genre: historical fiction graphic novel
This book is subtitled A Wonder Story, as it is written by the same author as the middle grade novel Wonder and is the backstory of one of the character's grandmother.
Lots of thoughts and feelings about this book. First off, I found it very visually appealing. I loved the art and the visual thread of the white bird. Even the font just really popped to me, so reading it was a lovely experience in this way. This is the story of a young girl living in France who ends up in hiding as the Nazis come to power. There is a healthy amount of scariness for the age-group this is geared towards and and in some ways it is a good introduction to Holocaust literature in the sense that it acknowledges the horror and divisiveness of the time period without being so graphic that it isn't appropriate for a middle school audience.
What doesn't sit quite right is how NOT Jewish our main character is, especially for a book about the Holocaust. There is nothing to see about her life that is Jewish when she's living with her family - and maybe the point was that it didn't matter how Jewish your life was, you still weren't safe. But I feel like this was a lost opportunity to share some of the culture and traditions of Jewish life, even in a small way, to help completely unfamiliar young readers to learn a little bit. Another tricky piece is the ableism near the end - I don't want to spoil the story because while it is very moving, it also feels like it is sending the wrong message about the value and lives of people with disabilities. I'd be interesting in discussing this with other readers and see if they have the same take.
In the end, I did enjoy the read and I personally found the conclusion to be an important look at how everyone has a part to play in making sure the people around us are safe.
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