Anne Frank

Hello, my name is Anne Frank, and I want to tell you my story. I was born in a country called Germany, and my early childhood was full of sunshine and laughter. I lived with my dear father, Otto, my kind mother, Edith, and my smart older sister, Margot. We loved to play games and spend time together. But when I was a little girl, things in Germany started to change and it wasn't safe for my family anymore because we were Jewish. So, we moved to a beautiful city called Amsterdam. I made new friends, went to a new school, and loved to read and write more than anything. For my 13th birthday on June 12th, 1942, my parents gave me the most wonderful gift. It was a beautiful book with a red-and-white checkered cover. It was a diary. I decided to give it a special name, Kitty. I told Kitty, "You will be my best friend." I couldn't wait to fill its pages with all my thoughts, secrets, and dreams for the future. I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, and my diary was the perfect place to start practicing.

Soon after my birthday, the world outside became even scarier. It was a time of a big war, called World War II, and soldiers were making rules that were unfair to Jewish people. My father told us we had to go into hiding to stay safe. He had prepared a secret place for us. It was hidden behind a tall, gray bookshelf in his old office building. We called it the Secret Annex. To get inside, you had to pull the bookshelf open like a secret door. My family and another family, the van Pels, moved into the small, hidden rooms. We had to be as quiet as mice all day long so no one downstairs would hear us. We couldn't run, shout, or even flush the toilet during the day. It was very hard. During those long, quiet days, my diary, Kitty, became my most trusted friend. I wrote to her about everything. I told her when I was happy, when I was sad, and when I was scared. I wrote about the little arguments we had, the books I was reading, and my dreams of becoming a famous writer and seeing the world again. Writing helped me feel brave, and it made me feel like I wasn't so alone in our secret little home.

We lived in the Secret Annex for two whole years. But one day, on August 4th, 1944, our secret hiding place was discovered by soldiers. It was a very sad and frightening day for all of us, and my family was separated. I did not get to grow up and become the writer I had dreamed of being. It was a very hard time, and I passed away before the war ended. But my story didn't end there. My brave father, Otto, was the only one from our secret home who survived. When he returned to Amsterdam, he found my diary, Kitty, safe and sound. He read my words and decided to share them with the world, just as I had wanted. My diary became a famous book, read by children and grown-ups everywhere. Even though my life was short, my voice lives on. My words teach people about hope, the importance of being kind to one another, and why we must always stand up against unfairness so that everyone can live in peace.