leahegood's review
3.0
The Nazis are looking for those children,” said Sister Gabriel. “If we take them we must never let on that they are here. Never. Even if we are questioned. We can never betray them, no matter what they do to us. Do you understand?”
Janet and the 19 other boys and girls from her fifth-grade class have been sent to the French countryside for safekeeping during the Nazi occupation. None of them hesitate to agree when a tired man arrives in search of safety for 10 Jewish children.
“They’re coming! They’re coming!” she yelled. And suddenly Philip and George were also among us, panting. “They’re coming! They’re coming! The Nazis are coming!”
No one expects Nazi soldier’s to arrive while Sister Gabriel is away in town, but when they are spotted in the valley, the children must make a plan and execute it quickly. Will it be enough to keep them all safe?
Audience: Any age, either to be read independently or listen to. Target audience is probably 8 to 12.
Janet and the 19 other boys and girls from her fifth-grade class have been sent to the French countryside for safekeeping during the Nazi occupation. None of them hesitate to agree when a tired man arrives in search of safety for 10 Jewish children.
“They’re coming! They’re coming!” she yelled. And suddenly Philip and George were also among us, panting. “They’re coming! They’re coming! The Nazis are coming!”
No one expects Nazi soldier’s to arrive while Sister Gabriel is away in town, but when they are spotted in the valley, the children must make a plan and execute it quickly. Will it be enough to keep them all safe?
Audience: Any age, either to be read independently or listen to. Target audience is probably 8 to 12.
m3lina_777's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Racism
jsh626's review
5.0
Kids loved this book! True story of 20 French children who have to hide 10 Jewish children during the Nazi occupation. It was a nice way to have my kids think through the period as well as consider what they would do if in that situation.
sassmistress's review against another edition
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Twenty displaced children live in a refuge in occupied France. Ten Jewish children arrive, on the run, and they all agree to hide them from the Nazis.
This book is great! Such a gentle way to introduce young children to WWII. The children know that if the Nazis find them, the Jewish children and probably their nun caretaker will be killed. It's a tale of courage, leadership in a crisis, and children learning to be a little kinder than they were before. If course, there's nothing graphic, nothing scarier than some intimidating soldiers and vague threats and a close call when the toddler starts talking, and there's a happy ending.
This book is great! Such a gentle way to introduce young children to WWII. The children know that if the Nazis find them, the Jewish children and probably their nun caretaker will be killed. It's a tale of courage, leadership in a crisis, and children learning to be a little kinder than they were before. If course, there's nothing graphic, nothing scarier than some intimidating soldiers and vague threats and a close call when the toddler starts talking, and there's a happy ending.
Content Warnings
Here are a few bits of content I noticed that folks may care about. Being written in 1952, you'll notice the primary theme here is "written in a different time".
- The book starts with the children acting out Mary and Joseph's flight to Egypt. They squabble over who can play Mary, and one boy says "Sometimes Mary is dark and sometimes she is fair. Mary can be French, Spanish, Russian, Negro, Indian, Chinese, anything, anything at all."
- Their play is not biblically accurate, with one boy pretending that the fleeing Jews are actually rich but hiding their ration cards to "double-cross us" (the Egyptians) and take their jobs. A fistfight breaks out because of all the bickering about how to play pretend.
- One boy like another girl much better because she is "dark" instead of "fair". It sounds like they are talking about hair color but it's hard for a modern reader to decipher.
- A child makes sense of the Jewish refugees by relating them to the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt. "That boy is right. It is the same story - always - throughout the centuries. This time Herod's soldiers are the Nazis. That's all." "... Now, once more, Jesus' family is hunted and will be killed if we do not hide them. Will you, boys and girls, help? Will you take with you, here, and hide, ten Jewish boys and girls whose fathers and mothers are dead already?"
- Some children hide a chocolate bar to keep for themselves. Another girl finds it and takes it to eat some herself.
- One boy gets annoyed with a girl and shouts "Helpless! Always helpless one way or another! I cannot stand a girl who--" and is interrupted. One girl takes a risky trip to help the ones in hiding and a boy says "Why didn't Henry come? Why did he let a girl get into this jam?" When it's time to eat with no adult to help, "we girls cooked rutabagas and we all had that and a small piece of bread each".
- A soldier smokes a pipe.
- An adult says to the nun, "you know you can be shot for this?" A soldier fires a gun into the air. At another time, one shouts at a child, "Stop or I shoot!"
- The main character pretends to be "stupid", which looks a liiiiittle too much like a stereotypical nonverbal autistic child.
Spoiler
- At the end, they all (including the Jewish children) play pretend again, this time the story of Jesus multiplying the fish and loaves. There is a blessing found, described as a "sweet miracle".snekmint's review
3.0
This is a book for upper elementary school children about Nazi-occupied France. Over the course of a few days, Nazi soldiers arrive at a church/school where 20 French children live with a nun, and search it for evidence that they are hiding Jewish children--which they are. The children hold fast and refuse to betray the Jewish children despite bribery and threats from the Nazis. There is no way to avoid the fact: it is a tale of war. This is a story of heroic love and faithfulness among victims.
It is also written in a gentle and age-appropriate way-- the Nazi soldiers are frightening and clearly horrible, but Bishop uses an author's most wonderful and impactful weapons against them: demonstrations of courage, incredible cleverness under pressure, unshakeable faith and friendship in the face of evil; and most powerful of all, making the Nazis look foolish and outsmarted. Laughter, literally displayed in this book by 20 children laughing at the man who mistook the ramblings of a toddler, is a wonderful force that unmans and disarms the powerful.
This little vignette of resistance during war is one that belongs in every school library.
It is also written in a gentle and age-appropriate way-- the Nazi soldiers are frightening and clearly horrible, but Bishop uses an author's most wonderful and impactful weapons against them: demonstrations of courage, incredible cleverness under pressure, unshakeable faith and friendship in the face of evil; and most powerful of all, making the Nazis look foolish and outsmarted. Laughter, literally displayed in this book by 20 children laughing at the man who mistook the ramblings of a toddler, is a wonderful force that unmans and disarms the powerful.
This little vignette of resistance during war is one that belongs in every school library.
anniecan's review
5.0
This was the second time reading this book aloud to my kids (1st and 4th grade) and again it did not disappoint. They would not let me put it down and we read through the entirety in 2 sittings. Incredibly rich for its length, and an age-appropriate, thought inducing introduction to the persecution of the Jews and the hardships endured during WWII. The first time through, my then 2nd grade daughter chose it for a book report. Highly recommended!
readerlylife's review
4.0
This book is a great way to introduce young kids to WWII. I read this to my boys (ages 7 & 6) and they were intrigued and full of questions. Chapter 4 had them on the edge of their seats. They were begging me to finish the book so they could know that everything ended well. I was hesitant to read this at first, especially to my more sensitive child, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It helped too that the book is short so the tense part doesn't last too long.
sean67's review
3.0
Short, average account of the story was somewhat interesting, although not overly stimulating.
It did hold your interest but will fade from memory quite quickly.
It did hold your interest but will fade from memory quite quickly.
books10's review
Ten Jewish children being hidden at a school to avoid Nazi capture