Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoy reading Holocaust memoirs (as best you can) and this one held up. However, I do think it could have held up on its own, as Hannah’s story was very good, and gripping on its own. She did name drop Anne Frank a lot, which was fine because I do realize she played a big part in her life, but Hannah’s story held up on her own and didn’t need to always refer to Anne Frank.

My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds was a truly moving account of the author’s life and her best and dearest friend, Anne Frank. The first time Hannah and Anne met they were four years old. Both little girls were in a food market with their mothers when they overheard each other speaking in German. Both families had recently fled Germany and the Nazi regime and found themselves in neutral Amsterdam. When Hannah and Anne began school, they discovered that they were in the same class. From that day on, Hannah and Anne became best friends.

I vividly remember reading the book, The Diary of Anne Frank, as a young girl and how I cried my eyes out as I learned about all that Anne had endured in Amsterdam during World War II. Now so many years later, I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to read Anne Frank’s best friend’s story. This opportunity brought with it a greater understanding for me into not only Anne Frank’s life but into Hannah Pick-Goslar’s life. My Friend Anne Frank beautifully depicted Hannah’s and Anne’s special friendship but also described the close knit bond both of their families shared with each other.

As best friends, Hannah and Anne were bound to have occasional disagreements. Hannah felt terrible that Anne and her had had an argument. She went to Anne’s house to try and make things right. After many knocks, the renter finally opened the door and told Hannah that Anne and her family were not there. Hannah learned that day that Anne and her family had escaped to Switzerland. Hannah was so glad for her friend. In the pursuing years, as Hannah and her family were made to go to a transit camp and then to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Hannah would often think of her good friend and be glad that she was safe in Switzerland. It was very shocking news for Hannah when she learned that Anne and her sister Margot were also prisoners at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp when Hannah and her younger sister were there. Hannah and Anne met at the fence that separated their camps but never got to hug or see each other. The fence that separated the two friends was stuffed heavily with straw making it impossible to see through it. It stretched between their two sections but both Hannah and Anne were able to hear each other’s voices. They spoke a little about what they each had gone through and who they had lost. Each girl confessed to the other that they often thought of one another despite their ordeals. Anne and Margot had been in Auschwitz before they were transported to Bergen-Belsen. Hannah was so happy to have found Anne again and prayed that she would survive so they could see each other after the war was over. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

I felt so privileged to have had the chance to read this heartfelt and inspiring story. It must have been extremely difficult for Hannah to dredge up so many of her memories that she so willingly shared in her memoir. Hannah was into her nineties when she began this undertaking. It is so important, more so now than ever, to read these true accounts from Holocaust survivors because soon there will be none left to tell their stories. There stories must be read and shared. What an incredible friendship Anne and Hannah had. Although, only one survived to tell their story, Anne lived on in Hannah’s memories. Anne also had the foresight to keep a written account of her life during the time her family was in hiding in her precious diary. Both Hannah and Anne shared something so beautiful during such a dark and dangerous time. Thank you Hannah Pick-Goslar for sharing your story and the friendship you shared with Anne Frank in this powerful and must read book that you wrote. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Little, Brown Spark Publishers for allowing me to read My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been enthralled with the story of Anne Frank since the 3rd grade when I wrote a paper about her famous diary. Reading another side of that story through Anne’s friend, Hannah, shed light on so many areas of that horrible time in history that I hadn’t known previously. It’s never easy reading books or watching movies about the Holocaust but we can’t ever forget. I give this book a resounding 5 stars.

This book does not disappoint. Having been an Anne enthusiast since my first reading of the diary in fourth grade, I have read a handful of accounts related to her story. In addition to the diary, most memorable of said readings would be Miep's biography Anne Frank Remembered. Reading Anne's diary draws us into the days in hiding, and memories of life before the Nazi reign of Amsterdam. Miep's story also gives us a glimpse into the days in hiding from the ones on the "outside" of the hidden staircase and the days following the concentration camps, with the return of Otto Frank; alone. My Friend Anne Frank takes us somewhere neither of these previous tales could take us. It takes us to Bergen-Belsen where Anne and Hannah reunite momentarily to speak through barbed wired covered in straw. I found myself reading this like a thriller. I knew the outcome, but I was still so anxious.
I loved hearing Hannah's life story. It was full of hope through the sorrow. I loved the solid family foundation she had and the recognition of her part of what an impact this had on her ability to live well as an adult. I loved her loyalty to her sister Gabi.
I am so thankful that Dina Kraft was able to compose this tale before Hannah's death.
Thank you for this beautiful story. Recommend.

"...nothing in life is permanent. A quiet, loving, comfortable existence can be stolen away by the powerful forces of hate."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to preview this book!

In 1933, Hannah’s family fled from Germany as they were Jewish. They moved to Amsterdam, next door to the Frank family. The girls developed a friendship almost instantly, as they were the same age and lonely. They made many memories together before their families were torn apart by the war. Anne vanished suddenly one day, leaving Hannah to question what happened to her friend for years.

This was a heartbreaking memoir. I have visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and Auschwitz. Reading about the Holocaust always brings me back to when I visited and how dark that part of history is. I liked that Hannah shared so much about when they were little girls and how their friendship blossomed. I also liked learning how Otto Frank stayed in touch and shared Anne’s diary with Hannah afterwards. Hannah survived so much, and has had such a remarkable life. I’m glad I got the chance to read her story.

In 1922 Hannah and her family fled Nazi Germany to live in Amsterdam. While there she met another young girl, named Anne Frank. They quickly became inseparable and enjoyed a carefree childhood. However, in 1942, the girls’ lives changed forever when the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam spread. When Anne and her family disappear, Hannah is left in disarray and wondering what happened to her best friend.

This was an interesting book, but it was not my favorite World War 2 memoir. I grabbed a copy because I loved the Diary of Anne Frank, and I usually love the memoirs of this time-period. I just felt that with this memoir nothing new was added. Maybe I have read too many at this point, but I usually find a new fact each time.

Now, don’t get me wrong, all the survivors deserve to have their story told. I just felt that this one got overshadowed by being friends with Anne Frank – which while interesting, the author’s own story was interesting on its own.

In this deeply moving account, the author’s words leap off the page, painting a vivid portrait of life in hiding during one of history's darkest periods. The vivid descriptions of her fellow inhabitants, their fears, conflicts, and shared moments of joy, show human connection. It's impossible not to become emotionally invested in the lives of these individuals as they are held captive.

Thank you so much to Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Spark, and Netgalley, @netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Pick-Goslar and her family fled Berlin as Hitler’s restrictions and violence against Jews became increasingly severe. They settled in Amsterdam where they became close family friends with the Franks and Hannah became best friends with their daughter Anne. Even as Germany invaded the Netherlands, Hannah, Anne and their friends maintained a level of youthful playfulness, until one day Anne and her family disappeared. Believing they had escaped to Switzerland, Hannah spend the next years firmly believing her dear friend was safe. Hannah and her family had a small sense of protection because of her father’s significance in the Jewish community but even that couldn’t save them from eventually landing in the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Hannah, who recently passed away, was a young teenager during the Holocaust meaning that we are quickly losing those who can personally speak to these atrocities. That is why this book is of utmost importance. Hannah’s story is remarkable and her resilience miraculous and her memoir is one that will be on my mind for years to come.

I received a digital Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book was super helpful and fascinating. I loved hearing Anne Frank's story from another perspective, while at the same time hearing the author's own story. There was so much emotion! My favorite character was definitely the author's younger sister.

Like most preteens in the time of my growing up, I read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was in junior high school. It was inconceivable to me that any young girl, with all the same hopes and dreams as those of myself and my friends, could possibly have experienced the horrors of the Holocaust. Anne’s plight remained in my heart and soul. When I was old enough, I traveled to Amsterdam and visited her house. Walking up the narrow staircase to her apartment I imagined I could hear the sound of Gestapo boots, and became so distressed that I had to leave.

My Friend Anne Frank, written by Hannah Pick-Goslar, is the only other first hand account of portions of Anne’s short life. Although this book is mostly Hannah’s story , the two girls’ lives intersected for a period of time and a deep friendship was formed. Both the Frank and Goslar families were Jewish middle class Germans living in Berlin. Each family fled to Amsterdam, becoming stateless, when the Nazi regime became intolerable for Jews. It was in Amsterdam that Hannah and Anne , along with their mothers, met in a store where their common German language helped forge a quick bond.

Detailed personal accounts of the slow steady decline in personal freedom coupled with the rise of totalitarian punitive laws aimed at Jews are at the core of Hannah’s story. Her family was fortunate enough to temporarily escape out of harm’s way. And then the round ups began. It was thought that Anne’s family was safe in Switzerland but Hannah found out that Anne was unfortunately nearby in Bergen-Belsen and the two friends were briefly reunited.

With courage, fortitude and a great deal of maturity beyond her chronological age, Hannah survived the nightmare of hopelessness and starvation while imprisoned with her tiny sister in the concentration camp. That she lived a long life , had a large family and was able to tell this important and compelling story is nothing short of a miracle.

Five stars for this beautifully written book. Many thanks to Netgally and the publisher, Little, Brown and Company for gifting me an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Publication is June 6, 2023, in just a few days.

In 7th grade, I picked up a book and it forever changed me. That book was actually the published diary of a girl who shared her hope and fears as an adolescent living in hiding from the Nazis during WWII. That girl was of course, Anne Frank, and I was so astounded at how optimistic of the world she could be even while enduring so much.

In the diary, Anne writes about her best friend Hannah, who she treasured greatly. So when I had the opportunity to read “My Friend Anne Frank”, written by Hannah herself, I jumped at the chance.

Like Anne and so many other Jewish people during WWII, Hannah suffered a great deal of heartbreak and devastation. Her family was forced to flee their home, suffered many losses and were put in concentration camps where they endured the unimaginable. My heart ached while reading Hannah’s account of events. Also like Anne though, Hannah remained such a positive light all throughout her life despite what happened and reading about her friendship and lifelong endearment towards Anne was so moving. Sadly, Hannah recently passed but I carry the hope now that her and Anne have finally been reunited.

Thank you Little Brown Spark for the advanced copy of this beautiful book.

Wow. This book was incredibly powerful and l would recommend it to everyone. This book felt like so many “close calls”. So many people were so close to surviving this tragedy around Hannah and it was heartbreaking. The perspective of families and friends going missing and not knowing if they were in hiding, if they actually escaped or if they were in concentration camps was difficult. My heart broke each time Hannah excitedly yearned for Anne in Switzerland. The parallel between Hannah and seeing her story, along with Anne’s, and coming full circle at Bergen-Belsen, was emotional, heart breaking and inspiring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah and Anne Frank were both from Jewish families who left Germany when Hitler came to power, and settled in Amsterdam. The girls, and their families, became close friends. One day Hannah goes to Anne's house and the family is gone. It's rumored that they escaped to Switzerland, as more and more Jews are being rounded up and Even though I have read many books about the Holocaust, I would definitely consider this one is a must-read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advance copy.

My Friend Anne Frank
The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds
by Hannah Pick-Goslar
Pub Date 06 Jun 2023
Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Spark
Biographies & Memoirs





In exchange for my review, Little Brown and Company and Netgalley provided me with a copy of My Friend Anne Frank:


Hannah Pick-Goslar fled Nazi Germany with her family in 1933 and settled in Amsterdam, where she formed a close friendship with her next-door neighbor, an outspoken and fun-loving girl named Anne Frank. The inseparable pair spent several years playing games, having sleepovers, and sharing treats with their Rivierenbuurt neighborhood friends. Hannah and Anne's lives abruptly changed in 1942. During the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Anne and the Frank family vanished, leaving unmade beds and dishes in the sink-but no trace of Anne's diary. Having been separated from her friend without warning, Hannah spent the next two years wondering if Anne had survived the danger by some miracle.



The long-awaited memoir of Hannah tells the story of her childhood during the Holocaust, from the introduction of anti-Jewish laws in Amsterdam to the disappearance of classmates and, eventually, the Frank family, to Hannah's imprisonment at Bergen-Belsen. Throughout her memoir, Hannah provides a searing look at what countless children suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime, as well as an intimate portrait of one of the Holocaust's most recognizable victims. This deeply moving story of childhood and friendship during one of history's darkest periods culminates in an astonishing fateful reunion.


I give My Friend Anne Frank five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A deeply moving story. Thank you, Hannah, for sharing it one last time.

Recommended Read if you want to learn more about Anne Frank, Germany, and Holland in WWII, the Jewish community in Holland, the concentration camps, and life after the war.

Expected Publication Date. 06/06/23
Goodreads review published 20/05/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for access to this title. I am auto-approved for Little, Brown, and Company. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hannah Goslar became a refugee in Amsterdam after Hitler began his reign of terror in Germany. She met Anne Frank in a grocery store again when they shared classes. Despite the ongoing war, the girls' lives went on until the day Anne disappeared. From that point on, Hannah discovered the horrific things being done to the Jewish population of Europe. Hannah tells the story of her life before, during, and most importantly after her time in the concentration camps.

Hannah Goslar knew the importance of her role in Anne Frank's story - to help keep it alive. Her decision in telling her story was to keep Anne's story and that of untold amounts of others alive. She details how she discovered the Frank family disappeared and how her family was rounded up as well as her own losses in the camps. Hannah's most significant achievement though was her life after the Holocaust. She went on to become a nurse, got married, and have a large family that she would jokingly call her "revenge" on Hitler. This book was extremely well written, and I enjoyed learning more about Hannah Goslar and her life. Hannah Pock-Goslar died at the beautiful age of 93 in 2022 after a long life in Israel. May her memory be a blessing.

As Hitler took power in Germany, many of Germany’s Jews fled to other countries. Two of those families were the Franks from Frankfurt and the Goslars from Berlin. As it happened, they moved into neighboring Amsterdam apartments and the mothers soon became acquainted. They had daughters the same age, Anne Frank and Hannah Goslar, then five years old and starting to attend the local Montessori school. The girls became fast friends and stayed close until the day the Franks went into hiding.

But Hannah was to meet Anne again, this time at Bergen-Belsen. Hannah, her father, little sister and grandmother had been rounded up in June of 1943, held at the Westerbork detention camp for months, and then sent to Bergen-Belsen in February 1944. They were housed in a “privileged” part of the camp because they held passports for British Mandate Palestine and were among those the Germans thought they might exchange for German POWs. Anne and her family went into hiding in Amsterdam in July 1942, were discovered and sent to Westerbork in August 1944, sent on to Auschwitz and then, as the Russians advanced, they were moved to Bergen-Belsen in November, 1944. But the camp had no barracks for the influx of thousands of new prisoners, who were left outside in the winter with only tents for shelter.

When Hannah heard that there were Dutch Jews among the new arrivals, she approached the fence between her area and the open area to see if there was anybody she knew there. She was shocked to discover that Anne and her sister Margot were there, since the word when the Franks went into hiding was that they had gone to Switzerland. Hannah and Anne were able to make brief contact three times before Anne died of typhus in February or March of 1945, at just age 15.

While Pick-Goslar writes much about Anne Frank and her family, this book is as much about Hannah’s life, and gives us a glimpse at the tiny elements that could mean the difference between life and death. Though Hannah and her family had been rounded up more than a year before the Franks, she and her younger sister survived where Anne and her sister didn’t. Hannah was generally healthier than Anne, and though her camp barracks were pest-ridden and overcrowded and food scarce, that was far better than the prisoners held outside under only tents and having come from Auschwitz. Though Hannah was devastated by the death of her father in the camp, she felt the need to do whatever it took to take care of her much-younger sister. Anne believed that both her parents had been killed at Auschwitz, and when her sister Margot died, she believed she had nobody left. On such differences between the two girls balanced life and death.

Here follows a summary of Hannah’s life: <spoiler>After Anne’s death, Hannah had still more challenges. It was just after Hannah saw Anne the third time that her father died of pleurisy caused by poor working conditions. Despite being deprived of news from the outside world, word spread among the Bergen-Belsen prisoners that the Allies were advancing on Germany from both sides. Hannah was told that she and her sister were to be transported to the Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia, still considered pawns in a possible prisoner swap. But they were on what is now called the “Lost Train.” Nearly two weeks went by on the journey, constantly interrupted by the chaos of war, with many prisoners dying along the way. Then their guards disappeared and the train was found by advancing Russian troops. The prisoners were told by the Russians to commandeer food and shelter in one of the two nearby villages. They were in no shape to do that, but fortunately most of the villagers had fled the Nazis and the prisoners were able to move into their houses. Not long after, American troops and the Red Cross provided care and transportation home.

It took many months of care for Hannah to recuperate and gain strength. She met and corresponded with Anne’s father, who had survived Auschwitz after all. He told her about Anne’s diary and his intention to publish it. Hannah found that Amsterdam was no longer home, and emigrated to Palestine, her father’s dream. She was there when it became an independent state and went through war. She became a children’s nurse and died in 2002, having achieved the ultimate revenge on the Nazis: she left three children, 11 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren.</spoiler>

I very much appreciate learning Hannah’s story. It’s touching to read Hannah’s story in itself, but poignant to see how close Anne was to survival and the ability to live a full life, as Hannah did. Might Anne have become a writer, as she’d hoped? The most famous passage in her diary concludes with her writing “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” As Hannah notes, given what happened after the time she wrote that, she surely would no longer believe it. If she did become a writer, what would she write after all she witnessed and experienced?

I loved this book by Hannah Pick-Goslar! It was well-written, told in a grandmotherly style, from the first-person point of view. Goslar did an excellent job describing the horrible conditions under which she lived and the pain and destruction that the Nazis had brought upon the Jews during WWII. You can see the pain she felt after losing each member of her family and the friends she had.

So much is written about Anne Frank, but this book is unique in that it is written not just about Anne Frank but about a friend of Anne’s who went through the same experiences. Goslar does a great job of describing what Anne was like as a friend and a person. I was struck when Goslar read Anne’s diary and how important she was as a friend to Anne.

Goslar was also a firm believer that the truth must get out to ensure that something like this does not happen again. This was spoken clearly throughout the book. Although Anne did not make it out of Auschwitz alive, Goslar was about to keep Anne alive by sharing her diary and speaking to others about the horrors in Europe.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was provided by Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do not often read books of this genre however I quickly was intrusive d by the story in this book. The story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust through her friends eyes, but also Hannah’s life through her own eyes during this time. It was incredibly interesting, yet heartbreaking to see this side of history through another perspective. This story was emotionally moving, and I would eccomend it if anyone in a heartbeat.

After living in Latvia, I have stayed away from most history and fiction books relating to the Holocaust as it became too real and close during my time there. I am starting to get back into reading about the time period and I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of My Friend Anne Frank, set to be published during the week of 94th birthday of Anne Frank.

Hannah was a friend of Anne Frank during their time in the Netherlands. However, while this book highlights aspects of Hannah's friendship with Anne and later their time together at Bergen-Belsen, it is first and foremost Hannah's story of survival, not Anne's. Hannah, Anne, and so many other children were deeply innocent during the time of German occupation and the removal of Jews. Hannah watched as family and friends began to disappear and experienced her cultural seemingly get more push back. Hannah's childhood though in the Netherlands was relatively happy, filled with school mates at her Montessori school (neat right?!), trips to the beach, and time spent with family. It was interesting to see the dynamics between her parents religiosity vs other secular Jewish families (like the Franks). Hannah captures what it was like following liberation and her immigration to Palestine, subjects often over looked by novels and studies following WW2. This book was easy to read and very vivid. It was heartbreaking but hopeful.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Thank you again NetGalley and Vantage Press for a copy of this book.

This is an amazing look at the Holocaust and Anne Frank through her friend's eyes. This book is so well written and easy to read and get into.
I really liked that we see Anne but we also learn so much about Pick-Goslar and how her family dealt with the Holocaust. I found Pick-Goslar's recounting of her childhood years to be filled with details of things I had never heard before.
I hadn't read much about Westerbork, which was a transit camp. But we learn about it here. This is a beautiful look at Pick-Goslar and her fascinating life--which is that way even without Anne in it. But I did like the glimpses with Anne in them too.

A really lovely book that everyone should read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.