A Father's Promise cover

A Father's Promise

by Donna L. Hess

When the Nazis invade Poland and bomb his home city of Warsaw, young Rudi Kaplan finds out that he is Hitler's enemy because he is a Pole, a Jew, and a Christian. For weeks he watches as his friends and neighbors are kicked out of their homes, beaten, and arrested by the invaders. Rudi and his father try to help the wounded and starving Poles while keeping out of the Germans' way; but they know that sooner or later their Jewish identity will be discovered. To escape being sent to a concentration camp, Rudi must venture alone into the frozen forest outside the city. Even harder than learning how to survive is learning whom to trust. The only thing that sustains Rudi is a promise from his father and from his God. - Back cover.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?