The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of The Choice – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of The Choice

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2025

95%

WISE Score

4.8

Amazon

A stunning, punch-to-the-gut memoir that proves your mind can be free even when your body isn't.

The Ballerina of Auschwitz: Young Adult Edition of The Choice

book

2025

95%

WISE Score

4.8

Amazon

A stunning, punch-to-the-gut memoir that proves your mind can be free even when your body isn't.

4.8

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Screenwise Verdict

This isn't just another history assignment; it's a survival manual for the soul. Dr. Edith Eger is the real deal, and this YA adaptation of her bestseller 'The Choice' is one of the most enriching things a teenager could possibly read.

It’s heavy, yes—you’re going to Auschwitz—but it’s remarkably devoid of the 'misery porn' feel that some historical memoirs fall into. Instead, it’s fast-paced, deeply personal, and surprisingly hopeful. If your kid is ready for the reality of the Holocaust, this is the book to give them. It’s 100% worth the emotional weight.

Age Fit

Best for ages 12 and up. It’s perfect for the 7th or 8th grader who is starting to learn about WWII, but honestly, every adult should read this too. It’s not 'easy,' but it’s essential.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

While the setting is the literal opposite of 'wholesome,' the book’s core is built on sisterly devotion, the power of the human spirit, and the refusal to let hate win. It models profound emotional maturity and kindness under the most extreme circumstances.

Imaginative

As a memoir, it's rooted in fact, but Eger’s use of dance and mental visualization as a survival tool highlights the incredible power of the internal imagination to transcend physical suffering.

Safe

For the 12+ crowd, it’s safe but heavy. It deals with the Holocaust—starvation, death, and Nazi cruelty—but this YA edition is carefully calibrated to be educational and impactful without being gratuitously graphic or traumatizing for a middle-schooler.

Enriching

This is a masterclass in psychology and history. Dr. Eger is a world-renowned psychologist; she isn't just telling a story, she's teaching kids how to process trauma and exercise their own agency in any 'prison' they find themselves in.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

It’s written by a survivor who became a psychologist, so the 'life lessons' actually carry weight and aren't just platitudes.
The focus on her life as a dancer and gymnast makes the history feel personal and relatable to modern kids with their own passions.
It emphasizes 'choice'—the idea that we can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond.
The bond between Edie and her sister Magda is a beautiful look at sibling loyalty.

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What to Watch For

It’s the Holocaust. There is mention of gas chambers, mass death, and extreme physical abuse, though handled for a YA audience.
The 'dancing for Nazis' scene is emotionally devastating and may require some decompression time after reading.
Themes of 'survivor's guilt' are prominent and might be complex for younger readers to grasp without a chat.

Conversation Starters

"Edie says the 'prison' is in our minds—what do you think she means by that in your own life?"
"How did her passion for dance help her stay alive when everything else was taken away?"
"Why do you think it was so important for her and her sister to stay together, even when it made things harder?"
"What did you think about the 'brains vs. looks' dynamic in her family before the war started?"

Deep Dive

The grown-up original: This is the official young readers adaptation of The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eva Eger — Edith Eva Eger's own retelling, at a length and reading level a middle-schooler can finish. When they close this one and want more, the original is the natural next step.

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