Alias Anna

Ages 10 And Up, Grades 5 And Up

An inspirational nonfiction novel-in-verse about Zhanna Arshanskaya, a young Ukrainian Jewish girl using the alias Anna, whose phenomenal piano-playing skills saved her life and the life of her sister, Frina, during the Holocaust—from award-winning author Susan Hood with Zhanna’s son Greg Dawson. Now in paperback!

A TRUE STORY!She wouldn’t be Zhanna.She’d use an alias.A for Anna.A for alive.When the Germans invade Ukraine, Zhanna, a young Jewish girl, must leave behind her friends, her freedom, and her promising musical future at the world’s top conservatory. With no time to say goodbye, Zhanna, her sister Frina, and their entire family are removed from their home by the Nazis and forced on a long, cold death march. When a guard turns a blind eye, Zhanna flees with nothing more than her musical talent, her beloved sheet music, and her father’s final plea: “I don’t care what you do. Just live.” Told in verse by award-winning author Susan Hood with Zhanna’s son, Greg Dawson, this is the moving true story of how piano prodigies Zhanna (alias “Anna”) and her sister Frina outplayed their pursuers while hiding in plain sight.Includes extensive back matter with primary sources (original letters), additional information, further reading, and original photographs.

About the Author

Susan Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Lifeboat 12; The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics; Ada’s Violin; Shaking Things Up; and Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team. She is the recipient of an E. B. White Read Aloud Picture Book Honor, the Christopher Award, the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Golden Kite Award, and the Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, given annually for “a distinguished work of nonfiction that serves as an inspiration to young people.” Visit her at www.susanhoodbooks.com.Greg Dawson has been a journalist for over fifty years, winning awards for his work as a TV critic, columnist and feature writer at magazines and newspapers including 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 sixties written with his wife, Candy Dawson. To learn more go to www.gregdawsonbooks.com.