The Children of Willesden Lane

This is the true story of a 14-year-old musical prodigy. Suddenly, music was taken away from her, along with her family, her cultural heritage, her country, and all her possessions except those that would fit in one suitcase. Lisa Jura dreamed of becoming a concert pianist and was striving toward achieving that goal. Lisa was a typical early teen. Lisa had three sisters and devoted parents. And then one day there was a soldier standing guard at her beloved piano teacher’s studio. At the end of her lesson she heard the words, “I am sorry, Miss Jura. But I am required to tell you that I cannot continue to teach you. From that point readers will be engaged in a story of heartbreak, fear, loneliness, and loss. But they will be more engaged with a young girl, her peers, and sheltering adults who taught her lessons of courage, survival, and resilience. This is the story of a young teen who was able to create a new life for herself and become a beacon of hope of all the children of Willesden Lane. This book has been adapted for young readers. As I read the book I longed to be sharing it with a classroom of students and have the rich conversations about life that this powerful narrative creates. In a horrifying time, this is a story of exquisite grace and overcoming. There is also adventure, risk, and problem-solving in the stories of resistance.  There are references to the horror of those times but the powerful messages relate to adapting and growing and thinking of others. I feel this book is best shared as a class read-aloud. My next option would be to have students explore the book in literature circles.

Additional features of the book include A Conversation with Mona Golabek, Timeline of the Holocaust, Historical Background, and Discussion Questions & Activities (I’m not so fond of those because they don’t seem to elicit genuine conversations), and Resources that include extensive educational materials.

Mona Golabek is the daughter of Lisa Jura. She continued her mother’s legacy, becoming an internationally celebrated concert pianist. She is the star of the one-woman show The Pianist of Willesden Lane. Although Mona is not a children’s author she and the co-author, Lee Cohen, are able to make Lisa Jura so real, so beautiful, so troubled, and so talented that the story is gripping from beginning to end. Mona knew her mother well, learning the stories of Willesden Lane as her mother taught her piano lessons. Those were lessons learning to play the piano and getting to know the remarkable woman who was her mother. She decided to tell her mother’s story because she felt it was important for young people to ponder the big idea, “What do you hold on to in life when facing great challenges?” This story will help young people determine that for themselves. As one young man told Mona after a school visit, “I don’t know yet what I want to do with my life, but this book has helped me decide what kind of person I want to be?” Who could resist a book that leads a young man to make this kind of profession?

Pathways Themes: Yesterday, Personal Feelings & Growth, Social Issues & Culture

Reviewed by Krystal Bishop, EdD

Professor of Education

Southern Adventist University

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