Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Zlata Filipovic
Can you imagine what life would be like in the middle of a war zone? Gunfire in the air. Food and water shortages. Constant fear. It would be horrible for anyone. It would be especially hard for a child. Zlata's Diary paints a picture of what that life is like. It is the diary of a young girl. It is from 1991, when she is eleven years old. She lives in Sarajevo, a city in the former nation of Yugoslavia. Zlata's diary shows just how much life changes as war spreads across the country and into her hometown.
Zlata Filipovic was born in Yugoslavia on December 3, 1980. Her father was a lawyer. Her mother worked as a chemist. They lived a very normal and happy life. Zlata's story begins in November 1991. This is when she starts writing in her diary. At first, her diary is much like that of any young girl. She writes about herself and her friends. She writes about parties that she attends. She writes about what she does during the holidays. Not far away, a war is going on, but Zlata is unaffected. On April 5, 1992, everything changed. The fighting moved into Sarajevo. Zlata described it as the day that time stood still. Her normal, happy life was over. As Zlata's life changed, the entries in her diary did, too. She began describing the horrors that were happening all around her. She wrote of the violence and hatred that consumed her city. She wrote of the fear she felt during the bombings. She wrote about the time she spent hiding in the cellar. She records how the city slowly falls apart with no food, water, or electricity. Perhaps the saddest day in Zlata's story is the day that her best friend is killed during a bomb attack. Zlata records everything.
