NCSS Notable Trade Book Lesson Plan: Hana’s Suitcase

The lesson for the Notable Trade book, Hana’s Suitcase, by Karen Levine, focuses on two stories: the story of a little girl who dies because she was born a Jew and the story surrounding the historical research performed by Fumiko Ishioka to learn Hana’s story. This book contains the true story of Hana’s life before and during the Holocaust, and provides much information on the events that happened both to Hana and to a million and a half other children in that era. The fact that Hana’s brother survived and helped to create this book provides a positive ending to an otherwise sad family tale. Knowledge of the Holocaust, the character traits of families, and the traits of those who do historical research are stressed in the lesson.