Buying Options

Kindle Price:	$7.99
Sold by:	Penguin Group (USA) LLC Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add Audible narration to your purchase for just $7.49

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Enter a promotion code or Gift Card

Share <Embed>

The Devil's Arithmetic (Puffin Modern Classics) by [Jane Yolen]

Audible Sample

Playing...

Paused

Follow the Author

Jane Yolen

The Devil's Arithmetic (Puffin Modern Classics) Kindle Edition

by Jane Yolen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,364 ratings

Part of: Puffin Modern Classics (12 books)

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$7.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Library Binding

"Please retry"

$15.99

$10.37

Paperback

"Please retry"

$6.99

$5.98

$0.94

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$7.81

$5.99

$0.25

Audio CD

"Please retry"

$20.09

$16.49

—

"A triumphantly moving book." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Hannah dreads going to her family's Passover Seder—she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942. Why is she there, and who is this "Chaya" that everyone seems to think she is? Just as she begins to unravel the mystery, Nazi soldiers come to take everyone in the village away. And only Hannah knows the unspeakable horrors that await. A critically acclaimed novel from multi-award-winning author Jane Yolen.

"[Yolen] adds much to understanding the effects of the Holocaust, which will reverberate throughout history, today and tomorrow." —SLJ, starred review

"Readers will come away with a sense of tragic history that both disturbs and compels." —Booklist

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"

Reading age

10 years and up
Print length

175 pages
Language

English
Grade level

5 and up
Lexile measure

730L
Publisher

Puffin Books
Publication date

October 1, 1990
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
ISBN-13

978-0140345353
See all details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Christopher Paul Curtis
3,911
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $6.99
Rodman Philbrick
3,996
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $3.99
Phillip Hoose
497
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Uri Shulevitz
52
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $10.99
Jane Yolen
79
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
David Levithan
115
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99

Create your FREE Amazon Business account to save up to 10% with Business-only prices and free shipping.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When 12-year-old Hannah is transported back to a 1940's Polish village, she experiences the very horrors that had embarrassed and annoyed her when her elders related their Holocaust experiences. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8 In this novel, Yolen attempts to answer those who question why the Holocaust should be remembered. Hannah, 12, is tired of remembering, and is embarrassed by her grandfather, who rants and raves at the mention of the Nazis. Her mother's explanations of how her grandparents and great-aunt lost all family and friends during that time have little effect. Then, during a Passover Seder, Hannah is chosen to open the door to welcome the prophet Elijah. As she does so, she is transported to a village in Poland in the 1940s, where everyone thinks that she is Chaya, who has just recovered from a serious illness. She is captured by the Nazis and taken to a death camp, where she is befriended by a young girl named Rivka, who teaches her how to fight the dehumanizing processes of the camp and hold onto her identity. When at last their luck runs out and Rivka is chosen, Hannah/Chaya, in an almost impulsive act of self-sacrifice, goes in her stead. As the door to the gas chamber closes behind her, she is returned to the door of her grandparents' apartment, waiting for Elijah. Through Hannah, with her memories of the present and the past, Yolen does a fine job of illustrating the importance of remembering. She adds much to children's understanding of the effects of the Holocaust, which will reverberate throughout history, today and tomorrow. Susan M. Harding, Mesquite Public Library, Tex.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NUMIM1Y
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Puffin Books; Reprint edition (October 1, 1990)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 1990
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1367 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 175 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #170,800 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #10 in Children's Jewish Fiction
- #16 in Children's Holocaust Fiction Books (Kindle Store)
- #17 in Children's Judaism Books (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,364 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Jane Yolen

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

5 star		82%
4 star		10%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

scottyrates

Overall a mediocre read

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have read at least 7 Holocaust survivor stories to my 10 and 12-year-old children over the course of the last 2 years. I was hesitant to read this book because it is fiction, but decided to go ahead and give it a try since it had such positive reviews. This book starts off slowly and I had to stop and explain the content every 2-3 pages. The author seems to assume that you have attended a Seder (I actually have- 3 times now) and have a working knowledge of the Yiddish language (I do not). Many times the Yiddish word is used to describe something or someone, with no explanation or solid context cues to figure the word out (thank you Google).

The book is very slow for the first 50-60 pages, but does get interesting and exciting when the Nazi army bursts onto the scene. The experiences that the main character experiences at the concentration camp are similar to actual occurrences I've already read in nonfiction books.

At the conclusion of the book I was left to ponder, why did I read an historical fiction account of the Holocaust when there are so many biographical accounts that are much more powerfully told?

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

fra7299

Powerful book about experiencing the Holocaust

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2021

Verified Purchase

Although there are many Holocaust books out there that are in the young adult genre (Elie Wiesel’s Night and The Diary of Anne Frank come to mind), I had not heard of The Devil’s Arithmetic until a friend mentioned it.

In the novel, Hannah, an American Jewish teenager who is indifferent and apathetic towards her Jewish family’s past, is transported back to the 1940s to experience one of the most tragic, painful, and horrific points in history.

I felt like this book was an immensely powerful read, one that moves very quickly and one in which the reader can get into the head of the protagonist as she travels back into a dark time in history. As one from the future, Hannah knows all too painfully the horrors that await the Jewish people and those in the concentration camps.

The Devil’s Arithmetic works and fits into several genres. It is a fantasy in which a young girl must travel back in time to witness and be part of her family’s suffering to fully understand and to never forget. But, obviously, the book, while tame in its graphicness, is a very realistic portrayal of such atrocities experienced. And, while the names of the places have been changed, this does not deter from the powerfully realistic images: the awful conditions in the cattle cars, the dehumanization of individuals, the shaving of heads, the separation of loved ones, friends, and families, the lack of necessities like food, water, and proper clothing, the selection of victims.

I highlighted a quote in the afterward by the author Jane Yolen that I believe eloquently sums up the entire experience of this book:
“Fiction cannot recite the numbing numbers, but it can be that witness, that memory. A storyteller can attempt to tell the human tale, can make a galaxy out of chaos…”

This point is illustrated in Hannah’s physical and emotional journey, and spiritual transformation that she must go through.

This edition also contains an extremely helpful glossary for Jewish terms and expressions as well as an afterward by the author.

In my opinion, The Devil’s Arithmetic is powerful portrayal of a dark time in history, and it is definitely a book for anyone interested in young adult books about the Holocaust.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

C. A. Roach

A book every YA should read

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

This should be on every YA reading list. The way in which Yolen communicates the atrocities of WWII, the way she exquisitely works in how resistance was living to tell the tale is just marvellous. It evokes a deep feeling of empathy in the reader that is so crucial to develop in young adults, while being a short and easily digested story. There are not enough stars for this book.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

B. K.

Interesting story of the Holocaust

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

This historical fiction tells the story of a young disinterested Jewish girl, Hannah, who is tired of hearing her Grandfather's personal stories of the Holocaust. During the celebration of the Seder, without any warning she finds herself living in the past with family in Poland. The present and the past blur - she has knowledge that no one is willing to believe. As a result she and others are put in a concentration camp where Hannah learns first hand of what her Grandfather had been speaking for so long. The young girl returns to the present Seder dinner just as abruptly as she had left, but now with a greater appreciation of her Jewish heritage and religion, and with an understanding of the significance of the numbers tattooed on the arms of her older relatives. This is well written, with an unusual telling of the Holocaust. It is not so graphic as other books covering this subject, so is appropriate for children as young as 11 or 12; but because of the subject matter, it is important to engage them in conversation and discuss the events of the Holocaust. This is a book to be shared with our younger generation - it is important not only for the Jewish people to remember this time in their history, but also for the rest of us to remember and learn.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lisa J. Randall

The Devil's Arthimatic

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is a very good book. The author takes us on a journey of remembrance. Has Hannah opens the door to let Elijah in during her families Cedar celebration, she is transported on the astounding yet horrifying journey of her ancesters as they become prisoners in a German camp during WWII. She will never forget the price her ancestors paid for their Jewish heritage at that time in history. I recommend this book to eveyone.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Babbie

Excellent book to introduce students to WW2.

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was immediately drawn into the plight of the main character as she was sent back to WW2 a few months into the war. The plight of this Jewish family was not the same for each family member, but none of them continued on with their lives untouched. As a small bonus, THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC explains many Jewish beliefs and traditions as they appear in the lives of the characters.

I read this story aloud to both a third and fourth grade classroom. The students were spellbound as the tale unfolded. This led to many discussions and questions about why the war was fought, why the Jewish families were treated with increasing harshness. The prison camps and terrible conditions in them shocked and worried my classes.

What an excellent book to help children understand what happened in ww2.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

sally tarbox

"We are all heroes here"

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

As an adult reader, I must admit to not expecting great things, as the story opens with a modern American Jewish family celebrating Seder. "Passover.. is about remembering," Mama tells her bored, slightly spoilt daughter Hannah - the horrific WW2 losss of the older generation wash over the girl, who has heard it all before.

Then, in a deft bit of time travel, Hannah finds herself living in a Polish shtetl in 1942 with an unknown family. It's the eve of a wedding and everyone is happy, but the Nazis are close at hand... As she experiences the horrors of life in a concentration camp, she understands the desperate yearning to survive:

"Everyone knew that as long as others were processed, THEY would not be. A simple bit of mathematics, like subtraction, where one taken away from the top line becomes one added on to the bottom. The Devil's arithmetic."

With a touching ending, I thought this would be an ideal book for around the 11 - 12 age-group (but this adult liked it too!)

One person found this helpful

martinwright

time traveller to auschwitz

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2011

Verified Purchase

I read this book after seeing the film (which was great), and found the book to be even better! The prominence of the young inmate who lets the newcomers know how to survive, the midden where the underage inmates hide - all here in the book and missing from the film - all in all a most worthwhile read.

One person found this helpful

Avantika

Must read

Reviewed in India on August 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Holocaust is one of the terrifying facts which has happened in world history & this book has depicted the same through a girl who didn't knee the gravity of the incident & had to relive her past by going through the same .This book is worth the buy & it's my 2nd time in reading it.

Anne

Compelling

Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

Very well written. A good insight into the plight of the prisoners in the concentration camps.

Rashmoni Mondal

Ok.... But Average.

Reviewed in India on May 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

Nothing new about second World War... Who has read Night , it would seem nothing new to him.