasner - ADVISABLE

37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M.S. St. Louis, 1939 by Barbara Krasner, 160 pages. Kar-Ben publishing (Lerner). 2021. $18. 

Content G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

12yo Ruthie Arons is a young Jewish refugee on the M.S. St. Luis, bound for Cuba to escape Nazi Germany. Ruthie discovers a Nazi on board and worries about her father, especially when the ship is not allowed to dock in Havana. 

Though Ruthie is fictional, the story is based on actual events. Written in free verse, this is a fast read, though the verse doesn’t seem like actual poetry. Tough this is a nice introduction into the plight of the St. Luis, it doesn’t say anything new or go into much depth. The timeline at the back is a nice touch. 

 Michelle in the Middle