Hana's Suitcase Anniversary Album Association of Jewish Libraries' Reviews September/October 2013 Hana’s Suitcase received unanimous approval from the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee in 2002. When the award was presented to Karen Levine at the AJL Conference in Toronto the following year, AJL members had the added privilege of hearing from Hana’s brother George; the event brought tears to most attendee’s eyes. Ten years (and over thirty printings) later, an expanded version of the book has been re-issued. The original text is still here. It includes Hana’s life in Moravia, her fate during the Shoah, her life in Terezin, and her death at the age of thirteen at Auschwitz. Alternating with Hana’s biography, the book tells of her rediscovery by Fumiko Ishioka, director of the Tokyo Holocaust Center and its Children’s Section. The original story ends with the arrival of George Brady, Hana’s brother, and his welcome to the Tokyo museum. Following the 2004 Afterword, the Anniversary Album contains 65 pages of additional material.

It includes new statements by Karen Levine, Fumiko Ishioka and George Brady; memories by survivors who knew Hana and George as children; covers of 34 international editions; information about the documentary movie and play based on Hana’s life; and a wealth of photos, stories, and poems by children (primarily in Canada but also in the U.S.) who have been moved by the book. Together, they testify to Karen Levine’s powerful telling, and its emotional resonance across generations and around the world. Hana’s Suitcase is a “Must Have” purchase for every Judaica library from small synagogues to seminaries and large universities. If you don’t have it, buy this new version. If you do already own it, the additional information here will increase its power for every reader. As a testament to what books can still do in the digital age, the investment is well worth it.