Read the excerpt from The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen.

"Grandpa Dan wasn’t in the camps, thank God. He was born in America, just like you. That’s because my family came over to this country in the early 1900s, second class. Not steerage.” She got that faraway look that signaled she was about to recite another part of the family saga.

Read the excerpt from Refugee by Alan Gratz.

"Do you want the Nazis to catch you? Do you want them to send you back to that place?” Josef hissed at Papa. . . .

Aaron Landau dropped his wife’s hand, dragged his oversized coat sleeve across his face, and stood rigidly at attention, eyes forward.

Like a prisoner.

The doctor came down their row, looking at each person in turn. When he got to Papa, Josef held his breath. The doctor looked Josef’s father up and down, then moved on. Josef sagged with relief. They’d made it. His father had passed the doctor’s inspection!

How do Gratz and Yolen write differently about leaving one’s home country?

Yolen shows that immigrants faced enormous difficulties, while Gratz shows refugees traveling safely to their new home.
Yolen shows that immigrants desperately missed their home countries, while Gratz shows refugees looking forward to living in their new country.
Yolen describes a safe and comfortable journey across the ocean, while Gratz shows that fleeing during the war was dangerous.
Yolen describes immigrants dealing with poor conditions on the ships, while Gratz shows that refugees traveled in luxury.