26. The Devils Arithmetic was written by Jane Yolen and this book was published in 1988. This is a story about a girl named Hannah Stern, who happens to be Jewish and lives in New York. During a Passover Seder, Hannah is transported back in time to Poland during the World War II where she is sent to a death camp. One of the biggest themes in the book relates to history and the past. Hannah initially demonstrates an apathy towards her own heritage, and shows no interest in going to the Passover Seder dinner. Another big theme is about sacrifice. In order to survive her ordeal in the death camp prisoners much sacrifice much. Many of them including Hannah give their lives in hope of possibly saving others. This book I was say would be intended…show more content… Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was written by J.K. Rowling and was published in 1998. The Sorcerer’s Stone is the first book in one of my favorite book series. Harry was orphaned as a baby and was brought up by his aunt and uncle. Harry grows up to be a timid boy unsure of his abilities. His sudden fame as a wizard at Hogwarts comes not just as a total contrast to his earlier life of misery, but as a fate. Almost all characters in this series are ones you will never forget. This book which is full of magic keeps you turning the pages to see what is going to happen next. One of themes in the book is the value of humility. Harry never stops being humble even with his rise of fame as a wizard. When Harry discovers that everyone knows his name on the train to Hogwarts he does not turn cocky but simply hopes that he can live up to his reputation. The dangers of desire is another theme in this story. Excessive desire is condemned in this story’s beginning with the Dudley’s outrageous demands, the same greed appears later in the story in a much more evil form. A lot of parents think this series is not appropriate for children because of the “witchcraft” but without this series my childhood would not be the same. When children read this story they do not look at whether this book is about things like witchcraft, they only see how fun the story is and if they can relate to the characters in the