The Red Magician
On the eve of World War II, a young, red-haired magician who calls himself V_r_s arrives in a small Hungarian village, prophesying death and destruction. The only one to believe him is thirteen-year-old Kicsi. She tries to help him warn the villagers, but the local rabbi, who also possesses magical powers, frustrates their attempts. Then the Nazis come, and everyone in the village, including Kicsi and her family, are sent to concentration camps. Can the power of V_r_s, the Red Magician, help them survive? The Red Magician is a notable work of Holocaust literature, as well as a marvelously entertaining fantasy that is wise and transcendent.