The polar bear is known by many names in different languages--White Bear, Ice Bear, Sea Bear. It is Sailor of the Icebergs, Whale's Curse, Seal's Dread. It is the animal deserving of great respect, the Ever-wandering One, the Master of Helping Spirits, Grandfather, or God's Dog. Whatever its name, what is certain is that this majestic, Arctic animal is threatened by extinction and in need of human protection before it disappears from our world forever.

In Anna Olswanger's middle-grade novel Greenhorn, a young Holocaust survivor arrives in 1946 at a New York yeshiva where he will study and live. His only possession is a small box that he never lets out of his sight. Daniel, the young survivor, rarely talks, but the narrator, a stutterer who bears the taunts of the other boys, comes to consider Daniel his friend.

The mystery of what's in the box propels this short work, but it's in the complex relationships among the schoolboys that the human story is revealed. In the end, Aaron, the stutterer, finds his voice and a friend in Daniel, and their bond offers hope for a future life of dreams realized, one in which Daniel is able to let go of his box.

Greenhorn is a powerful story, perfect for families to read together, that gives human dimension to the Holocaust. It poignantly underscores our flawed humanity and speaks to the healing value of friendship.