Annelies полностью

It made me very happy to receive your letter. You are so kind to have checked out my book so many times. And there is certainly nothing wrong with reading Nancy Drew either. Though I will have to admit that I read several Nancy Drew books when I first came to America and couldn’t understand what the heck was happening! That was probably because I was still so new to this country and never felt like I understood what the heck was happening inside or outside of the books I was reading.

And as far as what mean things people choose to think about Jews, I’m sorry to say that there’s nothing very new in that. Though I believe you are quite brave to try to do something about it. I can’t tell you if it’s worth getting in trouble with your grandma over it, though. That will have to be your decision.

Your friend,

Anne Frank

P.S.: I am sending you an autographed copy of “The Diary” in the mail. This way you’ll never have to borrow it from the library again. And you can assure your grandpa, or anyone who asks you, that it is true. All of it is true.

Dear Miss Frank,

My name is Sally Schneider, and I am in the sixth grade at William Howard Taft Elementary School. (We just call it “Taft.”) I am a very big fan of your diary, but I feel bad sometimes, because my last name is Schneider, which is German. My grandmother came from Germany before World War II, but I still feel sorry for what the Germans did to your Jewish people. My mom says it’s none of our business what happened in Europe and that I should be proud of my German heritage. Which I am. There’s a festival every fall (called Oktoberfest), and I always help my nana make the “Baumkuchen.” She won’t talk about World War II or Germany at all, because she says she is a good American now. Which she is. But I still felt sad reading your book, although I also really liked it. It’s confusing, isn’t it?

I hope you are happy being an American now too. Maybe one day we can meet if you ever visit Cincinnati (Ohio).

Yours truly,

Sally Schneider

Dear Sally,

It IS confusing. Yes! But you don’t need to feel bad because you are from German stock. It took me quite a long time, I’ll confess, but I can honestly say I am no longer angry with the Germans simply for being German. And I could never think of blaming you for your ancestry. That is the same thing the Nazis did to the Jews, blamed children for the blood that flowed in their veins.

I have to disagree with your mom, however, if you don’t mind. What happens in the world is everybody’s business, especially when it comes to attempting to murder an entire people.

Thank you for sending me your letter, Sally. I hope I have explained how I feel on the subjects you broached. I am happy being an American now, though I often miss being a “Niederlander” in Amsterdam.

Enjoy your time at “Taft.”

Anne Frank

Dear Miss Frank,

Our teacher gave us the assignment to write to our favorite author, so of course I picked you! All the girls in my class have read your diary, and we all really, really love it!

My mom got me “The Diary of a Young Girl” for my birthday, and I must have read it ten times already. And every time I finish it, it makes me feel good, even though what happened to you is very, very sorrowful.

Thank you for letting us read about your life during World War II. My teacher says you must have been very courageous, and I agree!

Your fan,

Judy Borstein

Township Middle School

Morristown, New Jersey

Dear Judy,