Simon & Schuster to Publish Holocaust Memoir, August 2013

Simon and Schuster Children's Books today announced the acquisition of the remarkable and profoundly moving memoir of Leon Leyson, one of the youngest Holocaust survivors on Oskar Schindler's List.

Ingrid Selberg, Publisher for Simon and Schuster Children's Books UK acquired UK and commonwealth rights in the memoir, entitled The Boy on the Wooden Box, from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, a division of Simon and Schuster US. Global interest has been strong, with nine foreign editions already snapped up.

The Boy on the Wooden Box follows the powerful true story of Leon Leyson's survival through the Holocaust, capturing the innocence of a young boy who goes through the unthinkable. Leon was only ten years old when the Germans invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of Oskar Schindler who saved the lives of Leyson, his parents and two of his four siblings, but it wasn't until the release of Steven Spielberg's award-winning movie, Schindler's List, that Leon began to share his story.

Sadly, Leon passed away in January this year, the day after the manuscript was received by his US editor. He leaves behind his wife, Lis, their two children and six grandchildren. Mrs Leyson said of the publishing deal: "Leon would have been honoured to know that his story will endure."

In the UK, Ingrid Selberg added: "We are honoured to be publishing this very important book which chronicles one of history's most significant and devastating events through the eyes of a child who was actually there. This is a book every child of nine and up should read alongside Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl."

The Boy on the Wooden Box will be published globally in August 2013.