Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press, Two Roads for the arc of this book.

Was a great informative read about a school who escaped the nazis, 5 star read.

When Anna Essinger, known as Tante Anna decided to move her progressive school from Nazi Germany to Bunce Court in Kent she could have had no idea how important this decision was.

Anna is Jewish, and frightened what the future might hold, The final straw came when she was asked to fly a swastika over her German school, she knew she had to take action. Beginning with 70 children, she moved the school from Germany to Kent. But even in Kent she was taking a risk as there were issues with illness, school inspectors and such like.

And then the Kinder transports start to arrive from Europe bringing frightened children, torn from their families but looking for safety. Anna's school, and her staff, provide safety and security through times of tragedy and uncertainty.

Following the war, Anna doesn't stop caring, and ensures that she has room for those who have been displaced by war.

As a teacher, I found this book fascinating. I studied history to degree level and have never looked into the impact Nazi Germany had on Jewish teachers and schools. The book is well written and easy to read. There are several people of interest who are followed and the book is written chronologically. It told of the bravery of certain teachers and how their lives were torn apart. How incredibly brave they were and how they went on to save lives.

This book is the fascinating story of a woman who risked her life to save the lives of others. This book is beautifully written, and well-researched.

As a History teacher, this book is hugely important.

This is the story of a school and it's headmistress, however, that does not give Anna Essinger the plaudits that she deserves. This book does.

Anna Essinger, the headmistress of a school in Germany, knew that she could not continue to run the school as she wanted to if she stayed in Nazi Germany. She and her staff arranged to transfer the school to "Bunce Court" in England. Later the school and staff were involved in the settling of children who came to England on the Kindertransport, and those who became refugees here in 1945.

The book is well researched, using accounts from teachers, and pupils. There are first hand accounts from the pupils of their time at the school before and during the war and also for some who survived in Europe either in concentration camps or by their wits. The European accounts are balanced by those who had reached the safety of England and the care of Anna Essinger. Developments at the school are also put into the context of the day both in Germany and in England. It could have been a very slow, turgid read but it was not. I became full of admiration for what was achieved and how the pupils themselves developed, some have had distinguished careers.

I have read a number of books and theories about education in the past but I am not aware of having read about 'Tante Anna' as she was known to her pupils. Her mixture of Humanism and 'can do' attitude should be more widely read about.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this excellent book.

Anna Essinger was head of a liberal school in Germany in the early 1930s and when the Nazis took control in 1933 she quickly realised that she would have to try to get her many Jewish pupils to safety in Britain, she managed to set up a school in Kent. Her successes are interspersed with information about what was going on in Germany and in particuar how it was affecting some of the relatives that the children had left behind in Germany. At times this was quite a harrowing read, not quite what I expected but it is very well written.
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a digital copy of the book.

It is hard to say that you loved a book when the topics it covered are so horrific but this book was really excellent.
In covering the evacuation of a Jewish school from Germany to England it managed to cover so many topics sensitively that even when the stories were absolutely horrific I had to keep reading.

The tight focus on the history of the school and personal memories made this very touching and by taking this stand it didn't have to be about the wider history or impartial.

I knew about a lot of the less well known historical details just as the Kindertransport and the children who became known as the 'Windermere Boys' but this filled in so many details.

I was in floods of tears at several points but the book leaves knowing that there are good people out there and that with love and support things can (and do) get better.

A fascinating and heartwarming read about a dangerous and daring escape from Nazi ideals.

The bravery that it took to move an entire school and get more pupils from the well known Kindertransport is outstanding and written with great reverence for Tante Anna and her staff.

Featuring moving first-hand testimony, and drawn from letters, diaries and present-day interviews, The School That Escaped the Nazis is a dramatic human tale that offers a unique child's-eye perspective on Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. It is also the story of one woman's refusal to allow her beliefs in a better, more equitable world to be overtaken by the evil that surrounded her. Begs to be read in one sitting… really tugs at your emotions, one minute I was breathless with anticipation, the next I had tears running down my face…

This is the inspirational story of how Anna Essinger, known as Tante Anna, moved her progressive school from Nazi Germany to Bunce Court in Kent. Anna had trained in America and was herself Jewish. When she was asked to fly a swastika over her school, and realised that her views were too well known, she recognised the danger and hatched a daring plan. She began with seventy children, moving secretly to the safety of the Kent countryside. However, the danger in Europe was increasing and, even in Kent, there were issues with illness, school inspectors and later internment.

By 1938 the Kindertransports arrived, bringing children torn from their families and way of life to uncertainty. Anna, and her staff, provided safety and security and later had to provide overspill accommodation to take the children fleeing Germany while the borders remained open. This book then follows events through, and after the war, when Anna made room for those children left displaced by war, who had spent their time on the run in Nazi occupied territory or who had survived concentration camps.

The story of Anna Essinger is an amazing example of how one person can make such a difference. Although she did not work alone, obviously, she was quick to recognise the danger posed by the rise of Hitler and she responded with practical solutions and strong resolve, that saved the lives of many children and gave them a safe haven, when their lives had fallen apart. This is particularly encouraging and heartening, when Europe again finds itself in a time of conflict and reminds us that individuals can inspire change and save lives. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.