LitPick Review
The Night War tells the heroic story of Miriam Schrieber, or Miri, a 12-year-old Jewish girl with commendable courage in the face of dangerous circumstances in France during World War 2. She makes the best of their confines of living in war times with food shortages and rules with her loving family and neighbors, including Nora Rosenbaum, the two-year-old neighbor girl, who is like a sister. All of that changes as she and Nora escape the roundup of Jews. They are transported and separated to temporary safety. Miri is out of her element and put in a Catholic boarding school many miles away from her home, where she has to hide her identity as a Jew. With the help of the nuns and some friends, with their own interesting secrets, Miri’s mission is to survive, rescue Nora, and escape to Zurich, Switzerland.
Opinion:
You’ll question and figure out bits of Miri’s story just as she does and how she harnessed her fear to push her to heroic things. She repeatedly put others in front of herself, being a selfless role model and inspiration to others around her by helping other Jews cross to safety. It was a joy to see her acknowledge how far she’s come from being terrified to how after hearing affirmation from those encouraging her to not give up, a new determination and bravery arose. She became more trusting of her friends and knowledgeable of who she could continue to trust. The author has an incredible gift of keeping the reader engaged to keep you turning page after page, although some of the foreshadowing was quite obvious. The short chapters make reading quick, easy, and addictive. I’d highly recommend this book for middle school and above. As an adult female who loves historic fiction, I enjoyed it immensely.
