Usually middle-grade reads are my comfort sweet spot and since I wasn't ready to return to the literary books I spent my time with lately and I had this ARC on my phone, I said why not read it now? I am recovering after surgery, sure it's a book about WWII and I am not big on war books, but it's middle grade! I was surprised enough times by amazing historical fiction middle grades that I was ready to give my time to this book.

Well... I mean it wouldn't be a bad book if it wasn't written in such a lazy way, you know? There are more chapters spent on eating raspberries than on actually moving the story along to then serve with an epilogue out of nowhere that talks about what was the main conflict of this book and how it was solved? What kind of storytelling is that?

And I wouldn't mind a character focused novel if there was actually any character growth present in this book, but that's also missing completely. I got no sense of any of the characters, be they episodic or secondary or our main heroine. The novel just drags on and on.

I also feel like a bit of comedic relief was missing from this book (not that it was too sentimental either, I basically felt nothing) and just because the subject-theme is complex and serious, that does not mean joy has no place in a novel for middle-grade kids.

I'm certainly not alone in having issues with all the hundreds of books coming out with the formulaic title "The xx of Auschwitz" – the Violinist, the Tooth-Puller, the Rally Driver. They're getting more and more bizarre and less and less respectful. (And this from someone who had their review quoted by probably a million issues of "The Tattooist of…" before finding the author to be a heinous chancer, crapping on people's real life events with zero concern.) I say that because, for all the merits of this readable tome, there's still some of that kind of awkwardness here.

This is the artificial story of a Jewish girl snatched from the Holocaust by a woman who demands she flee a round-up with the woman's baby daughter. She ends up able to hide in plain sight as an atheist child in a Christian school, but then gets dragged in to risking no end to help other Jews – and then a ghost comes along, which of all the things I'd expected other reviews to let me know of when it came to the "need I go on?" stage was practically on a par with that rally driver I just made up.

This, yes, might well be written with the most urgency and hope for anti-Semitism to be ended – to my eyes it's only building, certainly amongst the loony left. But it is also written for a commercial project, and it's not telling us about a real person, it's not reconnecting us with the people to whom this happened, on the helping or helped side – it's made-up. Writing a book about someone who really existed and really went through it all will involve some kind of making-up (hopefully not of the Heather Morris level, of course), but that is preferable to a complete fakery, ghost or no ghost.

Like "Tattooist" it's still strongly readable, the girl's narrative even speeding us through early pages suffering from "let me explain what language we're speaking here"-itis. You are invited to check other reviews for other issues, from historical exposition to verbatim transmission of profoundly sacred Hebrew words. You are of course also invited to check other reviews where this really did land, and worked in all regards. Me, I found what kind of drama I was letting myself in for, saw my to-read pile, read about a phantom, and moved on. I don't completely wish this ill, but it's not a book for me.

In this excellent book, Miriam is separated from her parents when the Nazis round up all the local Jewish people at night.
In an emergency situation her neighbour hands her the baby and says they are now sisters and it is Miriam’s job to keep the baby safe from the Nazis, to run away and to try to get to Switzerland.
Miriam is found by a nun and taken into hiding in the convent. From there she travels onward Find another place to hide, But the baby is taking away from her.
Miriam search for truth and for the baby, And the dilemma in which she is Living Are well explored in this very interesting and heartrending book suitable for children aged 10+
I have Previously read two of Kimberley Brubaker Bradley’s books (The war that saved my life and it’s sequel) Which I thought were marvellous, I enjoyed this one even more. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication and apologies for the late review.

When I started reading this book, I really enjoyed it. Though there are some tough scenes in the early chapters, I really liked the perspective of Paris during World War II through the eyes of a young Jewish girl. The only other book I can remember reading about Jews in France during the Holocaust is Twenty and Ten, which I love, so I was delighted to find another. Then… it turned into a ghost story. That rather ruined it for me; I love historical fiction, but I want it to be realistic, not fantastical. So, while I liked the basic story, I won’t be reading it to my children.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

I think stories are the perfect way to introduce children to, and educate them about, WW2. I love reading and sharing WW2 books and this one is another brilliant bit of writing. Crammed full of emotion and feeling. This one particular line will stay with me for a long time - ‘We don’t choose how we feel, but we choose how we act. Choose courage.’

Wow, what a powerful book. Handled with sensitivity but not afraid to tell the truth of this very difficult time in history. A book I will read with the children , it will teach them what bravery is and how lucky they are. It will make them cry with the futility and horrors of war. This is a story that should be read in every classroom.

What a humbling book which would be an excellent novel to explore with Upper Key Stage Two children (Age 10+). It would generate lots of important discussions about the unfairness of war and the prejudice Jewish people were subjected to.

I loved the characters within the book and the challenges they all had to face without no other choice but to be brave in the face of adversity. I was invested in Miri’s plight from the very start. This gem of a story comes highly recommended and I shall certainly be shouting about it to my colleagues in school!

What an interesting perspective on WWII. One that I had never really read much about before. A well told, and well researched story of an incredibly brave girl who had many terrible choices thrown at her to make. She found courage where she didn't know it existed and encouraged those around her to be better people.

I loved the author's previous books and so had high hopes for this one. Also, the class I work in is currently learning about World War II and I am always on the lookout for new books to share with them. I was therefore very keen to get approved for this book and it has not disappointed. The story is of Miri, a young Jewish girl, who manages to avoid the Vel d'Hiv roundup and escapes with the young child of a family friend. Miri ends up in a Catholic school, where she has to work hard to fit in alongside the Catholic girls there and increasingly finds herself in more and more challenging situations.

There was a point, around two thirds in, where a revelation almost put me off but I think that the way I chose to interpret it, made it ok. I don't want to give anything away so won't say more, other than if you get to a point and think this maybe isn't for you, keep going!

I would have also liked to read a bit more about what happened after the final chapter. The story is neatly tied up in the epilogue, but I'd like to know how things got there. I am hoping for a sequel!

“We don’t choose how we feel, but we choose how we act. Choose courage.”

The Night War follows the story of twelve-year-old Mari, a Jewish girl fighting to survive the horrors of WW2. With her parents missing and the responsibility of caring for an infant, Mari’s bravery and strength is tested as she is taken into a Catholic boarding school where she must hide her identity and assimilate to a culture unknown to her.

The Night War is a tragic and heartwarming tale that sensitively handles heavy topics. It is a solid read for young children wanting to learn more about history and I particularly liked Mari and Beatrice’s characters. This book explores heavy subject matters while incorporating fantasy elements which I felt worked well considering the age of the main character and the difficulties she faced. The ending did feel a little rushed which is why I knocked off a star from this rating but overall it was a good read that enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a truly brilliant book that should be read by anyone studying WW2. In places it was harrowing and heart breaking and there were so many places where my heart was in my mouth. The relationships between Miriam and basically everyone she meets are all so special. The epilogue at the end was fab because it answered all the questions I had. The things that children had to do and endure during the war continue to amaze me when I read books like this and I will definitely purchase this for our WW2 topic.