Helen looks back with regret and sadness on events in her childhood during the Nazi occupation of France. As a small girl, she was unable to comprehend the fear and injustice experienced by her best friend, Lydia, who was Jewish. To Helen, the yellow star was "pretty," and Lydia's decision to go home after a frightening event rather than spend the night for Helen's birthday was hurtful. The day after her birthday, Helen has forgiven Lydia for leaving, but it's too late. The Germans have come, and Lydia and her family are gone. Stark, full-page illustrations accompany a painful, somber story about the Holocaust. (Ages 7-10)

Set in France, during the Nazi occupation of World War II, a gentile child named Helen recalls the mounting persecution of her Jewish friend. She wonders why does her best friend, Lydia, have to wear a yellow star? Why are people in hiding and using strange names? What is Lydia afraid of? Touching upon the Holocaust with sensitivity and poignancy, Star of Fear, Star of Hope will help readers understand this difficult event in history.