The Final Journey (1996) by German-Czech author Gudrun Pausewang, translated by Patricia Crampton, is a historical young adult novel set in Nazi Germany. It follows 12-year-old Alice, who, along with her grandfather, is forced onto a cramped train carrying German Jews to an unknown destination. Naïve and sheltered, Alice gradually confronts the harsh realities of the Holocaust as she learns the truth about her family and witnesses the suffering of fellow passengers. Praised for its unflinching portrayal of human courage and cruelty, the novel won the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation and has been described as a powerful introduction to the Holocaust for young readers.
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