White Bird: A Wonder Story

Exquisite - on all levels

This was a truly amazing piece of work and art. The only reference it had to Wonder was the character Julien, the bully. The story is about Julien's grandmother and how she lived through the Nazi regime. Yes I cried and it was worth it. The illustrations were great and some (bluebells) were just

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stunning. I really love the story from beginning to end. Definitely worth a read.

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This graphic novel tells the story of the life of the grandmother of Julian, the bully from Wonder and from The Julian Chapter. In White Bird: A Wonder Story Julian grandmother, Sara, and her parents live in France, in a part of France in the Free Zone after France's surrender to Germany during

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WWII. They are a Jewish family and the graphic novel depicts the reminisces of Sara to her grandson about her life during Nazi German occupation and how she survived during the Holocaust.

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Wow! I borrowed this today from the library. I was going to concurrently read it with the other two library books I have at home and other reading material too. I had three phone calls I meant to make today. I picked up the book to start it, and I didn’t put it down until I finished it. I did not

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expect that.

This is a Wonder story. I’d wanted more information about Julian and this book provides it. I love Holocaust stories and often enjoy graphic novels so when a GR friend recommended this book I was eager to read it.

This is a wonderfully done book. It’s fabulous. The story is amazingly great and the art is perfect. This author is also an accomplished artist. I was near tears during much of it. I read it easily in one reading session, including the 14 pages of non-fiction extras of text & photos at the end of the book. (I did note 2 minor(?) factual errors about Anne Frank and family. They were not in one tiny room and Anne’s mother never made it to Bergen-Belsen, but the gist of Holocaust details given is good enough!)

At the end of the graphic book proper I appreciated the tie in to the current refugee crisis.

The people and situations seemed so real I kept forgetting that this was historical fiction and not biography/non-fiction.

I’ve read other 2019 graphic books this year. Two are nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards. I just checked and this one isn’t there, or didn’t get to the semi-finals. That’s a shame. I’d happily voted for another and a third book I liked is also nominated. This one should be on the list too. It’s superbly done.

This book is powerful, meaningful, relevant, and entertaining too. For me it was nearly flawless. It’s one of the best graphic books and one of the best Holocaust books I’ve read.

The first paragraph of this review would probably have sufficed. I. Could. NOT. Put. It. Down! Highly, highly recommended. Lowest appropriate age for this book is a subjective decision. The friend who recommended it to me says for 9-year olds. I say 11 and up. The author probably says 8-12 as it is a book written for children. ETA: I guess I'm wrong. Kids 9 and up seem to love this book. It's a great book with a great message so I guess that is a good thing.

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A French grandmother shares her Holocaust survivor story with her grandson Julian, who has the same name as the boy who helped save and hide her from the Nazis. Nicely conveys message of the miracle of kindness and courage in the face of evil, that anyone is capable of it now no matter what you did

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in the past. Shows Sara’s evolution of mind, getting to know and love Julien after ignoring and bullying him in the past, and being a typical self-absorbed child. Compelling, forward movement of story. "You can be redeemed."

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In this graphic novel, Palacio does a great job engaging the reader in what was a very important time in our history. Told as a story from a grandmother to her grandson, the novel is about a young jewish girl named Sara who has to go into hiding from the Nazi's with the family of a former classmate

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who is disabled by Polio.

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White Bird is a touching graphic novel Wonder Story. Julian is interviewing his grandmother about her life as a Jewish person living in France during WWII. Sara loves to doodle and often draws birds. Her father would swing her in circles and throw her into the air. She felt as if she was flying and

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free. Sara is told to wear her boots to school one day by her father, but she removes her boots before going into school, as her red dress shoes looked better with her dress. She soon finds out why her father wanted her to wear the boots. The soldiers come to school to collect the Jewish children. Sara leaves the group and hides, but will this be enough? Will Sara survive? Will she reunite with her parents?

I could not put this graphic novel down until finished. This is such a beautiful story of friendship, bravery, acceptance, and integrity. I would love to add White Bird to literature circles for my 7th graders! Highly recommend!

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Palacio has such a gift for story-telling, with a wide range of characters and situations, but all focus on our humanity and finding what is best in each other. This graphic novel is framed by Julian, a contemporary teen, Face-timing his grandmere for a school project. She recounts to him her

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experience in WWII in Nazi-occupied France and this becomes the main story line. As a young teen, Grandmere (Sara) was rounded up with other Jews from her school on a random April morning. She escaped by chance and was taken in by the family of the most bullied boy in her school, Tourteau (crab in French)so-called because he was crippled by polio and walked with crutches. His real name, Julien, will have a legacy of kindness and doing the right thing that will pass down generations. Sara's parents were also captured and sent to camps and it takes at least 5 years until the war is over to learn what becomes of them. Meanwhile, Julien's parents become like her own and Sara is hidden in a nearby barn that she may not leave for fear of Nazi sympathizers and supporters. Her friendship with Julien deepens as they grow - he visits her daily and teaches her the lessons she is missing, and staves off the boredom with games and play. The pictures are gorgeous and the colors provide hope and beauty in a crushed world. The bird motif is also hopeful and underlines the premise that it is possible to retain humanity despite the forces that want to destroy it. "...it always takes courage to be kind. But in those days when such kindness could cost you everything - your freedom, your life - kindness becomes a miracle. It becomes that light in the darkness....the very essence of our humanity. It is hope." A good Holocaust introduction for middle readers - grades 4 and up - it has rich resources and explanations at the end, and quotes from Muriel Rukeyser interspersed throughout which remind us that we have the power to fight evil. It joins the ranks of Maus, Art Spiegelman's definitive classic graphic novel of the Holocaust, but for a younger audience and slightly different purpose. Both highlight the power of an image to address issues and convey what words cannot.

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Trigger Warnings: Holocaust

In White Bird, readers are told Julian’s (who you meet in Wonder) Grandmère’s story as a young Jewish girl hidden away in the barn of a classmate’s in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while now and I needed

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something I knew I would enjoy before my next read. So, I grabbed this from my library.

There is a bit of a tie in to events in recent days. Which brings up the quote shared at the very beginning of the book,

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana.

I don’t think the author is pointing at comparing what’s happening at the US/Mexico border to the Holocaust as a whole, but more of what the beginning of it looked like. The main character, Sara even mentions the fact that even though she was limited to certain places, or stopped from going into others, that it didn’t really bother her at the beginning. Overall, there is no reason to be unjust to any specific group of people.

I enjoyed the story and how it was told, especially for the middle grade age group it’s targeted for. Sara’s story is a page turner with many moments of tension. The author does an amazing job at still showing the horrors of war while still making it suitable for middle grade readers. There are also resources in the back few pages to expand the story as well as lists of organizations, biographies, and photos.

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The story takes place in occupied France during WWII. Narrated told as a story of a grandmother to her grandson currently about her life during Nazi occupation of France. There is heartbreaking sadness, despair, lights of hope, and redemption. The story is well written. The artwork is simple and

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helps the story, but could have been much better.

While this story begins to reveal the horror of the Holocaust, it does so in an introductory fashion that is appropriate for young readers. It also points towards more resources for those that want to learn more about the Holocaust, the resistance in France, and more.

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