Prompt #12

 Readers’ Advisory Matrix for Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

1.       Where is the book on the narrative continuum? 

Highly Narrative (readers like fiction)

2.      What is the subject of the book? 

The book is a diary that Anne Frank wrote while hiding in an attic from the nazis during the Holocaust.   

3.      What type of book is it? A memoir in epistolary form.

4.      Articulate appeal?

What is the pacing of the book?  It is conversational and reads quickly. 

Describe the characters in the book.  It is a character-driven novel.

The People in the Attic

Anne Frank, the diary's author, grows up hidden in the attic and puts her most intimate and formative thoughts in the diary.  

Margot Frank, Anne’s sister, shows up in the diary when Anne is frustrated or angry. 

Otto Frank, Anne’s father, moved to Amsterdam to be free from prejudice and to have a better life.  Once they started to gather the Jews, he decided to hide his family in the attic.  Otto Frank is the only one who survives and decides to share Anne’s diary with the world.

Edith Frank, Anne’s mother. They have a close mother-daughter bond, but their relationship can be tumultuous.

Mr. Van Daan is the father of the second family, hiding in the attic, and a co-worker of Otto Frank.

Mrs. Van Daan, the mother of the second family hiding in the attic, fights a lot with her husband.

Peter Van Daan, the son.  At first, he argues with Anne, but then romantic feelings happen; he is Anne’s first kiss.

Albert Dussel is a dentist who is friends with Franks. He shares the room with Anne and drives her crazy.      

How does the story feel?  Sad, Depressing, and Haunting. 

What was the intent of the author?  Anne intended to make her diary a birthday present for herself; she called the diary her friend Kitty and shared her life experiences as a source of comfort.  It became a picture of her feelings growing up and being a Jew during the Nazi Holocaust.  Later, she wanted to publish the diary to fight Nazism.    

What is the focus of the story?  What would it feel like to live in an attic with seven people and always be quiet, not to attract any attention, if the nazi were not to find them?  

Does the language matter?  Yes, Anne Frank was an insightful and descriptive writer. 

Is the setting important and well-described? Yes! It is essential for the plot. Anne started her diary in their apartment on June 12, 1942; on July 6, 1942, it was the first day in the attic.   Anne was a descriptive writer.  She begins by describing her apartment and, later, the attic. 

Are there details, and if so, of what? Anne described both ordinary details and significant details in her life. She explained what the attic looked like, how people survived, and the relationships between those in the attic. 

Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Pictures of each inhabitant and the attic are at the end of the diary, but most of it is Anne’s diary.   

Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?  Yes!  The book teaches about what it is like being Jewish during the Nazi Party's reign.  The steps they took to survive in the attic, as well as their everyday life and experience of being stuck in an attic with seven other people, hiding from the Nazis. The last day in Anne’s Diary was August 1, 1944, when they were found in the attic, arrested, and sent to the concentration camps.  They would all die in the concentration camps, except for Anne’s father.           

5.   Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

1.      1. True experience 2. Details in the book 3. Tone