You might wonder why a book set in the ghettos of Warsaw during the Holocaust would be called Milkweed. So did I and it wasn't until I was more than halfway through the book that I figured that out.

In the book all of the characters were orphans except Janina. Janina's parents would invite Misha, the other main character, to come into the family. Misha Pilsudski wasn't his real name, his name was Joseph. Uri, who was an orphan, gave him that name so no one thought that he was a Jew.

This book shows the struggles of those living in Warsaw's ghettos. In the ghetto there were not just Jews; there were Gypsies and people that betrayed Hitler. The conditions were very horrid. There were a lot of dead people on the streets and not one proper burial. People were stealing food from other people so they wouldn't starve. There were a lot of hangings and killings for no reason. No one was safe from the gunfire in the streets.

In this time people needed help to survive in Warsaw. Many people were hoping that God had answers. This is where milkweed comes in. Milkweed is a symbol of hope and an angel. The first time Misha and Janina saw a puff of milkweed they thought that they were being watched over by an angel. At this time they thought that they would go to heaven and have a happy ending to life.















































Jerry Spinelli has created a novel that is really emotional. You see and picture how the war was back then in Warsaw. It makes me think that every time we complain about our lives it is nothing compared to what the Gypsies and the Jewish people went through.