42 pages 1 hour read

Lauren Tarshis

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of the Holocaust and antisemitism. 

It’s August 10, 1944, in Loda Forest, eastern Poland. Across Europe, Jewish people are being hunted, and 11-year-old Max Rosen is determined to survive. He thought he and his younger sister, Zena, would be safe in the forest, but now they are caught in a bombing attack. German planes roar overhead, dropping bombs that explode with devastating force. Trees are ablaze, and shards of wood and metal are flying in all directions. Soon, “soldiers with machine guns [will] stampede through the forest” (2), hunting people down. Max grips Zena’s hand as they run, but a strong explosion tears them apart, sending Max flying into a ditch. As he looks up, dazed, he sees a massive flaming tree crashing down toward him.

Chapter 2 Summary

Three days earlier, in the Jewish ghetto of Esties, Poland, Max and Zena walk down a dark, filthy street. They are hungry and desperate: They haven’t eaten since the previous night, and they have no money, but they refuse to give up. Suddenly, two German soldiers appear, and the siblings quickly hide in a gutter. Max would like to hit them and chase them out of the town.

Related Titles

By Lauren Tarshis

Study Guide

logo

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Lauren Tarshis

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Lauren Tarshis

Study Guide

logo

I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

Lauren Tarshis

I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

Lauren Tarshis

Study Guide

logo

I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011

Lauren Tarshis

I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011

Lauren Tarshis

Study Guide

logo

I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

Lauren Tarshis

I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

Lauren Tarshis

Study Guide

logo

I Survived The Shark Attacks Of 1916

Lauren Tarshis

I Survived The Shark Attacks Of 1916

Lauren Tarshis