The Devil's Arithmetic Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

The Devil's Arithmetic Plot Summary

Preview of The Devil's Arithmetic Summary:

In Jane Yolen's novel, The Devil's Arithmetic, a girl from a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, finds herself magically transported to a village in Europe during World War II. The villagers, all Jewish, are taken by Nazi soldiers to a concentration camp. During the course of the story, many of the characters are sent to the gas chambers, "chosen" for death by the camp commandant. The girl, Hannah Stern, slowly begins to lose memory of her life and family in New Rochelle, as the terrifying events of her new life increasingly take over her consciousness. Her initial suspicion that she is in an elaborate dream gradually gives way to the grim reality of the camp. There, her name is Chaya Abramowitz, but even that is taken away by the Nazis, who tattoo the arms of all the prisoners with identification numbers. Hannah and her family are helped at...
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