by Jennifer Elvgren ; illustrated by Daniela Stamatiadi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2018
A powerful homage to young activists.
Jazz is strictly forbidden in 1938 Germany.
German teenager Albert plays jazz clarinet with his group, the Edelweiss Pirates. They swing dance, listen to records of all the jazz artists, paint graffiti over swastikas on city walls, and hand out anti-Hitler leaflets, all in defiance of Hitler Youth, thugs dedicated to upholding the Nazi regime by intimidation and violence. Albert’s younger brother, narrator Kurt, plays the trumpet, and his Jewish friend, Fritz, plays the saxophone, but Fritz must sneak into Kurt’s house when they play jazz together. At school Kurt witnesses many anti-Semitic incidents directed against Fritz, but, although they disturb him greatly, he does nothing. But at the school band concert, where they must play Hitler’s favorite composer, Wagner, Kurt raises his trumpet and plays Louie Armstrong’s “Saint Louis Blues” loudly and defiantly. Albert’s group comes swinging down the aisle and plays along with him. There may be serious consequences, but Kurt is now a full-fledged member of the Edelweiss Pirates. These anti-Nazi groups of teen jazz enthusiasts really existed, and their acts of sabotage plagued the Nazis throughout the war. By allowing Kurt to narrate the tale in the present tense, Elvgren makes the events personal and immediate for modern readers, who may have limited knowledge of the Holocaust and the war. Stamatiadi’s striking, mostly earth-toned or shadowed illustrations focus on the characters’ expressive faces and body stances.
A powerful homage to young activists. (author’s note) (Picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5124-8360-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
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by Jennifer Elvgren ; illustrated by Fabio Santomauro
by Lois Lowry ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1989
A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit...
The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction (Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction—a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.
Five years younger than Lisa in Carol Matas' Lisa's War (1989), Annemarie Johansen has, at 10, known three years of Nazi occupation. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her; the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. When the Germans plan to round up the Jews, the Johansens take in Annemarie's friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is their daughter; later, they travel to Uncle Hendrik's house on the coast, where the Rosens and other Jews are transported by fishing boat to Sweden. Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here; like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of events—but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. The book concludes with the Jews' return, after the war, to homes well kept for them by their neighbors.
A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards—not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews. (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: April 1, 1989
ISBN: 0547577095
Page Count: 156
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1989
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by Lois Lowry
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by Lois Lowry ; illustrated by Jonathan Stroh
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by Lois Lowry
by Annie Matthew ; developed by Kobe Bryant ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 2021
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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by Annie Matthew ; developed by Kobe Bryant
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