Barstow's Media Center

Boxes for Katje by Candace FlemingAfter the war, there was little left in the tiny Dutch town of Olst. The townspeople lived on cabbages and seed potatoes. They patched and repatched their worn-thin clothing, and they went without soap or milk, sugar or new shoes." Set in post-World War II Holland and based on an actual incident, this story illuminates a little-known episode in history. To offset the devastation left by the war, the Children's Aid Society and other relief agencies encouraged American students to send boxes of basic necessities to victimized children. When Katje in Olst receives such a box from Rosie in Mayfield, IN, the two begin a correspondence that eventually triggers a relief effort that enables this small Dutch town to make it through an unbearably frigid winter. -- School Library Journal


I read this book for the first time last year and I thought that it was so good that I recommended my friend, Ms. Beighley, to read it. This story really showed how important people are to one another; no matter how far away!
I give this story my highest rating - *****five stars.
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