Anne Frank and Me, by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld is a book in the social issues genre. It was copyrighted in 2004.

Anne Frank and Me is a wonderful book for eighth graders. I would definitely recommend it. However, if you are not very interested in World War II, this book is most likely not something you would enjoy, as the book mainly focuses on how the main character survives the German invasion. Overall, Anne Frank and Me is a good book for teachers to use in eighth grade.

At the beginning, Anne Frank and Me captures the essential, everyday parts of being a teen: who likes who, field trips, and long school days. Next, the main character, Nicole, is thrown into a fantasy of being a struggling Jewish girl in the early 1940s. At this point, the story takes a dramatic turn. Nicole has to grow up quickly and live by rules that she never knew existed. Anne Frank and Me shows how life really was for Jewish families during World War II. This book follows along with the curriculum for eighth grade, going over the German invasion of France. I believe that the story is engaging enough to keep teens from labeling it “just another history book”. The reader truly feels as if they are going through the same hardships as Nicole. The reader experiences Nicole’s own pain when her family is forced into hiding, and her fear for her sister’s life on the train to Drancy.

In conclusion, Anne Frank and Me is a book that I feel every eighth grader should read. It is compelling, authentic, and aligns well with history.