Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis is the moving true story of how young Ukrainian Jewish piano prodigies Zhanna (alias “Anna”) and her sister Frina outplayed their pursuers while hiding in plain sight during the Holocaust. Award-winning author Susan Hood will read the first few pages of the book, which introduces Aimee’s (Zhanna’s granddaughter) discovery of the story, and then Greg Dawson will discuss how he interviewed his mom, went to Ukraine, and the research he undertook to tell this incredible true story.
Named one of Bank Street Best Books of the Year, Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis is amiddle-grade nonfiction-novel-in-verse, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Awards, and won the Christopher Award for middle grade books.
Susan Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Harboring Hope: The True Story of How Henny Sinding Helped Denmark’s Jews Escape the Nazis; Lifeboat 12; Ada’s Violin; Shaking Things Up; The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics; and Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team. She is the recipient of an E.B. White Honor Award, the Christopher Award, the Américas Award, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, and the Bank Street Flora Steiglitz Straus Award.
Greg Dawson has been a journalist for over 50 years, winning awards for his work as a TV critic, columnist, and feature writer at magazines and newspapers, including The Boston Herald, Indianapolis Star, and Orlando Sentinel. He is the author of two books on the Holocaust, Hiding in the Spotlight and Judgment Before Nuremberg, and Busted in Bloomington, a collective memoir of the ‘60s written with his wife, Candy Dawson.
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