Diary of a Young Girl

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 / 1G ,2 G EjUrTC

The D iary o f
a Young Girl

ANNE FRANK
Level 4

R eto ld by C herry Gilchrist

Series Editors: Andy H opkins and Jocelyn Potter
 Pearson E d u cation L im ited
Edinburgh Gate, Harlow,
Essex C M 20 2JE, England
and Associated Com panies throughout the world.

ISBN: 978-1-4058-8212-5

First published in the U nited States o f A m erica by D oubleday 1995

First published in Great Britain by V iking 1997
This adaptation first published by Penguin Books 1998
Published by Addison Wesley Longm an Ltd and Penguin Books Ltd 1998
N ew edition first published 1999
This edition first published 2008

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

O riginal copyright © T h e A nne Frank-Fonds, Basle, Switzerland, 1991, 1960

This adaptation is based on the new translation by Susan Massotty, edited by
O tto H. Frank and M iijam Pressler copyright © Doubleday, a division o f
Bantam D oubleday Dell Publishing G roup, Inc., 1995
Text copyright © C herry Gilchrist 1998
Photographs copyright © T h e A nne Frank—Fonds, Basle, Switzerland; Anne Frank Stichting
Floor plan o f the Secret Annexe on p. 8

© AFF / AFS
A m sterd am
th e N eth erlan d s

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 Contents

page page

I n tro d u c tio n v Wednesday 13 January 1943 17

Saturday, 13 June 1942 1 Saturday 27 February 1943 17
Saturday 20 June 1942 1 Wednesday 10 March 1943 18
Sunday 21 June 1942 2 Friday 2 April 1943 18
Wednesday 24 June 1942 2 Tuesday 27 April 1943 19
Wednesday 1 July 1942 4 Saturday 1 May 1943 19
Sunday 5 July 1942 4 Sunday 13 June 1943 19
Wednesday 8 July 1942 5 Tuesday 15 June 1943 19
Thursday 9 July 1942 7 Friday 16 July 1943 20
Friday 10 July 1942 9 Monday 19 July 1943 20
Saturday 11 July 1942 9 Monday 26 July 1943 20
Friday 14 August 1942 10 Tuesday 3 August 1943 21
Friday 21 August 1942 10 Friday 10 September 1943 21
Monday 21 September 1942 10 Friday 29 October 1943 22
Sunday 27 September 1942 11 Wednesday 3 November 1942> 22
Tuesday 29 September 1942 11 Monday evening,
Thursday 1 October 1942 12 8 November 1943 23
Friday 9 October 1942 12 Sunday, 2 January 1944 23
Tuesday 20 October 1942 12 Thursday, 6 January 1944 23
Monday 9 November 1942 13 Wednesday, 12 January 1944 24
Tuesday 10 November 1942 13 Saturday, 15 January 1944 24
Tuesday 17 November 1942 14 Thursday 3 February 1944 24
Thursday 19 November 1942 15 Wednesday 16 February 1944 25
Saturday 28 November 1942 16 Friday, 18 February 1944 27
Tuesday 22 December 1942 16 Wednesday, 23 February 1944 27
 page page

Sunday, 27 February 1944 27 Wednesday, 3 May 1944 43

Saturday, 4 March 1944 29 Saturday, 6 May 1944 44
Friday, 10 March 1944 29 Monday, 8 May 1944 44
Tuesday, 14 March 1944 29 Friday, 19 May 1944 45
Saturday, 18 March 1944 30 Monday, 22 May 1944 45
Sunday, 19 March 1944 30 Thursday, 25 May 1944 46
Wednesday, 22 March 1944 32 Monday, 5 June 1944 46
Thursday, 23 March 1944 33 Tuesday, 6 June 1944 47
Tuesday, 28 March 1944 33 Friday, 9 June 1944 47
Wednesday, 29 March 1944 34 Tuesday, 13 June 1944 47
Friday, 31 March 1944 36 Tuesday, 27 June 1944 48
Monday, 3 April 1944 36 Saturday, 15 July 1944 48
Wednesday, 5 April 1944 37 Friday, 21 July 1944 49
Tuesday, 11 April 1944 38 Tuesday, 1 August 1944 49
Sunday, 16 April 1944 41 Afterword 51
Friday, 28 April 1944 42 Activities 54
Tuesday, 2 May 1944 42
 Introduction

‘In the outside world, it's different. You're free, you see other boys and
giris, and you can play sport and do a lot o f different things. But here, you
see each other every hour o f the day. Be careful Anne, and don't take it
too seriously!'

Anne Franks father says this to his 13-year-old daughter. Anne

has just told him about her feelings for a boy called Peter, and he
is giving her advice. In some ways, this is not so different from
the advice that fathers always give teenage daughters. B ut what
does he m ean by ‘the outside w orld’?
Although Anne is an ordinary teenage girl, she does not have
an ordinary life. Anne is living in H olland during the Second
W orld War. She and her family are hiding on the top floor o f a
building in Amsterdam. They are hiding from the Germans, w ho
have invaded Holland. T he Franks are a Jewish family, and the
Germans are arresting Jews and sending them away to die.

In Germ any at that time, A dolf H itler had led the Nazi Party to
power in 1933. After this, life became very difficult for Jews in
Germany. Very soon they were not allowed to do many kinds
o f jobs, or own property. Later their homes and businesses were
attacked and burned. O n one violent night in N ovem ber 1938,
thousands o f Jewish buildings were destroyed, and 30,000 Jews
were arrested. They were then sent away to concentration camps.
These were large prisons w here people had to w ork in terrible
conditions, and many died or were killed.
In 1938 the Germans invaded part o f Czechoslovakia. Because
the people in this area spoke Germ an, other countries did nothing.
The G erm an army moved into the rest o f Czechoslovakia in
March 1939. Still the world waited. B ut w hen the Germans

v
invaded Poland later in the same year, Britain and France w ent
to war w ith Germany. In April 1940 the G erm an army took
D enm ark and Norway, then, in May, Luxembourg, Belgium and
Holland. They then beat the French army and pushed the British
army out o f France.
In all o f these countries, Jews were taken away and sent to
concentration camps. Jews from Holland first w ent to a camp
at W esterbork, in northern Holland. They were then moved to
camps in G erm any and Poland. Some Jews managed to escape
from the country before they were taken to the camps. T he only
other way to stay out o f the camps was to hide.

Anne Frank was a real person, and this is her real diary. She was
b orn in Germ any in 1929, the second daughter o f O tto and
Edith Frank. H er sister M argot was three years older. O tto Frank
had fought in the G erm an army in the First W orld War, but in
1933 he and his wife decided to leave Germ any for safety. He
started a com pany in Amsterdam, in Holland. T he family moved
there and the two girls w ent to school. B ut after the G erm an
army entered the country in May 1940, their lives began to
change. D utch Jews were not allowed to travel by bus or train.
W hen they w ent out, they had to wear a yellow star. They could
only go shopping in Jewish shops and they had to be indoors by
eight o ’clock at night.
O tto Frank’s company worked from a tall building at 263
Prinsengracht. It had a warehouse on the ground floor and offices
above. W ith his managers, Johannes Kleiman and Victor Kugler,
O tto made a plan. O n the top floor o f the building there were
some rooms on two floors. It was difficult to see these from the
street. They moved food and furniture into these rooms and hid
the door behind a bookcase.
In July 1942, the family moved in to their secret new home.
A nne’s diary begins a few weeks before they move in. Living

VI
with them in this place was another family, M r and Mrs van
D a a n a n d their son Peter. A few m onths later a m an called Alfred
D u s s e l jo in ed them , and in these rooms the eight people lived for

the next two years.

In the time that she lives there, Anne grows up and her ideas
change. In many ways she is like any other teenage girl, but we
know her feelings because she writes about them in her diary.
She tells us about Peter van Daan and her growing love for him.
Like many girls o f her age, she has a difficult relationship w ith
her m other and she writes honestly about this. Anne also tells
us what she would like to do after the war. She wants to go to
London and Paris. She wants to study languages and art history.
She wants to do many things, but she can’t because she is unable
to leave her secret home.
Anne is very honest in her diary. We know that she is not
perfect, and we can believe that at times she is difficult to live
with. But imagine yourself in her situation. You are sharing a
small num ber o f rooms w ith seven other people. You can’t go
out or speak to your friends. And always, there is the fear that
someone will discover your hiding place and the police will
come. But even through the fear, Anne can be brave. She knows
that this will not go on for the rest o f her life, and at times she
even finds it exciting.
Because they have a radio, Anne can hear w hat is happening in
the outside world. At first the news is all bad, but from 1943, their
hopes begin to rise as the British, the Americans and their allies
push the G erm an armies back. B ut they arrive too late for A nne’s
family. In the sum m er o f 1944, her diary suddenly stops.
The Nazis killed Anne Frank but they couldn’t kill her
m em ory because som eone found her diary.
 S aturday , 13 J u n e 1942

On Friday, 12 June, I woke up early at six o ’clock; it was my

birthday I’m not allowed to get up then, so I had to wait until
quarter to seven. T h en I w ent dow n to the dining-room , w here
Moortje, my cat, w elcom ed me. At seven I w ent in to M um m y
and Daddy, and then to the sitting-room for my presents. T he
nicest present was you — my diary! There was a bunch o f roses on
the table, and lots m ore flowers and presents arrived for me
during the day. D addy and M um m y gave m e a blue blouse, a
game and a bottle o f fruit juice w hich tastes quite like wine!
At school, I shared out some cakes w ith my friends, and I was
allowed to choose the game that we played in the sports lesson.
Afterwards, all my friends danced round m e in a circle and sang
‘Happy B irthday’.

Saturday, 20 June 1942

It’s strange, w riting a diary. O f course, I’ve w ritten things before,

but who will be interested in the thoughts o f a thirteen-year-old
schoolgirl? Well, does it matter? I w ant to w rite, and I w ant to
bring out so m any things that lie deep in my heart.
I need a diary because I haven’t got a friend. You w o n ’t believe
that I am com pletely alone in the world! A nd I’m not. I have
loving parents and a sixteen-year-old sister, a good hom e and
about thirty people that I can call friends. T here are plenty o f
boys w ho are interested in m e too! B ut I haven’t got that one,
true friend w ho understands me. So this diary can be my new
friend. Let’s start w ith the story o f my life.
My father —the best father in the w orld —was thirty-six w hen
he m arried my m other, w ho was then twenty-five. M y sister

1
M argot was b o rn in Frankfurt-am -M ain in Germ any in 1926.
T h en I followed on 12 June, 1929. Because we are Jewish, we
moved to Holland in 1933. M y father is the manager o f a
company called Opteka, w hich makes things for the jam -m aking
business.
After 1940 things were not so good any more. First the war
started, and then the Germans arrived in Holland. O u r freedom
disappeared. U nder the new Germ an laws, Jews must wear a
yellow star. Jews must walk everywhere. They can only do their
shopping in ‘Jewish Shops’, and they must be indoors by eight
o ’clock at night. They must not even sit in their own gardens after
that time. Jews cannot visit the theatre or the cinema. Jews cannot
visit Christians, and their children must go to Jewish schools.

Sunday, 21 June 1942

Everyone at school is waiting to hear what happens next. W ho

will move up a class, and w ho will stay down? W e’re all trying to
guess! I think my girlfriends and I will be OK, though w e’ll have
to wait patiently to find out.
M ost o f my teachers like me, but old M r Keesing gets angry
w ith me because I often talk too much! H e made me do some
extra hom ew ork and w rite about ‘Som eone W ho Talks Too
M u ch ’.

W ednesday, 24 June 1942

It is so hot! Yesterday I had to walk to the dentist’s from school in

our lunch hour. I wish that we could go on a bus or a train, but
o f course us Jews are not allowed to do that. It was so far that I
nearly fell asleep afterwards in the afternoon. They were kind at
the dentist’s, though, and gave me som ething to drink.
I wish I didn’t have to go to school. I’m glad it’s nearly the

2
sum m er holidays; one more week and our suffering will be over!
But som ething amusing happened too yesterday. A boy called
Hello Silberberg asked me to walk to school w ith him. Hello is
sixteen, and tells lots o f funny stories. H e was waiting for me
again this m orning.

W ednesday, 1 July 1942

I haven’t had time to w rite until today. Hello and I know each
other quite well now. His parents are in Belgium. H e came to
Holland alone, and is living w ith his grandm other. H e had a
girlfriend called Ursula, but now that h e’s m et me, h e’s not
interested in her any more. I know her too —she’s very sweet and
very boring!
Hello came over on Sunday evening. H e told m e that his
grandm other doesn’t like our meetings. But on Wednesday
nights, his grandm other thinks that he goes to w oodw ork lessons
- he doesn’t, so h e’ll be free to m eet me! And he said that he
wants to see me on Saturdays and Sundays too!
‘B ut if your grandm other doesn’t want you to m eet me, you
shouldn’t do it behind her back!’
‘E verything’s allowed in love and war!’
Hello visited us yesterday to m eet my Father and M other. We
had a big tea, and w ent out for a walk together later. It was ten
past eight w hen he brought me home. Father was very angry
because it is so dangerous to be out after eight o ’clock. I
promised to com e hom e by ten to eight in future.

Sunday, 5 July 1942

M y exam results were good! M y parents are pleased, o f course.

And M argot had a brilliant report, as usual.
Father has been at hom e a lot lately, because he can’t w ork at

4
 he b u s in e s s any more. It must be awful for him to feel that h e’s
not needed there. M r Kleiman and M r Kugler are now the
the offices.
m a n a g e r s in
W hen we w ent out for a walk together a few days ago, Father
s ^ d ,‘We may have to go into hiding soon.’
‘W hy?’ I asked him. ‘W hy are you talking about it already?’
‘W e ll, Anne,’ he said,‘you know that w e’ve been m aking stores
o f food, clothes and furniture for m ore than a year now. T he
G e r m a n s could take everything away, and us too.’ H e was very

s e r io u s .
‘But w hen will we go?’
‘D o n ’t w orry - w e’ll arrange everything. Just enjoy yourself
while you can!’

W ednesday, 8 July 1942

It seems like years since Sunday m orning. So m uch has happened

- the whole world has turned upside down. B ut I’m alive, and
that’s the most im portant thing.
O n Sunday afternoon we heard that the Germans were going
to take Father away. We know w hat that means — to a
concentration camp.
‘M other’s gone to ask M r van Daan about our hiding-place,’
said Margot. M r van Daan worked in the business w ith Daddy
and is a good friend o f his.
T hen M argot told me later that there was a mistake — the
Germans had called her up, not Father. H ow can they take a girl
of sixteen away from her family like that? But she’s not going!
A hiding-place — where shall we hide? In the city? In the
country? W hen, where, h o w ...? These questions were in my
mind, though I couldn’t ask them .
M argot and I started to pack. I packed the craziest things! This
diary first5 th en handkerchiefs, schoolbooks, a com b and some
Johannes Kleiman and Victor Kugler. Amsterdam , 1945.
 Id letters. M em ories are m ore im portant to m e than dresses.
Miep anc^ her husband Jan came to help and share the work.
They carried some bags o f clothes away for us. M iep and Jan
w o r k for Father’s company and they are our close friends. I slept
for the last night in my own bed, and M um m y woke me up at
f i v e - thirty.
We dressed in lots o f clothes. N o Jew would dare to
leave the house w ith a suitcase!
At seven-thirty we left the house. I said goodbye to M oortje,
my cat. The neighbours were going to look after her. We hurried
to leave the house —we w anted to reach our hiding-place safely.
It was the only thing that mattered.
M ore tomorrow.

Thursday, 9 July 1942

The hiding-place is in Fathers office building. O n the bottom

floor is the warehouse, and next to it an entrance to the office,
which is upstairs. There are two offices —a front one w hich is big
and light, and a small dark one at the back. N o t many people
work in Father’s offices, just M r Kugler, M r Kleiman, M iep and a
tw enty-three-year-old typist called Bep Voskuijl. M r Voskuijl,
Bep’s father, works in the warehouse w ith two helpers, w ho d o n ’t
know anything about us. From M r Kugler’s office at the back,
you go up another four stairs and you com e to the private office,
which is very fine and has good furniture.
Up on the third floor is our ‘Secret A nnexe’. T here are some
attics for storage on the left, and on the right is the door to our
hiding-place. It’s surprising that there are so many rooms behind
that small grey door. M argot and I share a small room , and
M other and Father’s bedroom is also our sitting-room . U p the
stairs again is a big light room w hich will be the kitchen and M r
and Mrs van D aan’s bedroom . There is a very small room for
1 eter, their son, and another attic. So that’s our lovely Annexe!

7
Plan o f the Secret Annexe.
 F riday, 10 Ju ly 1942

I j^et nie continue the story. W hen we arrived at the warehouse,

I tjie Annexe was full o f all the boxes that we had stored at the
I office for the last few months. N o one could possibly sleep there
unless we cleared it up. But M other and M argot were really
[ suffering, and they were too tired and unhappy to help. They just
lay down on their beds, so Father and I did it all. We worked all
day, until we were so tired that we fell into bed too. There was no
hot meal, but we didn’t care. We worked all the next day too,
which was Tuesday. Bep and M iep took our ration books to buy
food.
It was only on Wednesday that I had time to think about the
enormous change in my life. N ow I’ve got a m om ent to tell you
all about it, to realize w hat has happened, and w hat is still to
happen.

Saturday, 11 July 1942

The others can’t get used to the big clock outside w hich tells the
time every quarter o f an hour. B ut I like it, specially at night. I
don’t feel at hom e here yet. I d o n ’t hate it though. It is like a
holiday in a strange little hotel. M y bedroom was very em pty
when I arrived, but I’ve stuck up pictures o f my favourite film
actors and actresses. It’s a lot better now.
Margot and M other are a bit better now too. Yesterday
M other cooked some soup for the first time, but she w ent
downstairs to talk and forgot all about it! T he beans were burnt
black, and we couldn’t get them out o f the pot!
Last night, the four o f us went down to the private office to
listen to the news from the BBC in England on the radio. I was so
b ightened that I asked Father to take me back upstairs! I thought
s°m eone might hear it. We have to be very quiet at night.

9
 F riday, 14 A u g u st 1942

I haven’t w ritten for a m onth now, but not m uch has happened.
T he van Daans arrived a day early, on July the 13th. T he
Germans were calling up a lot o f people, and they thought it was
safer to com e early. Peter, their son, is a shy boy o f almost sixteen.
I d o n ’t think he will be a very interesting friend.
We all share our meals now, and after three days we began to
feel like one big family! T he van Daans told us a lot o f news.
People think we are escaping to Switzerland! Although one
wom an says that an army lorry took us away in the middle o f the
night! And another family say that they saw all four o f us riding
on our bikes early one m orning!

Friday, 21 A ugust 1942

N ow our Secret Annexe is really secret! M r Kugler has built a

bookcase over our little entrance. It opens like a door.
It’s a beautiful day outside, nice and hot. We can still enjoy it,
lying on a bed in the attic.

M onday, 21 Sep tem b er 1942

Mrs van Daan is awful. She says that I talk too much. She w o n ’t
save food in a dish - she leaves it in the cooking pot so that it gets
spoiled. A nd she doesn’t do any washing up.
M r Kleiman brings me books to read, and I’ve begun my
schoolwork. I’m w orking hard at French, and Peter is learning
English. Pirn - our name for father - wants me to help him w ith
his D utch lessons. H e makes terrible mistakes! H e and I are also
w orking on our family history, and drawing our family tree, so I
am learning about all my relations.

10
 Mrs van Daan walked into the room just now. I shut the diary
q u ic k ly -
can’t I ju st look at it?’
‘A n n e ,
‘No, Mrs van Daan.’
‘J ust the last page?’
‘No, not even the last page, Mrs van Daan.’
I nearly died - that page was full o f rude things about her!

Sunday, 27 Sep tem b er 1942

M other and I had a ‘discussion’ today, but I burst into tears. I can’t
help it. Daddy is always nice to me, and he understands me much
better. I feel that M other and I are like strangers to each other.
Mrs van Daan is in a bad m ood, and is locking all her things
up. She thinks that I am spoilt, and always says, ‘If Anne was my
d au g h ter...’ I’m glad that I’m not!

Tuesday, 29 Sep tem b er 1942

Try to imagine this. We haven’t got a bathroom , so we all take

our water away to wash in different places! Peter goes in the
office kitchen, w hich has a glass door. M r van Daan carries his
hot water upstairs so that he can be private. Mrs van Daan hasn’t
had a bath yet - she can’t decide w hich is the best place for it!
Father goes into the private office and M other into the kitchen.
Margot and I share the front office. We close the curtains and
wash ourselves there in the dark!
O n Wednesday som eone was doing repairs in the office
downstairs. We couldn’t use the toilet or use water all day. Father
and I found a suitable pot w hich we could all use as a toilet! We
had to sit still all day and not say a word! T hat was the most
difficult thing for me.

11
 T h u rsd ay , 1 O c to b e r 1942

Yesterday I was very frightened. At eight o ’clock the doorbell

suddenly rang. I thought that the Germans were com ing to get
us. But everybody said that som eone only rang for a joke, or that
maybe it was the postman, and I felt calm again.
Peter can be very funny sometimes. We both like to dress up in
silly clothes. O ne evening, he put on one o f his m other’s tight
dresses, and I wore his suit! Everyone laughed so much!
M iep bought new skirts for M argot and me at T he
Bijenkorf.* They look like potato bags!

Friday, 9 O ctob er 1942

T he news is very bad today. T he Germans are taking away many

o f our Jewish friends. They are sent to concentration camps at
Westerbork, or even further away. We think many o f them are
m urdered there. I feel terrible. T he English radio says that the
Germans are killing them w ith gas. Perhaps that’s the quickest
way to die. Perhaps you d o n ’t suffer so m uch that way.

Tuesday, 20 O ctob er 1942

M y hand is still shaking as I w rite this. Two hours ago we heard

an awful noise at our bookcase door. T he knocking didn’t stop,
and som eone was pushing and pulling at the door. Perhaps they
had com e to arrest us! We were w hite w ith fear! B ut at last we
heard M r Kleim an’s voice.‘O pen up, it’s m e!’ T he door was stuck,
and he couldn’t open it.
We had a good time on Monday. Miep and Jan spent the night
with us. We cooked specially for them, and the meal tasted wonderful.

* A large shop in the centre o f Amsterdam.

12
 M onday, 9 N o v e m b e r 1942

Y e s te rd a y was Peters sixteenth birthday. H e had a game and a

c ig a r e t t e lighter - he doesn’t smoke m uch, but the lighter looks
good!
There was a big surprise too. M r van Daan heard that the
E n g lis h have reached Tunis, Algiers, Casablanca and Oran. It is
n o t t h e end o f the war yet, but perhaps we can hope for the end
n o w . Perhaps it will soon be history.
Well, w hat about food in the Annexe? A m an brings bread
every day, a very nice friend o f M r Kleiman s. And w e’ve stored a
hundred tins o f food here. We can buy ration books on the black
market,* and w e’ve also bought three hundred pounds o f beans.
We decided to move them to the attic, and Peter was given the
job. He succeeded in getting five sacks upstairs, but the sixth sack
burst, and a river o f beans poured downstairs! I was standing at
the bottom o f the stairs. Peter couldn’t stop laughing w hen he
saw me in a sea o f brow n beans. U nfortunately though, the beans
are very small and have disappeared into all the holes. W henever
we go upstairs now, we look for a few m ore beans!

Tuesday, 10 N o v em b er 1942

Great news! A nother person is com ing to live here. Eight is no

more difficult than seven, and it is so dangerous for Jews now. We
have chosen a dentist called Alfred Dussel. H e seems to be nice.
Miep knows him, and she will help him to get here. H e will have
to sleep in my room though, and M argot will have to move in
with our parents. W e’ll ask him to fill the holes in our teeth!

W hen people buy and sell things unofficially, this is called the ‘black market’,
^he black market usually works when food, clothes or other things are hard to
find and very expensive.

13
 Johannes Kleiman next to the bookcase.

Tuesday, 17 N o v em b er 1942

M r Dussel has arrived. Everything w ent smoothly. H e came to

the warehouse, and M iep asked him to take off his coat, so that
no one could see the yellow star. T hen she brought him to the
private office. H e still had no idea w here he was going, or what
was going to happen! W hen she opened our bookcase door, he
was so surprised! H e thought we had left the country. We were
waiting around the table, ready to welcome him w ith a drink.
After lunch he slept for a short time, put away his things, and
jo in ed us for tea. We gave him the list o f rules for the Secret
Annexe that the van Daans had w ritten.

14
 G U ID E T O T H E S E C R E T A N N E X E
For Jews and other people w ithout homes

Open all year round: N ear to the centre o f Amsterdam, but in a

q u ie t street w ith trees.
Price: Free.
pood: Low fat.
Water: In the bathroom (sorry, no fixed bath) and also on some o f
the walls.
Space for storing things: Plenty.
Private radio: For all guests after 6 p.m. B ut you must never listen
to the news on G erm an radio stations, only music.
Rest hours: From 10 p.m. to 7.30 a.m.; 10.15 a.m. on Sundays.
This is for your safety. T he M anagem ent may also ask you to rest
at other times too.
Use o f language: Speak softly at all times, and not in Germ an.
Exercise: Every day.
Lessons: Offered in English, French, and other subjects.
Singing: O nly softly, and after 6 p.m.
Mealtimes: Breakfast 9 a.m. (11.30 a.m. on Sundays and holidays).
Lunch: A light meal from 1.15 p.m. to 1.45 p.m.
Dinner: Sometimes a hot meal, sometimes not. The time
o f dinner changes because o f radio news broadcasts.
Bath: T he moveable bath can be used by all guests after 9 a.m. on
Sundays. You may take your bath in the bathroom , kitchen,
private office or front office.
T he end

Thursday, 19 N o v em b er 1942

It’s true, M r Dussel is a very nice man. H e ’s willing to share a

room w ith me, although I d o n ’t really like sharing my things
with a stranger. B ut we all have to give up som ething here. ‘If we

15
 can save just one o f our friends, we will be doing som ething to
help,’ says Father. H e ’s right.
M r Dussel has told us a lot about the outside world. T he news
is terrible. T he authorities have taken away so many friends and
people we know to concentration camps. Army cars go round
the streets day and night to arrest people. T hey’re looking for
Jews; they knock on every door, and ask w hether any Jews live
there. W hen they find a Jewish family, they take everybody away. |
They even pay m oney for inform ation. In the evenings, w hen it’s
dark, I often see long lines o f innocent people walking on and
on. Sick people, old people, children, babies - all walking to their
deaths.
We are very lucky here. I feel bad, sleeping in a w arm bed
w hen our dearest friends are suffering so badly. And only because
they are Jews.

Saturday, 28 N o v em b er 1942

M r Dussel complains about me all the time. And they said that he
liked children! H e complains to M other, and then she is angry
w ith me too. I think about it all in bed at night. Am I so bad? I
either laugh or cry, then I fall asleep, wanting to be different. It’s
very confusing.

Tuesday, 22 D ecem b er 1942

T he Annexe was delighted to hear that we are all getting an extra

quarter pound o f butter for Christmas. We are each going to
cook som ething w ith butter.
M r Dussel says ‘Q uiet, quiet!’ to me all night, even if I just
tu rn over in bed. But he gets up early on Sundays and puts on the
light to do his exercises.
Yes, we all have to be very sensible here and not get angry!

16
I3 u t I would love to lock the door, or hide his clothes, or do
not at all sensible!
s o m e th in g

Wednesday, 13 January 1943

T e r r i b le things are happening outside. People are being pulled

oU t o f their homes and arrested. They have to leave w ith only a
sm a ll bag and a little money, but even that is stolen from them.
F a m ilie s are separated. W hen children com e hom e from school,
t h e i r p a r e n t s have disappeared. T he sons o f C hristian families in
F lo lla n d are also sent to Germany. Everyone is frightened. Every
n i g h t, there are air raids. H undreds o f aeroplanes fly over Holland
to d r o p bombs on G erm an cities. Every hour, hundreds or maybe
t h o u s a n d s o f people are killed in Russia a n d Africa. T he whole
w o r l d is at war. Although the Allies are doing better now, the end
o f th ewar is nowhere in sight.
We are luckier than millions o f people. It is quiet and safe
here. We have m oney to buy food. W e’re selfish —we talk about
‘after the w ar’, and we look forward to new clothes and shoes.
But we should save our m oney to share w ith others later.
The children round here only have thin shirts and wooden shoes
- no coats or socks. There is no one to help them. They are always
hungry, and ask people on the streets for bread. I could tell you
more about the suffering that the war has brought, but it would
make me too sad. All we can do is to wait patiently until it is over.

Saturday, 27 February 1943

him thinks there will be an invasion by the Allies at any time

now. Churchill* was seriously ill, but now h e ’s getting better.
We are sharing our butter a different way now. Everyone gets

* W inston Churchill, w ho led the British Government during World War II.

17
their own piece on their ow n plate. But it’s not done right —the
van Daans make breakfast for everyone, and give themselves the
biggest share o f the butter. M y parents are too frightened to
argue, unfortunately.

W ednesday, 10 March 1943

I could hear the guns all last night. I am always frightened o f

shooting, and I usually climb into Fathers bed to feel safe. The
guns are really loud, and you can’t hear your own voice.
O ne night, there were strange noises inside the Annexe. Peter |
w ent up to the attic and found - guess what? An army o f
enorm ous rats!

Friday, 2 A pril 1943

I’m in trouble again! Last night, I was lying in bed and waiting
for Father to com e and say my prayers w ith me. M other came
into the room , and asked gently, ‘Anne, Daddy isn’t ready? Shall I
listen to your prayers tonight?’
‘No, Mummy,’ I said.
M other got up, stood by my bed for a m om ent, then slowly
walked to the door. Suddenly she turned round, and her face was
full o f pain. She said, ‘I do n ’t want to be angry w ith you. I can’t
make you love m e!’A few tears fell down her cheeks as she w ent
out o f the door.
I lay still. I knew that it was cruel to say that, but I couldn’t
give her any other answer. I feel very sorry for her. She’s pushed
me away from her w ith her unkind jokes.
She cried for half the night, and didn’t sleep. Father doesn’t
look at me, but I know w hat he is thinking: ‘H ow can you be so
unkind? H ow dare you make your m other so sad?’
B ut I can’t apologize.

18
 Tuesday, 27 A p ril 1943

E v ery o n e in the Annexe is still quarrelling. There are air raids and
b o m b s every night, and nobody can sleep well.
O u r food is terrible. We have plain bread and coffee —not real
c o f fe e - for breakfast. We have lettuce or green vegetables, and
bad potatoes. T h at’s all.

Saturday, 1 May 1943

Yesterday was Dussel’s birthday. H e pretended that he wasn’t

interested, but w hen M iep arrived w ith a large bag o f presents
from his friends, he was as excited as a child! H e had chocolate,
eggs, butter, oranges and books. H e arranged them on the table
and left them there for three days, the silly old fool!
He already has plenty o f food. We found bread, cheese, jam
and eggs in his cupboard. H e hasn’t given us anything, but w e’ve
shared everything w ith him.

Sunday, 13 June 1943

Father wrote something for my birthday - it’s very funny! It’s about
me, and my hard life in the Annexe, under the authority o f parents
who are always telling me what to do! I had some lovely presents
too, specially a big book o f Greek and R om an stories, and sweets
from everyone —people gave me some from the last o f their stores.

Tuesday, 15 June 1943

Next m onth we have to give back our radio to the authorities,

h s an official rule, and all over the country people are trying to
find an old radio to give in so that they can keep their real radios
111 secret. It’s a shame that we have to give in our beautiful big

19
radio, but M r Kleiman will give us a ‘baby’ radio w hich he has
hidden at home. W e’ll put it upstairs. It’s not allowed, o f course,
but w e’re not allowed to be here either! O u r radio w ith its
w onderful voice really helps us. We tell ourselves, ‘Let’s try to be
brave and cheerful. Things must get better!’

Friday, 16 July 1943

T here was a break-in last night, a real one! This m orning, Peter
w ent dow n to the warehouse and saw that the doors were open
on to the street. We stayed quiet, and didn’t use any water or do
anything to make a noise. We waited until eleven-thirty, w hen
M r Kleiman came upstairs. H e told us that burglars had broken
in and stolen some money. Luckily, they didn’t find m uch so they
soon w ent next door to look there.
T he Allies are arriving in Sicily!

M onday, 19 July 1943

A lot o f bombs fell on N o rth Amsterdam on Sunday. W hole

streets went in the raid, and they can’t even dig out all the bodies
yet. T h ey ’ve already counted two hundred people dead, and
many m ore are hurt. T he hospitals are full.

M onday, 26 July 1943

There was a terrible bom bing raid yesterday. It started at about

tw o-thirty in the afternoon. M argot and I were upstairs, but the
guns were so loud that we w ent down again. T he house shook,
and the bombs kept on falling. I was holding my ‘escape bag’.
But walking on the streets is as dangerous as an air raid on the
Annexe. I know that I can’t really leave. After half an hour the
planes flew away, and the smell o f fire was everywhere. There was
thick smoke over the city, like fog.
Later, after dinner, there was another raid. T he bombs came
down again like rain, and we heard from British reports that
Schiphol A irport was bom bed. We could hear the noise o f the
planes all the time, and we were very frightened. M y legs were
still shaking w hen I lay in bed that night.
At m idnight, more planes! I ran to father’s bed and did not fall
asleep in my own bed until half-past two.
But at seven o ’clock in the m orning we heard some
wonderful news about Italy! Mussolini has gone, and the King o f
Italy is leading the governm ent there now.

Tuesday, 3 A ugust 1943

We just had a third air raid. I am trying to be brave. Mrs van

Daan used to say,‘Let them fall!’ N ow she is the most cowardly o f
us all. She was shaking like a leaf this m orning, and even burst
into tears.
O u r bodies are very stiff now. We stopped our exercise
programme a long time ago.

Friday, 10 Sep tem b er 1943

Every time I w rite to you, som ething special has happened.

Usually, it’s unpleasant. B ut this time, it’s wonderful! T he news
was broadcast that Italy is out o f the war! T he British are now in
Naples. T he Germans are in N o rth Italy.
But there is some very bad news too. M r Kleiman is going to
have a very difficult operation on his stomach, and h e’ll have to
stay in hospital for at least four weeks. H e ’s so brave! H e ’s always
cheerful and smiling, although h e’s usually in pain.

21
 F riday, 29 O c to b e r 1943

M r Kleiman is out o f hospital now, but his stomach is still bad.

H e had to go hom e again today because he wasn’t well.
M r van Daan has sold his w ife’s best w inter coat. She w anted
to keep the m oney to buy new clothes after the war. M r van
Daan could not make her understand that the m oney has to be
used for the Annexe. They shouted and screamed at each other —
it was terrible.
I’m OK, but I’m not hungry at the m om ent. People say, ‘You
look awful, Anne!’ Sundays are specially bad. It is deathly quiet
then. I feel as though I am being pulled down into hell. I am a
bird w ithout wings w ho can’t escape. A voice inside me cries,‘Let
me out! I want to go into the fresh air. I want to hear people
laughing!’ I d o n ’t answer the voice, but just lie down on the sofa.
Sleep makes tim e go m ore quickly.

Wednesday, 3 N o v em b er 1943

W e’ve decided to start our fire at seven-thirty on Sunday

m ornings, instead o f five-thirty. I think it’s dangerous. T he
neighbours may see the smoke, and w hat will they think? T he
curtains are a problem too. They cover the windows completely,
but sometimes som eone here will decide to take a little look
outside. Everyone complains, but the answer is, ‘O h, nobody will
notice.’ T h at’s how things start to get dangerous.
We are not quarrelling so much. O nly Dussel and the van
Daans are enemies at the m om ent. Dussel talks about Mrs van
Daan as ‘that stupid cow ’, and she calls him ‘an old w om an’!

22
 M o n d a y ev en in g , 8 N o v e m b e r 1943

We all have different m oods here, up and down. And my m ood is

sad now. M iep says that we are peaceful here. B ut it’s like a small
circle o f blue sky. We eight people in the Annexe are in that
circle, but all around us are dark clouds and danger. T he circle is
getting smaller, and the darkness closer. If we could fly up into
that blue sky, into heaven . . . O h circle, open wide and let us out!

Sunday, 2 January 1944

This morning I read through some o f the old pages in my diary. I was
very ashamed when I saw what I had written about Mother. W hy
did I feel so angry then? W hy did I hate her so much? It was true
that she didn’t understand me. But I didn’t understand her either.
I’m older and wiser now, and M other is not so nervous. We try not
to quarrel with each other. But I can’t love her like a child any more.

Thursday, 6 January 1944

I realized w hat’s w rong w ith M other. She says that she sees us
more as her friends, not her daughters. T h at’s nice, but a friend is
not the same as a mother.
I think the changes in my body are wonderful. W henever I
have my period (three times now), it’s like a sweet secret inside
me. There is pain, and mess, but I look forward to it again.
I need a friend, and I’m going to try Peter. I want badly to talk
to someone. I had a chance to talk to him yesterday; I looked into
his dark blue eyes and it gave me a wonderful feeling.
That night in bed I cried and cried. M ust I ask Peter to be my
friend? I d o n ’t love him, but I do need him. If the van Daans had
a daughter, it would be just the same w ith her. So I’ve decided to
visit Peter m ore often, and to make him talk to me.

23
 W ednesday, 12 J a n u a ry 1944

I’m crazy about dance at the moment! I practise my steps every

evening, and I’ve made myself a m odern dance dress from M others
clothes. I tried to turn my tennis shoes into dance shoes, but it didn’t
work. All the exercise is helping - I’m not nearly so stiff now!

Saturday, 15 January 1944

I w o n ’t tell you all the details o f our quarrels in the Annexe. B ut

we are not sharing our food in the same way now - w e’ve got
our ow n stores o f m eat and oil, and we even cook our own
potatoes. M other made a w ish,‘I d on’t w ant to see M r van D aan’s
face for two w hole weeks.’ Unfortunately, her wish is not likely
to com e true. Does everyone w ho shares a house becom e like
this? O r are we just unlucky?

Thursday, 3 February 1944

Everybody is thinking about the Allied invasion! W hat will

happen to us if the British invade Holland. The Germans say that
they will let the water from the sea into the country.*
Each person has his or her own idea.
‘W e’ll have to walk through the water.’
‘D o n ’t be silly! W e’ll have to try and swim. W e’ll swim
underwater, and then nobody will see that we are Jews!’
‘O h, rubbish! Can ladies swim w hen rats are biting their legs?’
N ext question: w hen the invasion comes, will the authorities
make everybody leave Amsterdam?
‘W e’ll leave the city w ith all the other people.’

* Holland is very flat, and the water is carefully controlled. Once, most o f the
land was naturally under water.

24
 ‘No, we m ustn’t go outside! T he Germans will send everyone
to die in Germany.’
‘All right, w e’ll stay here. Let’s ask M iep for some extra
blankets. And some m ore food. W e’ve got about sixty-five pounds
o f beans at the m om ent, and fifty tins o f vegetables.’
‘W h at’s in the stores, M other? Tell us.’
‘Ten tins o f fish, forty tins o f milk, three bottles o f oil, four jars
o f butter, four jars o f fruit, tw enty jars o f tomatoes and nine
pounds o f rice. T h at’s it.’
O u r stores are still quite good. But we do have to feed the
people in the office too.
‘Let’s make little bags for our m oney that we can hide in our
clothes if we have to leave here.’
And so it goes on all day. T h at’s all I hear - invasion, invasion,
only invasion. I’m very calm about it. I d o n ’t care now w hether I
live or die. I’ll just keep on w ith my work and hope that
everything will be all right in the end.

W ednesday, 16 February 1944

I had to go up into the attic, through Peter’s room , to get some

potatoes today. W h en I was going up the stairs, he stood up and
took my arm.
‘I’ll go,’ he said. But I told him that it wasn’t necessary.
O n my way down, I asked him , ‘W hat are you studying?’
‘French,’ he replied. I asked if I could look at his lessons. T hen
I sat dow n on the sofa, and began to explain some French to
him. We w ent on talking pleasantly about other things too, and
finally he spoke about the picture o f film actors on his wall. It’s
the one that I gave him, and he likes it very much.
‘Shall I give you a few m ore?’ I asked him.
‘No,’ he replied. ‘I prefer this one. I look at it every day, and all
the people in it have becom e my friends.’

25
Edith Frank, M ay 1935.
 Peter needs love too. T h at’s why he holds M ouschi the cat so
tightly.

Friday, 18 February 1944

W henever I go upstairs, it’s always so that I can see him. I have

som ething to look forward to now, and life here is better.
M other doesn’t like me going up there. She says that I should
leave Peter alone. She always looks at me oddly w hen I go to Peter’s
room. W hen I come down again, she asks me where I’ve been.

Wednesday, 23 February 1944

The weather is wonderful, and I feel better. Almost every

m orning, I go up to the attic for some fresh air - we can open
the w indow there and look out. This m orning, Peter was up
there too. H e came over to where I was sitting on the floor. The
two o f us looked out at the blue sky, at the tree and at the birds
flying through the air. It was so beautiful that we couldn’t speak.
We stayed like this for a long time.
‘H ow can I be sad w hen there is the sun and the sky?’ I asked
myself. G od wants us to be happy and to see the beauty o f this
world. It will help us in all our troubles.

Sunday, 27 February 1944

I think about Peter from m orning to night. I dream about him,

and see his face w hen I wake up.
I feel that Peter and I are not really very different, although we
seem to be on the outside. We both have strong feelings inside,
which are difficult to control. N either o f us feels that we have a
mother. His m other isn’t serious; m ine is interested in my life but
she doesn’t understand me at all.

27
Peter van Daan.
 S aturday, 4 M arch 1944

This was the first Saturday for m onths that wasn’t boring. It was
because o f Peter. I jo ined the French lesson that Father was
giving him. I was in heaven, sitting on Fathers chair, close to
Peter.
Afterwards, we talked together until lunch-tim e. W henever I
leave the room after a meal, Peter says —if no one else can hear
him - ‘Goodbye, Anne - I’ll see you later.’
O h, I’m so happy! Perhaps he does love me! A nd it’s so good
to talk to him.

Friday, 10 March 1944

We have m ore troubles now. M iep is ill, and M r Kleiman is still

away from w ork w ith his bad stomach. Bep is trying to do
everything on her own.
Last night, som ebody knocked on the wall next door while
we were having dinner. We were very nervous all evening.
T he police have taken M r M. away. H e ’s the m an w ho sells us
potatoes, butter and jam on the black market. It’s terrible for him
and also for us. H e has five young children and another baby
coming.

Tuesday, 14 March 1944

I’m sitting at the van D aans table w ith a handkerchief over my

niouth. Why? Let m e start at the beginning. T hey’ve arrested the
people w ho bring our ration tickets, so we d o n ’t have any fats or
oils. M iep and M r Kleiman are ill again, and Bep can’t go
shopping for us. T he food is awful. Lunch today is potatoes and
some very old vegetables out o f bottles. They smell terrible,
which is why I have the handkerchief! W e’ve got to eat them too

29
 —I feel sick w hen I think about it! H alf the potatoes have gone
bad, and we have to throw them away.
If life here was pleasant, the food w ould not m atter so much.
B ut it’s the fourth year o f the war, and we are all in bad moods.

Saturday, 18 March 1944

I’ve w ritten so m uch about myself and my feelings, so why

shouldn’t I w rite about sex too? Parents are very strange about
sex. T hey should tell their sons and daughters everything at the
age o f twelve. B ut instead o f that, they send them out o f the
room w hen anyone talks about sex, and the children have to try
and find out everything by themselves. T hen, later, the parents
think that the children already know it all, but usually they
d o n ’t!
Soon after I was eleven, they told me about periods. But I
didn’t know w here the blood came from, or w hat it was for.
W hen I was twelve and a half, one o f my friends told me some
more. She told me w hat a m an and a wom an do together. Well, I
had already guessed! I was quite proud o f myself! She also told
me that babies d o n ’t come out o f their m others’ stomachs. W here
everything goes in is w here the baby comes out!
Children hear about sex in bits and pieces, and that isn’t right.
Although it’s Saturday, I’m not bored! I’ve been up in the attic
w ith Peter. I sat there dreaming w ith my eyes closed, and it was
wonderful.

Sunday, 19 March 1944

Yesterday was a very im portant day for me. At five o ’clock I put
on the potatoes to cook, and M other gave me some sausage to
give to Peter. B ut he w ouldn’t take the sausage, and I thought it
was because o f the awful quarrel that we had recently. Suddenly,

30
Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl. Amsterdam, 1945.
my eyes filled w ith tears. I took the plate back to M other and
w ent into the toilet to cry
I decided to talk to Peter. After the washing up, I w ent to his
room . We stood by the open w indow as it grew dark —it’s m uch
easier to talk like that. H e didn’t refuse the sausage because o f our
argument, but because he didn’t want to look too greedy! T hen
we talked about so m uch together. It felt good; it was the most
wonderful evening I’ve ever had in the Annexe.
We talked about our parents, and our problems w ith them . I
told him how I cry in bed. H e said that he goes up to the attic
w hen he is angry. We talked all about our feelings. A nd it was just
as good as I imagined!
We talked about the year 1942, and how different we are now.
H e thought that I was a noisy, annoying girl at first! I thought
that he was uninteresting! I told him that we are like two sides o f
the same coin. I am noisy and he is quiet. B ut also that I too like
peace and quiet. I said that I understand why he goes away to be
alone sometimes. And that I’d like to help him w hen he argues
w ith his parents.
‘B ut you always help m e!’ he said.
‘H ow ?’ I asked, very surprised.
‘Because you’re always cheerful.’
T hat was the nicest thing he said all evening. H e must love me
now as a friend, and I’m so grateful and happy for that.

Wednesday, 22 March 1944

Things are getting m ore and m ore wonderful here. I think that
true love may be happening in the Annexe! Everyone has made
jokes about us, saying that we m ight get m arried if we are all in
the Annexe long enough. Perhaps those jokes aren’t so silly at all.
I’m sure now that Peter loves me too, but I d on’t know in what
way. Does he just want a good friend, or a girlfriend, or a sister?

32
 O h, w hen I think about Saturday night — about our words,
our voices —I feel very satisfied w ith myself. For the first time, I
do n ’t want to change anything that I said.

Thursday, 23 March 1944

O u r black market ration book m en are out o f prison now, so

things are better here.
Yesterday a plane crashed quite near us, on top o f a school.
Luckily, there were no children inside. T here was a small fire, and
two people were killed. T he m en inside the plane were able to
get out in time, but the Germans shot them immediately. Local
people were so angry —it was a cowardly, horrible thing to do!
We —the ladies o f the Annexe —were very frightened. I hate the
sound o f guns.

Tuesday, 28 March 1944

M other is trying to stop me going up to Peters room . She says

that Mrs van Daan is jealous. Perhaps she’s jealous too. Father is
happy about it; h e’s glad that w e’re friends. M other thinks that
Peter has fallen in love w ith me. I wish that it was true.
I do want to stay friends w ith Peter. We have our difficulties,
but we have to fight against them , and in the end they will make
everything m ore beautiful. W hen he rests his head on his arms
and closes his eyes, h e ’s still a child. W hen he plays w ith M ouschi,
his cat, h e’s loving. W hen he carries the heavy potatoes for us, h e’s
strong. W hen he watches the air raids, or walks through the dark
house to look for burglars, h e’s brave. And w hen he doesn’t know
quite how to behave, h e’s sweet!

33
 W ednesday, 29 M arch 1944

M r Bolkestein, from the G overnm ent, was speaking on the

D utch broadcast from London. H e said that after the war they
w anted everybody’s diaries and letters about the war - they
would be an interesting part o f history I m ight be able to w rite a
book called The Secret Annexe. People w ould think that it was a
detective story! B ut seriously, ten years after the war people
w ould find it very amusing to read about us, the Jews w ho were
hiding. H ow we lived, w hat we ate, w hat we talked about. But
although I tell you a lot about our lives, you still know very little
about us. For example, how frightened the w om en are during the
air raids. Last Sunday, 350 British planes dropped their bombs on
Ijmuiden, so that the houses shook like grass in the wind. O r
about the awful illnesses that people are catching here.
You know nothing about all this, and it w ould take me all day
to describe it. People have to wait in line for vegetables and all
kinds o f other things too. Doctors can’t visit the sick, since their
cars and bikes are stolen at once. T here are so many thieves
around that you ask w hat has happened to the D utch - why are
they stealing so much? Little children, eight- and eleven-year-
olds, break the windows o f people’s homes and steal whatever
they can. People d o n ’t dare to leave the house even for five
minutes, because everything may be gone w hen they return. T he
public phones are stolen, and all the parts o f the electric clocks
on the street corners too.
E veryone’s hungry. A w eek’s food ration doesn’t even last two
days. W e’re waiting for the Allied invasion, but it’s so long
coming. T he m en are sent to Germany, the children are ill or
hungry, and everyone wears old clothes and broken shoes. It’s too
expensive to repair shoes, and if you give your shoes to a
shoemender, you may never see them again.

34
2 63 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam. Front view.
 Friday, 31 M arch 1944

Just imagine, its still cold, but most people have had nothing to
put on their fires for a m onth now. It sounds awful, doesn’t it?
B ut we are hopeful about the Russians, w ho are doing well.
T h ey ’ve reached Poland now, and the P rut R iver in R om ania.
T hey’re close to Odessa too.
T he G erm an Army has invaded Hungary. A m illion Jews still
live there; there is no hope for them now.
N o thing special is happening here. Today is M r van D aan’s
birthday. H e received several presents and a cake. T he cake wasn’t
perfect, because we can’t buy the right things to make it with, but
it tasted wonderful anyway!
People are not saying so m uch about Peter and me now. W e’re
very good friends. We spend a lot o f time together, and we talk
about anything and everything. I couldn’t talk to other boys like
this. We even talked about periods. H e thinks that w om en are
strong enough to lose the blood, and that I am too. I w onder why
he thinks that?
M y life here is better now, m uch better. G od has not left me,
and H e never will.

M onday, 3 A pril 1944

I’m going to describe our food rations. Food is a difficult and

im portant problem not only for us in the Annexe, but for
everyone in Holland, all o f Europe and even further away.
W e’ve lived here for tw enty-one m onths, and often at any one
time there was only one kind o f food to eat. For example, one
kind o f vegetable or salad. We w ould eat it w ith potatoes, in every
possible way that we could think of.
But now there are no vegetables at all. We have potatoes, and
brown beans. We make soup — we still have some packets and

36
stores to make dishes w hich are a little bit m ore interesting. But
it’s beans w ith everything, even in the bread.
T he most exciting m om ent is w hen we eat a thin piece o f
sausage once a week, and put some jam on our bread - no butter,
o f course! B ut w e’re still alive, and m uch o f the time the food
tastes good too.

Wednesday, 5 A pril 1944

For a long time now, I haven’t really been interested in my

schoolwork. T he end o f the war still seemed so far away. And if it
isn’t over by September, I w o n ’t go back to school, since I d o n ’t
want to be two years behind.
Peter filled my days, nothing but Peter. N othing but dreams and
thoughts, until Saturday night w hen I felt terrible. I sat on the floor
in my nightdress and said my prayers. Then I just lay down on the
floor and cried. But I knew I had to fight against it and, finally,
when I climbed back into bed at ten o ’clock, the suffering was over!

Mrs van Daan, M r van Daan and Victor Kugler; left. Amsterdam, 1941.

37
 A nd now its really over. I’ve realized that I must do my
schoolwork. I want to make som ething o f my life. I want to be a
journalist. I know I can write. A few o f my stories are good, a lot
o f my diary is alive and amusing, b u t . . . I d o n ’t know yet if I can
be a really good writer. But then if I can’t w rite books or for
newspapers, I can always w rite for myself. I d o n ’t want to live like
M other, Mrs van Daan, and all the other w om en w ho simply do
their w ork and are then forgotten. I need m ore than just a
husband and children! I want to be useful, and to bring
enjoym ent to all people, even those that I’ve never met. I want to
go on living after my death!
I’m grateful to G od for my writing. So I’ll go on trying, and
everything will be all right, because I’m not going to give up!

Tuesday, 11 A pril 1944

I d o n ’t know w here to start —so m uch has happened. Thursday,

w hen I w rote to you, everything was as usual. Friday and
Saturday too. T hen on Sunday evening at nine-thirty, Peter
knocked at our door. H e asked Father to com e upstairs and help
him w ith some English words. B ut I didn’t believe him.
‘T h at’s strange,’ I said to M argot.‘I think w e’ve got burglars.’
I was right. T hey were breaking into the warehouse at that
m om ent. Father, M r van Daan and Peter w ent downstairs as
quickly as possible. M argot, M other, M rs van D aan and I
waited. Four frightened w om en need to talk, so th at’s w hat we
did. T h en we heard a loud noise, but nobody came back until
ten o ’clock.
Father looked quite w hite w hen he came in to us. ‘Lights out,
and get upstairs quietly! T he police will be here soon!’
T he m en w ent back downstairs, so we still didn’t know
w hat had happened. But ten m inutes later they were back.
T hey told us that burglars broke down the warehouse door and

38
that M r van Daan had shouted ‘Police!’ They tried to put the
door back, but the burglars kicked it dow n again. T hen a man
and a wom an on the street shone a lamp in from the street. (We
later found out that this was M r van Hoeven, the man w ho
brings us potatoes, and his wife.)
We waited and waited in the dark until after eleven o ’clock.
T hen there was m ore noise downstairs, and finally som eone tried
to move the bookcase. We were so frightened. I thought the
police were going to take us away. B ut then the person w ent
away, and the house was quiet. We had to stay quiet all night too,
and use a large tin for a toilet. We tried to sleep on the floor.
‘We should hide the radio!’ said Mrs van Daan.
‘If they find us, it doesn’t m atter if they find the radio too,’
answered M r van Daan.
‘T h en they’ll find A nne’s diary as well,’ said my father.
‘So we should burn it!’ suggested someone.
O h, not my diary! If my diary goes, I go too! But fortunately,
nothing was done.
At seven, we rang M r Kleiman, and at last Jan and M iep
arrived. T hey had to go off again to the police to inform them
about the burglars, so we had half an hour to tidy up the house
and get everything straight. It was an awful smelly mess!
We were in terrible danger that night. Just think, the police
were by the bookcase, but they didn’t find us. God was truly
watching over u s.‘You have saved us, please save us in the future!’
T h at’s w hat our prayer is now.
From now on, we must be more careful too. Dussel will do his
work in the bathroom, and Peter will walk round the house
between eight-thirty and nine-thirty every evening. Somebody
noticed that Peter’s window was open, so he must keep it shut now.
It has rem inded us that we are Jews, and that we m ust live
like prisoners. We m ust forget our personal feelings and be
brave and strong. O n e day this terrible war will be over. T he

40
 tim e will com e w h en w e’ll be people again and no t ju st Jews!
W ho has made us suffer like this? W ho has separated us from all
the other people? God has made us like this, but God will lift us
up again. Perhaps afterwards, if there are any Jews left, our suffering
will teach people something. Perhaps they will learn something
about goodness, and this is why we have to suffer. We can never be
just Dutch, or just English —we will always be Jews as well.
Be brave! There will be a way out. God has always looked after
us. All through history, Jews have had to suffer, but there are still
Jews, and the suffering has made us stronger.
I thought that I was going to die that night. I waited for death
like a soldier. B ut now that I’m still alive, I want to stay in
H olland after the war. I love the D utch, I love this country, I love
the language. I want to w ork here.
If G od lets me live, I will do m ore than M other ever did. I
want my voice to be heard! I’ll go out into the world and work
for all hum an beings!

Sunday, 16 A pril 1944

R em em ber yesterday’s date, because it was special for me. W hen a

girl gets her first kiss, it’s always an im portant date.
Last night, I was sitting w ith Peter on his sofa-bed, and he
soon put his arm around me. I put my arm round him too, and
we sat very close. W e’ve sat like this before, but never as close as
we were last night. H e wanted me to put my head on his
shoulder, then he rested his head on mine. O h, it was so
wonderful! H e touched my cheek, my arm and my hair.
At nine-thirty we stood up to go — Peter had to check the
building. I was standing next to him. I must have made the right
movement, I d o n ’t know how, because he gave me a kiss. It was a
kiss through my hair, half on my left cheek, and half on my ear. I
ran downstairs and didn’t look back!

41
 Friday, 28 A p ril 1944

Last night, Peter and I were sitting on the sofa as usual, in each
other’s arms. Suddenly, the usual Anne disappeared - the confident,
noisy Anne - and the second Anne took her place. This second
Anne only wants to love and to be gentle. Tears came to my eyes. \
Did he notice? H e made no movement. Did he feel the same way
as I did? He said very little. There were no answers to my questions.
At eight-thirty I stood up and w ent to the window, where we
always say goodbye. I was still Anne num ber two. H e came over
to me, and I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him on
his left cheek. I was going to kiss his other cheek too, w hen my
m outh m et his, and we kissed each other again and again!
Last night was a great shock to my heart. The gentle Anne
doesn’t appear very often, and she’s not going to go away quickly. ;
O h Peter, what have you done to me? W hat do you want from me?
B ut if I was older and he w anted to m arry me, w hat w ould I
say? Anne, be honest! I couldn’t m arry him. Peter isn’t strong
enough as a person. H e ’s still a child.

Tuesday, 2 May 1944

O n Saturday night I asked Peter w hether I should tell Father

about us. H e thinks that I should. I was glad; it means that h e ’s
sensible. As soon as I came downstairs, I w ent w ith Father to get
some water.
W hile we were on the stairs I said, ‘Father, w hen Peter and I
are together, we d o n ’t exactly sit at opposite ends o f the room.
But you’ve probably guessed that. D o you think that’s wrong?’
Father paused for a m om ent, then answered, ‘No, I d o n ’t think
it’s wrong. But Anne, w hen you’re living so close together as we
do, you have to be careful.’
Later, on Sunday m orning, he said m ore to me about it. ‘You

42
must be the one to be careful —it’s the man w ho always wants to
go further. In the outside world, it’s different. You’re free, you see
other boys and girls, and you can play sport and do a lot o f
different things. B ut here, you see each other every hour o f the
day. Be careful Anne, and d o n ’t take it too seriously!’
Father says that I shouldn’t go upstairs so often, but I still want
to. Yes, I’m going!

Wednesday, 3 May 1944

For the last two weeks, w e’ve been eating lunch at eleven-thirty
on Saturdays. From tomorrow, it’ll be like that every day. That
will be one meal less each day. It’s still very hard to get vegetables.
This afternoon we ate some bad cooked lettuce. Add some bad
potatoes, and you have a meal fine enough for a king!
I haven’t had my period for m ore than two m onths, but it
finally started last Sunday. A lthough it’s a trouble and a mess, I’m
glad.
You can im agine we often say, ‘W hy are there wars? Why, oh
why, can’t people live together peacefully?’
N o one can give a really good answer. W hy is England making
bigger and better aeroplanes and bombs, and at the same time
also building new houses? W hy do governments give millions
each day for war, w hen they spend nothing on medicine or poor
people? W hy must people go w ithout food, w hen there are
m ountains o f food going bad in other parts o f the world? O h,
why are people so crazy?
It’s not only governments w ho make war. No, the com m on
man is guilty too! We give our governments the authority to do
it. T h ere’s som ething in people that makes them m urder and kill.
Unless all hum an beings change, there will still be wars.
I’m often sad here, but I still see our life in the Secret Annexe
as an adventure. It’s dangerous but exciting. I’ve decided that I

43
 w ant to live a different kind o f life, not like other girls, and that I
w o n ’t be an ordinary housewife. Living here is an interesting
beginning to my life, and that’s why I laugh at the amusing side
o f it, even w hen it’s dangerous.
I’m young, and I’m strong, happy and cheerful. I feel that I’m
growing up m ore every day, and that the end o f the war is not far
away. N ature is still beautiful, and the people around me are
good. Every day, I think w hat an interesting adventure this is! So
why be sad or frightened?

Saturday, 6 May 1944

It is hard to believe it w hen Jan, M r Kugler and M r Kleiman tell

us about the prices o f food in the outside world. Everything is so
expensive, and people buy and sell on the black market. O ne
person can sell you a little bit o f wool, another some ration
books, and another some cheese. Stealing and m urder happen
every day. Even the police and the night w atchm en are doing it.
Everyone wants food to put in their stomachs, and they can’t
earn enough m oney to eat.

M onday, 8 May 1944

Have I ever told you anything about my family? I d o n ’t think I

have, so let me begin. Father was born in Frankfurt-am -M ain,
and his parents were very rich. M ichael Frank, his father, ow ned a
bank. W hen Father was young, there were parties and dances
every week, and they lived in an enorm ous house. B ut w hen his
father died, most o f the m oney was lost, and after the Great War
and the problems in Germany, there was nothing left at all.
M o th er’s family wasn’t so rich, but they had quite a lot o f
money, and she also tells us stories o f private dances and parties
w ith 250 guests.

44
 W e’re not at all rich now, but I hope things will be good after
the war. I’d like to spend a year in Paris and London, to learn the
languages and study art history. I’ve told you before, I want to see
the world and do all kinds o f exciting things! And a little m oney
will be very useful!

Friday, 19 May 1944

I felt awful yesterday. I was sick, and had a headache. I’m feeling
better today. I’m very hungry, but I w o n ’t eat the beans that w e’re
having for dinner.
Everything is going fine between Peter and me. We kiss each
other goodnight every evening, and he always asks for another
kiss. H e ’s so happy to know that som ebody loves him!
I’m not so close to him now as I was. M y love hasn’t grown
colder, though. Peter’s a lovely boy, but I’ve closed the door to the
Anne deep inside. If he wants to find her again, h e’ll have to
break down the door!

M onday, 22 May 1944

W e’ve heard som ething very sad and frightening. It seems that a
lot o f people are thinking differently about us Jews now. People
are against us w ho were once totally on our side. Some
Christians are saying that the Jews tell secrets to the Germans.
They say that the Jews are telling the authorities about their
helpers, and then those people are arrested. And then, o f course,
the punishm ents that they get are terrible. Yes, it’s all true. But
they should ask themselves this: if Christians were in our place,
would they behave differently? C ould anyone, Jew or Christian,
stay silent w hen the Germans are trying to make them talk?
Everyone knows that it’s almost impossible, so why do they ask
us, the Jews, to do som ething impossible?

45
 I have only one hope: that the D utch will not be against us for
long. They should rem em ber again in their hearts w hat’s right,
because this isn’t right at all.

Thursday, 25 May 1944

Som ething happens every day now. This m orning they arrested
M r van Hoeven, the m an w ho brings the potatoes. H e was
helping two Jews, w ho were hiding in his house. T he world is
turned upside down. T he best people are in concentration camps
and prisons, while the worst decide to put them there. It’s terrible
for M r van Hoeven, and for those poor Jews. It’s also very
difficult for us. Bep can’t possibly carry all those heavy potatoes,
so w e’ll have to eat less o f them . M other says that we w o n ’t eat
breakfast; lunch will be bread and som ething simple; and dinner
will be potatoes. If possible, w e’ll eat vegetables or lettuces once
or twice a week. T h at’s all there is.

M onday, 5 June 1944

There are new problems in the Annexe now. T here’s a quarrel

betw een Dussel and the Franks. We can’t agree how to share out
the butter.
T h en the van Daans d o n ’t agree that we should make a cake
for M r Kugler’s birthday w hen we can’t have one ourselves. It’s
all very silly. M ood upstairs: bad. Mrs van Daan has a cold.
T he weather is awful. T he Allies are bom bing the Pas de Calais
and the west coast o f France.
N o one is buying Am erican dollars now, and they aren’t
interested in gold either. We shall soon com e to the bottom o f
our black m oney-box. H ow will we have enough m oney to live
next m onth?

46
 T uesday, 6 J u n e 1944

‘This is D-Day,’ the BBC said on the radio at twelve

o ’clock.‘This is the day.’ T he invasion has begun!
T he G erm an news says that British soldiers have arrived on
the coast o f France, and are fighting the Germans there.
At one o ’clock the BBC said that 11,000 planes are flying in
to help the invasion. T hey’re carrying soldiers, or on bom bing
raids. 4,000 boats are arriving on the coast betw een C herbourg
and Le Havre. British and Am erican armies are already fighting
there.
We can’t believe it! Is this really the beginning o f the end o f
the war? W e’ve talked about it so m uch - but it still seems too
good to be true! Will they w in the war this year, in 1944? We
d o n ’t know yet. B ut where there’s hope, there’s life. It makes us
brave and strong again.
N ow that the invasion has started, I feel that friends are
coming! Maybe, M argot says, I can even go back to school in
Septem ber or October!

Friday, 9 June 1944

Great news o f the invasion! T he Allies have taken Bayeux, a

village on the coast o f France. T hey’re now fighting for the tow n
o f Caen.

Tuesday, 13 June 1944

I’ve had another birthday, so now I’m fifteen. I had quite a few
presents; am ong them were an art history book, some underwear,
a handkerchief, a pot o f jam , two small honey cakes, a book about
plants from M other and Father, sweets from Miep, and some
lovely flowers from Peter.

47
 T he invasion is still going well, although the weather is
terrible —heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas.
Peter loves me more each day, but som ething is holding us
back, and I d o n ’t know what it is. Sometimes I wonder if I wanted
him too much; I think that perhaps it wasn’t real. But then if I
can’t go up to his room for a day or two, I want him badly again.
Peter is kind and good, but in some ways I’m not happy about
him as a person. H e doesn’t think m uch o f God, for example, and I
do n ’t like the way that he talks about food. And why doesn’t he let
me come close to him, really close to the person deep inside him?
I haven’t been outside for so long that everything in the
natural w orld seems w onderful to m e now. I rem em ber a tim e
w hen I did n ’t notice the blue sky, or the flowers, or hear the
song o f the birds. All that has changed. W hen I can, I try to
w atch the m oon, or the dark, rainy sky through our windows.
A nd w hen I look at the clouds, the m oon and the stars, I really
do feel calm and hopeful. It’s the best m edicine, and I am
stronger afterwards.
Unfortunately, I usually have to try and look through dusty
curtains and very dirty windows.

Tuesday, 27 June 1944

T he m ood has changed, and everything outside is going very

well. T he Allies have w on C herbourg, Vitebsk and Zhlobin. In
the three weeks since D-Day, there have been rain and storms
every day, but the British and the Americans have fought hard.
H ow far do you think w e’ll be on 27 July?

Saturday, 15 July 1944

I know that I w on Peter as a friend, not the other way round. I

was the one w ho tried to make it work. And I made a picture o f

48
him in my m ind as a quiet, sweet boy w ho badly needed a loving
friend. I needed som eone to talk to, to say w hat was in my heart.
I wanted a friend too, w ho would help me to find my way again.
I succeeded; slowly but surely, he came towards me. Finally, we
became friends, but we became very close too. I find it hard to
believe now that we grew so close! We talked about very private
things, but never about w hat was deep in my heart. And I still
can’t understand Peter. Is he really shy, or is there nothing deep in
him at all?
But I made one big mistake. I w anted him to be close to me,
and now we can’t be friends any other way. And h e’s holding on
to me too tightly. I can’t see how to change this now.

Friday, 21 July 1944

Now, at last, things are going well! Great news! Somebody tried
to kill Hitler, and it was actually a G erm an army official w ho
tried to do it! This shows us that many o f the G erm an soldiers
have had enough o f the war too, and would like to end it.

Tuesday, 1 A ugust 1944

I’m two people, really, as I’ve often told you. O ne side o f me is

cheerful and amusing, and enjoys a kiss or a rude joke. This is the
Anne that people know, and they will be amused by me for an
afternoon, but after that they’ve had enough o f me for a m onth!
N o one knows the other side, the better side o f Anne. It’s deeper
and finer. But the first A nne always shows herself, and w on’t let
the second Anne out. I try, but it doesn’t work. It’s because I’m
afraid — afraid that people will laugh at me. O f course people
laugh at me now —I’m used to it —but they laugh at the amusing
‘lighthearted’Anne. She doesn’t care, but the ‘deeper’Anne is too
weak for that. If I make the good Anne com e out even for fifteen

49
2 63 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam. Seen from the rear.
minutes, she w o n ’t speak, and allows Anne num ber one to talk.
Then, before I realize it, she’s disappeared again.
So the nice Anne never comes out in front o f other people,
but she’s almost always there w hen I’m alone. I would like to
change, and I’m trying hard, but it’s difficult. If I’m quiet and
serious, my family thinks I’m ill! B ut I keep trying to becom e
what I w ould like to be, and w hat I could be i f . . . if only there
were no other people in the world.

A N N E ’S D IA RY EN D S H E R E

A fterw ord

O n the m orning o f 4 August 1944, a car arrived at 263

Prinsengracht, the address o f the Secret Annexe. G erm an and
D utch police arrested the eight people w ho were hiding in the
Annexe. Som ebody must have told the authorities that they were
hiding there. They also arrested two o f their helpers, M r Kugler
and M r Kleiman. M iep and Bep were not arrested. T he police
took all the m oney and anything valuable that they could find in
the Annexe. M iep later found A nne’s diary in the building and
kept it safely until after the war.
T he police took Kugler and Kleiman to a prison in
Amsterdam. O n 11 Septem ber 1944 they were sent to a
concentration camp in Amersfoot, also in Holland. Because
Kleiman was ill, he was allowed to go free on 18 September. H e
lived in Amsterdam until he died in 1959.
Kugler later escaped, and he w ent to live in Canada, w here he
died in 1989.
B ep’s real name was Elisabeth Voskuijl W ijk, and she died in
Amsterdam in 1983.

51
 M iep Santrouschitz Gies is still living in Amsterdam, but her
husband Jan died in 1993.
T he eight people from the Annexe were first taken to a prison
in Amsterdam. T hen they were sent to Auschwitz, the
concentration camp in Poland.
It seems that M r van Daan died by gas at Auschwitz, and his
wife was taken to several m ore concentration camps. She died in
a concentration camp, though nobody knows exactly how. O n
16 January 1945, Peter van Daan had to go on the terrible
prisoners’ walk from Auschwitz to M authausen in Austria, where
he died on 5 May 1945. H e died only three days before the Allies
got to the camp.
Albert Dussel died on 20 D ecem ber 1944 in the N euen
Gamme concentration camp.
Edith Frank, A nne’s m other, died in the Auschwitz
concentration camp on 6 January 1945, too tired and too hungry
to live any longer.
M argot and Anne Frank were taken from Auschwitz to the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp near Hanover, in Germany. A
terrible illness attacked the prisoners there. They both died in the
w inter o f 1944—5. Anne must have died in late February or early
M arch. All the bodies o f the prisoners were throw n together. The
British army arrived at the camp on 12 April 1945.
O tto Frank was the only one o f the eight still alive. After
Russian soldiers reached Auschwitz, he was finally taken back to
Amsterdam. In 1953, he moved to Switzerland, m arried again,
and lived there until his death in 1980. H e spent the rest o f his
life trying to share the message o f his daughter’s diary w ith the
rest o f the world.
 ACTIVITIES
Saturday, 13 June 1942-Friday, 21 August 1942
Before you read
1 Read the Introduction. What do you know about the Second World
War? Answer these questions.
a Name three countries that fought against Germany,
b Name one country on the German side,
c Who was the leader of Germany at the time?
d Which country did Germany first invade?
e In which part of Italy did the Allies land in July 1943?
f For how long was Holland ruled by the Germans?
2 This story is the diary of a young teenage girl. What sort of things
do you think she writes about? Have you ever written a diary?
What did you write about in it?
3 Look at the Word List at the back of the book. What are the words
in your language?
4 In the Word List, find:
a five words connected with the Second World War.
b three words for types of food,
c four words for buildings or parts of buildings.
5 Find Holland on a map and find Amsterdam. What is the other
name for Holland? Which two countries are next to it? How is
Holland different from other countries in Europe?
While you read
6 Anne’s father is the manager of a company called Opteka. Tick (/)
the people who work for this company.
a Margot g Miep
b Mr Keesing h Ja n ...
c Hello Silberberg i Bep Voskuijl ,
d Johannes Kleiman j Mr Voskuijl ...
e Victor Kugler k Mrs van Daan
f Mr van Daan 1 Peter van Daan

54
After you read
7 Answer these questions.
a Why did the Frank family move from Germany to Holland?
b When did things get worse for them in Holland?
c Why do they decide to hide in July 1942?
d Why is their hiding place called The Secret Annexe’?
e How many people are in the Secret Annexe in July 1942?
8 What was life like for Jewish people in Holland after 1940? How
would you feel in that situation? What would be the worst things?
9 Look at the plan of the Secret Annexe on page 8. Imagine you
had to live there with seven other people and never go out. What
would be the main difficulties of living like this? Discuss this with
another student.

Monday, 21 September 1942-Tuesday, 22 December 1942

Before you read
10 In this part of the book, Anne talks about concentration camps at
Westerbork. Find Westerbork on a map. Where is it?
11 These places are in the diary: Tunis, Algiers, Casablanca, Oran.
Find them on a map of North Africa. Which countries are they in?
12 The people in the Secret Annexe have to stay secret. What rules
will they have to follow? Think about radio, speaking, singing
and looking out of the windows. Discuss your ideas with another
student.
While you read
13 Put these sentences in the right order. Write the correct numbers
1-7.
a Mr van Daan hears that the British have reached Tunis,
Algiers, Casablanca and Oran,
b Anne has to share her room with Mr Dussel.
c Anne hears on the radio that the Germans are killing
Jewish people with gas.
d There is no water in the Annexe for a whole day.

55
 e Mr Dussel arrives to live in the Secret Annexe,
f Anne sees long lines of people walking in the streets,
g Anne is frightened because someone knocks loudly
at the bookcase door.
After you read
14 Who:
a is learning Dutch?
b buys clothes for Anne and Margot?
c knocks on the bookcase door?
d drops beans down the stairs?
e write the rules for the Secret Annexe?
f thinks Anne is too noisy?
15 How would an adult’s diary be different from Anne’s? Think of
some examples of the things an adult would write about.

Wednesday, 13 January 1943-Monday evening, 8 November 1943

Before you read
16 It is the beginning of 1943. Which of these things do you think
will happen before the end of the year? Choose from the words in
italics.
a The Allies will invade France/Italy.
b Anne will have a big argument with her mother/Mr Dussel.
c Amsterdam will be bombed by the Allies/Germans.
d France/Italy will change sides in the war.
e Mr Frank/Mr Kleiman will have an operation,
f Mr Dussel will fall out with Mr van Daan/Mrs van Daan.
17 1943 was the year when the Allies began to do better in the war.
Do you know what happened in Southern Italy in this year?
While you read
18 Draw lines to connect the words on the left and the right to make
correct sentences.
a Dutch Christians enter Naples,
b Peter gets some eggs as a present,
c Anne has a stomach operation.

56
 d Mr Dussel takes over from Mussolini,
e Burglars are sent to Germany,
f The King of Italy finds rats in the attic,
g The British makes her mother unhappy,
h Mr Kleiman break into the warehouse.
After you read
19 Discuss these questions with another student.
a Why do you think the Germans sent the sons of Christian
families to Germany?
b Why do you think they didn’t want the Dutch people to listen to
the radio?
c Why did bombs fall on Amsterdam? Do you think the Allies
meant to bomb the city?
d What do you think was in Anne’s ‘escape bag’?
e Why do you think Schiphol Airport was bombed?
f Who was Mussolini? If you don’t know, find out something
about him.
20 During the bombing, the people in the Secret Annexe are very
frightened. Where do people normally go when there is bombing?
Why do you think it would be very frightening in the Secret
Annexe?

Sunday, 2 January 1944-Tuesday, 14 March 1944

Before you read
21 Look at the photograph of Anne’s mother, Edith Frank, on page
26. Now look at the picture of Peter van Daan on page 28. From
the photographs, and from Anne’s diary, what can you say about
these people’s characters?
While you read
22 What does Anne write about first? What next? Put these things in
the right order. Write the numbers 1-10.
a their stores of fo o d ....
b very old vegetables....
c the Allied invasion....

57
 d her feelings for Peter
e her periods
f quarrels in the Annexe
g her mother
h a picture of film actors
i dancing ...
j the view from the attic window
After you read
23 These are the stores of food in the Secret Annexe on 3 February:
sixty-five pounds of beans, fifty tins of vegetables, ten tins of fish,
forty tins of milk, three bottles of oil, four jars of butter, four jars of
fruit, twenty jars of tomatoes.
With these, what meal would you cook for the people in the Secret
Annexe?
24 On Tuesday, 14 March 1944, the people in the Secret Annexe have
very bad food to eat. This is because of things that happened
to Mr M., Mr Kleiman and Miep. What has happened to each of
these people?
25 Anne’s mother says that she sees her daughters more as friends,
not daughters (6 January 1944). Anne thinks, That’s nice, but a
friend is not the same as a mother.’ What do you think? Discuss
this with other students.

Saturday, 18 March 1944-Tuesday, 11 April 1944

Before you read
26 Look at the two pictures of 263 Prinsengracht on page 35 and
page 50 and the plan of the Secret Annexe on page 8.
In which picture of the house can you see the Secret Annexe?
27 What do you think will happen between Anne and Peter? Will they
become close friends, or like boyfriend and girlfriend - or will they
argue with each other?

58
While you read
28 One word in each sentence is wrong. Underline it and write the
correct word.
a Soon after Anne was eleven, her parents
told her about sex. ..........................
b Anne and Peter talk about problems with
their friends. .........................
c A plane crashes on top of a house near
them. ..........................
d The Dutch government is in Amsterdam. .........................
e The German army is close to Odessa................. ..........................
f Anne wants to live in England after the war. ..........................
After you read
29 Answer these questions.
a Why does Anne’s mother try to stop her going to Peter’s
room?
b On 29 March 1944 Anne writes about life in the war. In your
opinion, what are some of the worst things?
c What sort of food is Anne eating now?
d What does Anne want to do with her life in the future?
e What happens on the evening of 9 April? Why is it so
frightening?
30 Work with another student. Have this conversation between Anne
and Peter.
Student A\ You are Anne. Talk about your problems with your
parents and ask for Peter’s opinion.
Student B\ You are Peter. Talk about what you like doing in your
free time.

Sunday, 16 April 1944-Afterword

Before you read
31 How do you think the story is going to end? Which people do
you think will live to the end of the war? Discuss your ideas with
another student.

59
While you read
32 Are these sentences true or false? Write T (true) or F (false) after
each one.
a Anne wants to marry Peter after the war.
b Anne’s father is against her relationship with Peter,
c For Anne, life in the Secret Annexe is interesting,
d Anne’s family was rich between the two world wars,
e Anne wants to study art history after the war.
f Life for Jews in Holland is becoming more difficult,
g Mr van Hoeven is arrested for helping Jews,
h British soldiers invade Holland,
i Anne is afraid to show her real feelings.

After you read

33 On Monday, 5 June 1944 Anne writes, The Allies are bombing the
Pas de Calais and the west coast of France’. The next day she
writes that the invasion is happening between Cherbourg and Le
Havre. Find these places on a map. Why do you think the Allies
bombed the Pas de Calais and the west coast then invaded in a
different place?
34 Anne’s diary stops suddenly in August 1944, but we know what
happened after that. What happened to these people:
a Anne and her sister Margot?
b Anne’s parents?
c Mr and Mrs van Daan?
d Peter van Daan?
e Mr Kleiman?
35 Anne’s diary is one of the most famous personal diaries in the
world. Why do you think it has become so famous? What can we
learn from it? Do you think everyone should read it?
36 In 1944, someone told the Germans about the Secret Annexe.
Many people have tried to find out who did it, but nobody knows
the answer. Perhaps it was one of the people in this book, or
someone else? Who do you think it was?

60
Writing
37 You are Anne, and you want to describe your room in your diary.
Write about what you have in the room and what happens there.
Use the information in the diary and look at the plan of the Annexe
on page 8 to help you.
38 Describe how the eight people live in the Secret Annexe. Write
about how and where they wash, the food that they eat and the
rules they follow.
39 Imagine you are a young person living on the streets of Amsterdam
at this time. You have no money and have to ask people for bread.
On most days and almost every night, bombs fall on the city. If
the police catch you, they will send you to a camp in Germany.
Describe your life.
40 During her time in the Secret Annexe, Anne’s relationship with
her mother changes. At first it is that of a girl. Later it is that of a
young woman. This is a difficult time for both of them. Describe
her feelings for her mother at this time.
41 On Sunday, 19 March 1944, Anne goes to Peter’s room. They
stand by the open window as it gets dark. They talk about their
parents and their problems with them, their feelings, the year
1942 and how their lives have changed since then. Write their
conversation or part of it.
42 On Wednesday, 3 May 1944, Anne writes about wars and the
reasons for wars. She writes about governments and ordinary
people. Read her ideas and then write your own. Why do you think
wars happen?
43 You work for The Times newspaper in London. Write a newspaper
report about the final arrest of the people in the Secret Annexe.
Write about when they were found, who was found, how they lived
and who helped them.
44 Imagine you are going to live in a Secret Annexe. You may be in
there for years. What are some important things that you would
take with you? Describe them and say why you would take them.

61
45 Choose a few of the people in the book who interest you most (not
Anne). Write about them using the information in Anne’s diary and
the pictures in the book.
46 Do you think that this is only a sad book? Or do you think it has
happy parts also? Does Anne’s diary tell us anything about life in
the world today? Does it give us hope for the future? Why (not)?

Answers for the Activities in this book are available from the Penguin R eaders website.
A free Activity W orksheet is also available from the website. Activity Worksheets are
part o f the Penguin Teacher Support Programm e, w hich also includes Progress Tests
and G raded R eader Guidelines. For m ore inform ation, please visit:
w w w .penguinreaders.com .
 WORD LIST

The Allies (n) the countries that fought together against Germany
during the First and Second World War
annexe (n) a building that belongs to a house but is separate from it
arrest (v) to take a person away, for example to a police station, because
he/she may be guilty
attic (n) the space or room just below the roof of a house
authority (n) the power that people have when they can expect others
to obey them; the authorities are the people in charge of a country
or area
bike (n) bicycle
bookcase (n) a piece of furniture that has shelves for books
brilliant (adj) very clever
burst (v) to break open suddenly and violently; to burst into tears
means to begin to cry suddenly
cheek (n) the soft round part of your face below your eye
concentration camp (n) a prison where people who were not soldiers
were kept in very cruel conditions during wartime
D-Day (n) the day in the Second World War when the armies fighting
against Germany landed in France
delighted (adj) very pleased
exam (n) an important test of how much you know about a subject
freedom (n) the ability to do what you want without people stopping
you
honey (n) a sweet food that is made by black and yellow flying insects
invade (v) to enter another country with an army to take control of
the country; this is an invasion
lettuce (n) a vegetable with thin green leaves that you eat uncooked in
salads
period (n) the time when blood comes out of a woman’s body each
month
prayer (n) something that religious people say to God
quarrel (v/n) to argue in an angry way
raid (n) a short attack on a place
ration (n) a small amount of food that people are allowed to have when
there is not much food, for example during a war
relation (n) a member of your family, such as an uncle or cousin
sausage (n) a food made from meat inside a tube shape
Shame (n) the unpleasant feeling when you know you have done
something bad and other people have a low opinion of you
spoilt (adj) rude or badly-behaved as a result of having parents who
never say ‘N o’
Stiff (adj) feeling that it is difficult or painful to move or bend
Store(s) (n/v) a room or place for keeping things until you need them
warehouse (n) a large building for keeping things before they are sent
to shops
 Stadtbibliothek Berlin - Mitte N11 < 06498270456

V
It is 1942 in Holland and the Germans have invaded. All Jewish
people are frightened for their lives, so the Frank family hide. Life
is dangerous but they hope for the best - until they are finally
discovered. Anne Frank was a real person, and this is her d ia r y .
P hilipp-S chaeffer-B ibl. (456)
Penguin Headers are simplified texts which provide a step-by-step
approach to the joys o f reading for pleasure.

\ * * *f** Series Editors: Andy Hopkins and Jocelyn Potter

. ** Easystarts 200 headwords

Level 1 300 headwords Beginner
Level 2 600 headwords Elementary
Level 3 1200 headwords Pre-Intermediate
Level 4 1700 headwords In te rm e d ia te
Level 5 2300 headwords Upper-Intermediate
Level 6 3000 headwords Advanced
Ilf*'
Contemporary British English
V Number of words (excluding activities): 12,701

Cover photograph © G etty Images / Hulton Archive

Audio CD pack also available

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ISBN 978-1-4058-8212-

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