"David and Max"by Gary Provost and Gail Provost Stockwell

David and Max: Further Study

Information for Middle School Teachers, Parents and Students

“Against a multifaceted backdrop of basketball, Jewish-Christian relationships, first crush, a mystery, death an even the plight of the homeless, David eventually learns the details of Max Levene's Holocaust tragedies and that his grandmother is really his step-grandmother. He becomes a catalyst for truth-telling and catharsis, but equally crucial is his discovery that while truth is important, a person's way of handling difficulties must be respected, for it may be the best solution in a world that is not black and white, but gray... Readers will remain interested because of the chatty, humorous ways of the title duo. ”
– Publisher's Weekly

“As young David slowly learns the full meaning behind the numbers tattooed on his grandfather’s arm, he also learns a great deal about himself, love, and friendship. Touching and well-written, this book makes the tragedy of World War II real for middle school students and early teens.”
— New Jersey Education Association (NJEA)

“In the study of the Holocaust, it is essential to remember ‘who’ we lost in this historic period. First, we need to rescue the individual, then the family and then the history. If we look only at the ‘victim’ in the Holocaust, we deny the person he or she was. If we look only at the ‘survivor,’ we neglect those who did not survive. If we look only at the ‘perpetrator,’ we negate the ‘righteous’ who risked their lives to save others; and if we ignore the ‘ones who stood by and watched,’ we too become bystanders. If we do not look at a life in context with all of its aspects, we then fail to educate.”
— Holocaust Educator, Ann Miracle

Now Available!

Teacher's Resource Guide and Student Activities Book
TEACH TO REACH SERIES:
David and Max Edition

The David and Max Companion Teacher's Study Guide:
Using David and Max to Introduce Middle-School Students to Holocaust Studies

Download your copy of "Using David and Max to Introduce Middle-School Students to Holocaust Studies," a complimentary teacher's study guide, developed by children's Holocaust Educator, Ann Miracle, by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat PDF - 180kb)

“Through further research and discussion, parents and teachers can help students search for answers as they get in touch with their own emotions. Through such exploration, children may develop a constructive desire to join in a search for “tikkun olam” – the repair of the world. Using David and Max as a tool."
— Gail Provost Stockwell, author of David and Max

Notable Quotes

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
— Abraham Lincoln

"When you have a choice to make and you don't make it, that in itself is a choice."
— William James

"The world is too dangerous to live in, not because of the people who do evil, but because of the people who sit and let it happen."
— Albert Einstein

Young readers of David and Max come to care deeply for Max. They vicariously experience the values Max had cherished. Early on, they learn that Max had urged David to fill his heart with “good things, not this business of dying.” Later, readers understand Max’s words of advice had truly come from the heart.

For, despite the unbearable conditions during the Holocaust, Max had tried to fill his mind not with hatred, but with thoughts of his family. He remembered each family member. He remembered the life he had known and valued in the "old country." And he dreamed that one day he would be reunited with his beloved Klare, in America.

These positive behaviors contributed to Max’s survival. They also reflect the power of a loving heart. The power of connection. The power of the human spirit.

David and Max: Further Study

Information for Middle School Teachers, Parents and Students