The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another powerful story from WWII that isn’t often highlighted. Many know the story of Jews in Eastern Europe, but few know of those in Western Europe. In 1942, French police rounded up 13,000 Jews and deported them them to Auschwitz. This became known as the V’el d’Hiv and it is where The Night War begins.
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley creates in the character of Miriam a girl torn between right and wrong, protector and protected. Her guilt for things that she had no control over was palpable at times. Like many of Bradley’s characters, she is thrown into adulthood too early but also struggles allowing anyone to take care of her. She has the innocence of a child to think that her actions have a greater impact than they actually do and suffers from a great deal of guilt.
Miriam’s family fled Germany after Kristallnacht and never dreamed that they wouldn’t be safe in France. Unfortunately, as we know now, there was no safety. She manages to flee the roundup but is also placed in charge of a friend’s toddler. In order to survive, she winds up being taken in by a Catholic boarding school, but faces many challenges still. As per other titles by Bradley, she grows greatly through the experience.
More and more I’m thrilled by the parts of history that we are able to learn about due to historical fiction. This is an important part of Jewish and world history and the story is beautifully done. A great addition for children ages 10+ though background information might be necessary, especially for younger readers.
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