The Janusz Korczak Association of Canada is proud to announce the release of The Wizard of Warsaw, a powerful new graphic novel by Katarzyna Wasylak that reimagines the life and legacy of Dr. Janusz Korczak through the eyes of a young boy living in wartime Warsaw. Commissioned by the Association, this 291-page manga-style novel blends historical fact, Jewish folklore, and magical realism to tell the story of a child who believes in magic—and the real-life hero who inspired it. With a rich visual style that will appeal to young readers and fans of stories like My Neighbour Totoro, The Wizard of Warsaw is both an accessible introduction to the Holocaust and a tribute to the enduring power of imagination, friendship, and moral courage.
Plot summary:
The Wizard of Warsaw follows 12 year old Kajtek at the start of World War II in Warsaw.
Kajtek believes he’s a sorcerer, but can’t seem to stay out of trouble – in fact, when we meet him, he’s attempting to fulfill a dare that nearly lands him in jail. On the run from the authorities, he’s helped by a lonely stranger his age named Tomek. While both boys come from different families – Kajtek’s is a poor Jewish family, and Tomek’s is wealthy – they become friends, and plan to explore the mysterious orphanage near Tomek’s house. Kajtek is fascinated by automatons, and believes the Jewish children in the orphanage are mindless dolls enchanted by the Doctor in charge of the orphanage. But as his families’ fortunes change, he’s forced to join the orphanage – and realizes he has it all wrong.
Far from it being a prison, he discovers that the Doctor has created a place entirely run by children. They have their own court system and newspaper, and the kind Doctor tells the children marvelous stories. As Kajtek’s confidence grows, the situation for Jewish people in Warsaw progressively worsens. His friend Tomek also ends up in the orphanage, and the friends are reunited. While the adults running the orphanage struggle with food shortages, and increasing pressures from Nazi authorities, Kajtek offers to teach his friends real magic. Using the legend of the Golem and a magic nut that brings drawings to life, Kajtek is sure he can save the doctor and the other children.
As Nazi soldiers take the Doctor and his children to the trains, Kajtek is hit by a burst of inspiration and tells his friends to quickly draw pictures of Golems. As the magic nut glows and the officers reach for the children, Golems spring off the page and fight off the soldiers. On the last pages, the children’s drawings flutter into the sky: defeated soldier-cockroaches, cheering children, the smiling Doctor, and a train car with wings, flying towards freedom.
The book is available for purchase at Amazon sites: