I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944
by Lauren Tarshis, Alvaro SarrasecaAlso by this author: I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900 (I Survived #21)
Published by: Graphix on February 2, 2021
Genres: Middle Grade, Historical, Graphic Novel
Pages: 160
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Rating:
A beautifully rendered graphic novel adaptation of Lauren Tarshis's bestselling I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944, with text adapted by Georgia Ball and art by Álvaro Sarraseca.
In a Jewish ghetto, Max Rosen and his sister, Zena, struggle to live after their father is taken away by the Nazis. With barely enough food to survive, the siblings make a daring escape from German soldiers into the nearby forest and are brought to a safe camp by Jewish resistance fighters. But soon, grenades are falling all around them. Can Max and Zena survive the fallout of the Nazi invasion?
Lauren Tarshis's New York Times bestselling I Survived series takes on vivid new life in full-color graphic novel editions. Perfect for readers who prefer the graphic novel format, or for existing fans of the I Survived chapter book series, these graphic novels combine historical facts with high-action storytelling that's sure to keep any reader turning the pages. Includes a nonfiction section at the back with facts about WWII.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Historical fiction series turned graphic novel.
- A story based on real events synthesized down for kids.
- Characters working together to overcome odds.
- Lots of action and high stakes.
- Books set during World War II.
- Gorgeous, vivid illustrations that bring the story to life.
Many thanks to Graphix and Rockstar Book Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review and for inclusion on this blog tour. Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.
At the library I work in, kids just can’t get enough of the I Survived series. I have to confess that I’d never read any of them before, but they’re definitely one of our more popular series. So when I saw they were turning them into graphic novels, I got excited, because it seems to blend the two things our young patrons love the most!
I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 is filled with gorgeous, full-color illustrations that bring the book it’s based on to life. It’s packed with sibling bonds, lots of action, and people overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds.
The only thing I really would caution is that the original series is recommended for ages 8 – 12, and I’m not sure I’d recommend this for someone quite that young, as there are quite a few bloody scenes. So I would caution discretion, as the younger age group may not have the reasoning or depth of understanding yet for the more graphic depictions in this book.
It’s hard to boil an atrocity down to something kids can sink their teeth into and grasp, but Tarshis and Sarraseca do so with dignity and grace.
The Holocaust is a hard thing to tackle at any age, but I think it’s distilled down well enough in this book for kids to grasp the basics of it. The authors do a fantastic job of skirting some of the more graphic horrors while not denying they existed. In the beginning, for example, when Max is caught sneaking under the barbed wire to get berries and it’s implied that he could be executed for it.
This book manages to pack a lot of down-and-dirty facts about World War II and the Holocaust into an action-packed struggle to stay alive.
There’s obviously a lot of nuance to history, but I think because this is from the perspective of children, it’s a little easier to gloss over certain parts and it still feels like a complete story. There’s a lot of emphasis on the importance of family and community and how that’s taken from Max and Zena and the other Jews in the ghettos and the camps. There’s also an emphasis on fighting back and not giving up, along with some tie-ins to Judaism, like the story of David and Goliath.
Turning this series into a graphic novel is such a fantastic idea, because the illustrations are breathtaking, and they really bring the story to life.
It’s one thing to read about something, but sometimes it’s hard, especially for children, to really draw a mental picture of something they’ve never experienced or a place they’ve never visited. In this aspect, I think this graphic novel does what the original couldn’t by showing the squalor of the ghettos, the misery of the camps, the ugly struggle of resisting.
I actually ended up reading the original version of this book after reading this graphic novel, just to compare the two, and while I think the graphic novel does lose some of the depth and nuance, it adds a new perspective that words alone simply don’t.
There’s really pros and cons to each. I would definitely caution guardians about making sure their child is emotionally ready for this book before picking it up, because I do think the graphic novel requires a step up in maturity, because it requires the reader to infer more. For example, one scene has Max and the partisans encountering two Nazis in the woods, and the partisan ends up shooting them both. In the original, Max has an internal monologue about how one is only slightly older than he is and looks scared and terrified, and he wonders if they’re really enemies or if the boys just got caught up in something they couldn’t escape. The graphic novel necessarily drops much of this and instead relies on the actual look and expression of the young Nazi combined with a panel where Max realizes they’re close to the same age and that’s it.
The original series is recommended for ages 8-12, but I might recommend this graphic novel for the older end of that, because there are several fairly graphic scenes.
There are five that I can recall for sure, including a Nazi being shot and killed with blood spurting from his chest. Most of the scenes I’m referring to as being “graphic” involve some sort of blood splatter/spray, which might be a little much for the younger crowd depending on their maturity.
I have a 10-year-old, and I’m not sure I’d want her to read this graphic novel, even though she loves the original series, because she’s just not good at inferring based on context. I feel like there are a lot of things in this book that could be misconstrued by a younger audience because it’s not spelled out as clearly as the text.
That being said, for the older or more mature crowd, the graphic novel might actually even be a better option! I’d almost be curious to hand both books to a 12-year-old and see which they preferred, the original series or the graphic novel. I think I’d have chosen the graphic novel at that age!
About Lauren Tarshis
LAUREN TARSHIS’ New York Times bestselling I Survived series (which has over 34 million copies in print!) tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters and times of turmoil. Lauren has brought her signature warmth and exhaustive research to topics such as the battle of D-Day, the American Revolution, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and other world events.
Lauren is also the Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief/Publisher of Scholastic Classroom Magazines, where she oversees more than 25 classroom magazines. In her more than 25 years with Scholastic, Lauren has helped transform the company’s print magazines into the powerful learning tools they are today. In her current role, she is helping to expand the magazines’ deep connection to American classrooms and ensure their vital role in providing teachers and students with an understanding of the contemporary world. She lives in Connecticut with her family, and can be found online at laurentarshis.com.
3 winners will win a finished copy of I SURVIVED THE NAZI INVASION, 1944
US Only
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