Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens. Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father’s dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair. Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough—and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death. Based on the true story of the town of Le Chambon—the only French town honored by Israel for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust—How Huge the Night is a compelling, coming-of-age drama that will keep teens turning the pages as it teaches them about a fascinating period of history and inspires them to think more deeply about their everyday choices
My Take: I have always been interested in World War 2 and what went on with the Jewish people. This book take us on a journy that has us both holding our breath and routing for the main characters. I must admit that I did not like Julien too much when I first meet him at the beginning of the book. I felt that he was a bit self centered. I grew to like him alot though. I will be handing this over to my 16 year old daughter to read. Great story.
Thank you for reviewing our book! I'm so glad you liked it, and I hope your daughter does too!
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