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The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival
A heartrending graphic memoir about a young Jewish girl's fight for survival in Nazi occupied Poland, The Girl Who Sang illustrates the power of a brother's love, the kindness of strangers, and finding hope when facing the unimaginable.
Born to a Jewish family in a small Polish village, Estelle Nadel―then known as Enia Feld―was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Once a vibrant child with a song for every occasion, Estelle would eventually lose her voice as, over the next five years, she would survive the deaths of their mother, father, their eldest brother and sister, and countless others.
A child at the mercy of her neighbors during a terrifying time in history, The Girl Who Sang is an enthralling first-hand account of Estelle's fight for survival during World War II. She would weather loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun―all before the age of eleven. And once the war was over, Estelle would walk barefoot across European borders and find remnants of home in an Austrian displaced persons camp before finally crossing the Atlantic to arrive in New York City―a young woman carrying the unseen scars of war.
Beautifully rendered in bright hues with expressive, emotional characters, debut illustrator Sammy Savos masterfully brings Estelle story of survival during the Holocaust to a whole new generation of readers. The Girl Who Sang is perfect for fans of March , Maus , and Anne Frank's Diary .
Born to a Jewish family in a small Polish village, Estelle Nadel―then known as Enia Feld―was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Once a vibrant child with a song for every occasion, Estelle would eventually lose her voice as, over the next five years, she would survive the deaths of their mother, father, their eldest brother and sister, and countless others.
A child at the mercy of her neighbors during a terrifying time in history, The Girl Who Sang is an enthralling first-hand account of Estelle's fight for survival during World War II. She would weather loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun―all before the age of eleven. And once the war was over, Estelle would walk barefoot across European borders and find remnants of home in an Austrian displaced persons camp before finally crossing the Atlantic to arrive in New York City―a young woman carrying the unseen scars of war.
Beautifully rendered in bright hues with expressive, emotional characters, debut illustrator Sammy Savos masterfully brings Estelle story of survival during the Holocaust to a whole new generation of readers. The Girl Who Sang is perfect for fans of March , Maus , and Anne Frank's Diary .
272 pages, Hardcover
Published January 23, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
January 31, 2024
Imagine if I didn't give my grandma's book 5 stars...
I read the ARC version when I was home for the funeral, and it was really incredible and meaningful to get to read the final version now that it's published. It is so evocatively told, and I'm so grateful to Sammy for bringing her words to life the way she did. My grandma cared very deeply about people knowing the truth of what happened during the holocaust. I miss her so much but I'm so glad her story is out in the world to reach people and help ground their understanding and emphasize the true horrors of what occurred through a personal narrative, just like she hoped it would.
I read the ARC version when I was home for the funeral, and it was really incredible and meaningful to get to read the final version now that it's published. It is so evocatively told, and I'm so grateful to Sammy for bringing her words to life the way she did. My grandma cared very deeply about people knowing the truth of what happened during the holocaust. I miss her so much but I'm so glad her story is out in the world to reach people and help ground their understanding and emphasize the true horrors of what occurred through a personal narrative, just like she hoped it would.
December 14, 2023
In a time when history seems to be irrelevant to many, this Holocaust memoir of hope and survival is a must read. The Girl Who Sang tells the story of Estelle and her family during the Holocaust and follows them afterwards as well. Estelle said that although many people know the stories of Anne Frank and others who helped Jews survive that it is still vitally important to continue to tell stories of the Holocaust so that all can be remembered and honored. I am excited to add this to our middle school collection.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 11, 2024
FIVE BEAUTIFUL STARS for this graphic novel memoir! I read it all in one sitting and was flooded with all the emotions as I read the story of Enia and her family. The courage of her siblings and her neighbors made me tear up, especially Shia. Even as a child himself, he had to step up and take care of himself and his younger sister. Thank you to Estelle for sharing your story- it is one I will not forget soon.
I also am amazed that this is the illustrator's debut! Her art style reminds me of a Miyazaki film, very light and airy while pulling at emotion. Absolutely beautiful.
I will definitely be buying myself a physical copy of this and reccomending it to people!
I also am amazed that this is the illustrator's debut! Her art style reminds me of a Miyazaki film, very light and airy while pulling at emotion. Absolutely beautiful.
I will definitely be buying myself a physical copy of this and reccomending it to people!
May 8, 2024
This was a moving middle-grade graphic novel about a Jewish girl living in Poland during WWII. It is set over a period of eight years, from shortly before Poland was invaded until Estelle was settled in America.
I'd recommend this to any middle-school aged student and up who wants to learn a bit more about the events of this era.
4 Stars
I'd recommend this to any middle-school aged student and up who wants to learn a bit more about the events of this era.
4 Stars
January 27, 2024
This was such a moving and heartrending story and I'm so glad that Estelle chose to tell it. One of the most important things we can do is bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, and that is why I think it's so important to read the books of survivors. This graphic novel was very well done. I read this whole book in a sitting and then I sat in a puddle of tears. I will always be amazed at the lengths people will go to survive and protect their loved ones. One of the things I enjoyed most about this story was that it focused not only on surviving the war years but also on what came after. I think it is important that people learn that the antisemitism that led to the Holocaust didn't just stop when the war ended. Poland and other European countries that had participated in the Holocaust were just as dangerous for Jews in the years after.
I also loved that this story shows us that not everyone was willing to turn on the Jews. There were still good people willing to do what was right. That brings me hope.
I was also a girl who sang - singing has always been the thing I can do to make myself feel better. I loved that she was able to use her gift to bring herself and others joy.
I recommend this book for children ages 10+
I also loved that this story shows us that not everyone was willing to turn on the Jews. There were still good people willing to do what was right. That brings me hope.
I was also a girl who sang - singing has always been the thing I can do to make myself feel better. I loved that she was able to use her gift to bring herself and others joy.
I recommend this book for children ages 10+
July 26, 2024
Wow. This one packs a punch.
A memoir of a Holocaust survivor, Enia, who changed her name to Estelle after escaping to America as a teenager. The story of this woman’s life would be difficult to read about if done in novel format; the graphic novel depiction renders it absolutely heartbreaking. So many twists and turns, so many horrors that young Enia experienced, could have broken her. Thanks to many kind, brave people along her journey, who put their own lives at risk to help Jews, Enia survived to become Estelle Nadel. Her mission in life, along with raising her family, has been to tell her story to younger generations, in order that the Holocaust will not be forgotten.
This book needs to be in every classroom, everywhere.
Update:
Estelle Nadel passed away on November 28, 2023.
A memoir of a Holocaust survivor, Enia, who changed her name to Estelle after escaping to America as a teenager. The story of this woman’s life would be difficult to read about if done in novel format; the graphic novel depiction renders it absolutely heartbreaking. So many twists and turns, so many horrors that young Enia experienced, could have broken her. Thanks to many kind, brave people along her journey, who put their own lives at risk to help Jews, Enia survived to become Estelle Nadel. Her mission in life, along with raising her family, has been to tell her story to younger generations, in order that the Holocaust will not be forgotten.
This book needs to be in every classroom, everywhere.
Update:
Estelle Nadel passed away on November 28, 2023.
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May 28, 2024
Absolutely heartbreaking, but such an important read.
January 21, 2024
I loved this, I cried so many times. It’s absolutely tragic, the way Enid had to go from place to place, never truly being with her brothers the way she should. I loved the art, and the timelines and diagrams of people.
January 30, 2024
A powerful and heartbreaking graphic novel of a young Jewish girl hiding in Poland during the Nazi occupation. Told in a beautiful way that celebrates her family life and Jewish traditions before the war, Estelle’s story is sad yet hopeful. She survived the worst evil that humanity could thrust upon a young girl, finding a new home and family thousands of miles away.
I loved how this story is told by Estelle herself, a Holocaust survivor who speaks to school groups. We all need to hear these stories and remember the ones who lost their lives and their families. With antisemitism on the rise again, it is imperative that we all read and share these stories with our kids. I know I won’t forget Estelle’s story and will honor her and all of those who lived through such a horrific time. We must never forget.
Recommended for middle school and older. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.
I loved how this story is told by Estelle herself, a Holocaust survivor who speaks to school groups. We all need to hear these stories and remember the ones who lost their lives and their families. With antisemitism on the rise again, it is imperative that we all read and share these stories with our kids. I know I won’t forget Estelle’s story and will honor her and all of those who lived through such a horrific time. We must never forget.
Recommended for middle school and older. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.
May 29, 2024
So grateful for yet another Holocaust survivor’s personal account. Loved the “Afterward” section that tells what happened to certain people and photographs.
August 8, 2024
This was a wonderful nonfiction graphic novel about a Holocaust survivor.
July 19, 2023
Wow. I was not expecting a graphic novel to make me cry as much as The Girl Who Sang did. This book follows Estelle as her family sees the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Poland all the way through to her beginnings in the new world of the United States and how she deals with the trauma and grief that comes with surviving such a horrific trauma as the Holocaust. Estelle takes us through the real-life journey of hiding during the years of World War Two in Nazi occupied Poland and how she deals with the constant loss of love, innocence, and safety. Major content warnings for this book: violence, anti-semitism, murder, language, and the Holocaust.
July 2, 2024
Based on a true story...excellent!! 👏🏼
July 8, 2024
Honest, heartbreaking story of the author's own experiences growing up and surviving Nazi-occupied Poland. What strikes me about WWII stories is how unique and personal they each are - they all need to be heard.
This story is not graphically violent, but it is full of tragedy and does not candy-coat Enia/Esther's experiences. It tells her story from her happy early childhood as the youngest in a big family through losing most of her family and surviving the war by hiding in barns and attics, then emigrating to America, where she is moved from home to home. The end is hopeful, but it is heartbreaking to see a child endure so much loss. An excellent addition to middle school libraries and classrooms.
This story is not graphically violent, but it is full of tragedy and does not candy-coat Enia/Esther's experiences. It tells her story from her happy early childhood as the youngest in a big family through losing most of her family and surviving the war by hiding in barns and attics, then emigrating to America, where she is moved from home to home. The end is hopeful, but it is heartbreaking to see a child endure so much loss. An excellent addition to middle school libraries and classrooms.
June 1, 2024
Heartbreaking story of Enia/Estelle, a young Jewish girl and her family living in Poland during WWII. Enia and her brothers and mother hid in one friend's home and then she and her brother later in another friend's attic.
April 30, 2024
I enjoyed reading this graphic novel about Estelle's (Enia) life story during and after World War II. I will help to keep her memories and her family's memories alive and never forget the atrocities that happened to Jews and other groups of people during the war. In a graphic novel, Estelle's story is told in a way that readers can understand and help them visualize what everyone went through. It's not overly graphic but there still may be some pictures and situations for more sensitive readers.
I can't help but wonder if Estelle had issues with feeling abandoned throughout her adult life. She was separated from her parents and her siblings, mainly her brothers, time and time again. I even felt it just reading her story.
I remember first learning about the Holocaust in middle school, back in the late 1970s. Since then, I feel as if so many more stories keep getting published, which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, there will be no more survivors to tell their story. To remind everyone of the awful time in history. To remind everyone of the loved ones lost because they were Jews, the horrible situations people endured, persevered, and survived. To remind people of those who risked their own lives to help those in need.
A must-have for all libraries!
I can't help but wonder if Estelle had issues with feeling abandoned throughout her adult life. She was separated from her parents and her siblings, mainly her brothers, time and time again. I even felt it just reading her story.
I remember first learning about the Holocaust in middle school, back in the late 1970s. Since then, I feel as if so many more stories keep getting published, which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, there will be no more survivors to tell their story. To remind everyone of the awful time in history. To remind everyone of the loved ones lost because they were Jews, the horrible situations people endured, persevered, and survived. To remind people of those who risked their own lives to help those in need.
A must-have for all libraries!
August 27, 2023
Based on the life of Estelle Nadel, The Girl Who Sang is a story of survival and hope when all looks lost. The story follows Nadel as a child in Poland through WW II and the Nazi invasion. Overall, I found this book to be inspiring and appreciated the pictures and stories about the siblings in the back.
February 13, 2024
Excellent depiction of a Jewish Polish family in a small village during WWII and how the youngest of the family, Enia, survived. The post-war part of the story was just as interesting as the survival part, and I appreciated the completed stories of other people in the book. I also enjoyed the art in this graphic novel.
July 29, 2023
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Content warning for antisemitism, including antisemetic violence, murder, and genocide.)
Enia Feld was not quite five years old when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Conditions would gradually deteriorate over the next several years, both in Enia's small town of Borek, and across Europe. Her father Reuven and oldest siblings - brother Moishe and sister Sonjia - were conscripted to work in a refinery, leaving the family's fields untended. Jews were forced to wear the Star of David in public, and their homes were ransacked by Nazis, who stole anything of value.
When the Gestapo surrounded the refinery and started separating the workers into two groups, Sonjia slipped home just long enough to warn her mother and younger siblings to run. Enia never saw her - or Reuven and Moishe - again; they later learned that those prisoners in the right line, including Reuven and Sonjia, were taken by train to Auschwitz, where they were murdered upon arrival. The Felds took refuge in the attic of a friendly villager they knew only as Pudlina, while the Reiss family - Enia's aunt, uncle, and cousin - hid in the attic of another neighboring family, the Kurowskas. Pudlina, like most of the villagers, was poor - so, to feed her family, mom Chaya ventured out several nights a week in search of food. One night, she did not return, leaving Enia and her remaining brothers, Shia and Minashe, orphans.
Minashe eventually goes off on his own, hoping to pass as a gentile, while Enia and Shia are forced to move in with their relatives at the Kurowskas' - thanks to one of Pudlina's hostile neighbors, and after narrowly escaping death in the same jail their mother perished in. After several years in hiding - and just as Enia and her family were about to undertake a risky relocation due to a leaky roof - the Soviet army won control of Borek. Enia had to be carried out of the Kurowskas's attic, her legs atrophied from years of inactivity.
The Felds' troubles were far from over, however: after the Russian forces withdrew, gangs of Polish teens started harassing and even assaulting their Jewish neighbors. Enia, Shia, and Minashe left Borek, hoping to make it to Palestine; instead, they were able to take a train as far as Budapest. From there, they paid a smuggler to get them into Austria, where they settled in the Displaced Persons Camp, controlled by American Allied Forces. After hearing her sing, a Black American soldier suggested to Enia that she consider applying for relocation to America. Several fraudulent x-rays later, Enia and Shia arrived in Ellis Island, where they were met by Minashe, who had traveled ahead.
Against all odds, the siblings managed to stick together - or reunite - throughout the war. However, it soon became apparent that Shia and Minashe couldn't care for Enia - now named Estelle - and she was adopted by an American couple, Minnie and Nienman Nadel. When Estelle was sixteen, Minnie - now widowed - moved the family to California, where Estelle spent the next forty-three years, marrying and starting a family of her own. She stayed in touch with Shia and Minashe - now Steve and Mel; along with extended family, eventually they traveled back to Poland to visit their home. Inspired by her daughter-in-law Hester, Estelle decided to share her story with high school and college students around the country.
THE GIRL WHO SANG: A HOLOCAUST MEMOIR OF HOPE AND SURVIVAL is part of Estelle's effort to ensure that her story - and the stories of millions like her - lives on, even after she's gone. It's a heartbreaking memoir of survival and loss; that the story is told through a child's eyes makes it that much more poignant. The artwork has a sort of soft, childlike, innocent quality to it, which really underscores some of the more violent and brutal scenes, such as Chaya's assassination in a Polish jail. Certain scenes are sure to stay with me forever, such as when Estelle's cousin Mala points out that they can see both their houses from their hiding place in the Kurowskas' attic.
Perhaps the most affecting part - besides the siblings' ultimate, post-war separation, despite all that they'd overcome - is the repeated kindness of strangers, presented in a matter-of-fact manner despite the bravery and risk these acts entailed. From the four Polish gentiles who hid Enia and several of her relatives for years, to the Polish warden who deliberately placed Enia and Shia in a basement jail cell so that they might escape out the ground floor window, the ability for everyday people to engage in acts of heroism never ceases to awe me.
If anything, this juxtaposition underscores the more everyday senseless acts of cruelty, such as the Polish teens who betrayed Chaya for a bounty, and the neighbors who reported Pudlina.
One unexpected motif is the surprise of small coincidences, with consequences both good and bad. The significance of the book's title doesn't really hit home until the final scenes, but it's worth the wait.
Enia Feld was not quite five years old when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Conditions would gradually deteriorate over the next several years, both in Enia's small town of Borek, and across Europe. Her father Reuven and oldest siblings - brother Moishe and sister Sonjia - were conscripted to work in a refinery, leaving the family's fields untended. Jews were forced to wear the Star of David in public, and their homes were ransacked by Nazis, who stole anything of value.
When the Gestapo surrounded the refinery and started separating the workers into two groups, Sonjia slipped home just long enough to warn her mother and younger siblings to run. Enia never saw her - or Reuven and Moishe - again; they later learned that those prisoners in the right line, including Reuven and Sonjia, were taken by train to Auschwitz, where they were murdered upon arrival. The Felds took refuge in the attic of a friendly villager they knew only as Pudlina, while the Reiss family - Enia's aunt, uncle, and cousin - hid in the attic of another neighboring family, the Kurowskas. Pudlina, like most of the villagers, was poor - so, to feed her family, mom Chaya ventured out several nights a week in search of food. One night, she did not return, leaving Enia and her remaining brothers, Shia and Minashe, orphans.
Minashe eventually goes off on his own, hoping to pass as a gentile, while Enia and Shia are forced to move in with their relatives at the Kurowskas' - thanks to one of Pudlina's hostile neighbors, and after narrowly escaping death in the same jail their mother perished in. After several years in hiding - and just as Enia and her family were about to undertake a risky relocation due to a leaky roof - the Soviet army won control of Borek. Enia had to be carried out of the Kurowskas's attic, her legs atrophied from years of inactivity.
The Felds' troubles were far from over, however: after the Russian forces withdrew, gangs of Polish teens started harassing and even assaulting their Jewish neighbors. Enia, Shia, and Minashe left Borek, hoping to make it to Palestine; instead, they were able to take a train as far as Budapest. From there, they paid a smuggler to get them into Austria, where they settled in the Displaced Persons Camp, controlled by American Allied Forces. After hearing her sing, a Black American soldier suggested to Enia that she consider applying for relocation to America. Several fraudulent x-rays later, Enia and Shia arrived in Ellis Island, where they were met by Minashe, who had traveled ahead.
Against all odds, the siblings managed to stick together - or reunite - throughout the war. However, it soon became apparent that Shia and Minashe couldn't care for Enia - now named Estelle - and she was adopted by an American couple, Minnie and Nienman Nadel. When Estelle was sixteen, Minnie - now widowed - moved the family to California, where Estelle spent the next forty-three years, marrying and starting a family of her own. She stayed in touch with Shia and Minashe - now Steve and Mel; along with extended family, eventually they traveled back to Poland to visit their home. Inspired by her daughter-in-law Hester, Estelle decided to share her story with high school and college students around the country.
THE GIRL WHO SANG: A HOLOCAUST MEMOIR OF HOPE AND SURVIVAL is part of Estelle's effort to ensure that her story - and the stories of millions like her - lives on, even after she's gone. It's a heartbreaking memoir of survival and loss; that the story is told through a child's eyes makes it that much more poignant. The artwork has a sort of soft, childlike, innocent quality to it, which really underscores some of the more violent and brutal scenes, such as Chaya's assassination in a Polish jail. Certain scenes are sure to stay with me forever, such as when Estelle's cousin Mala points out that they can see both their houses from their hiding place in the Kurowskas' attic.
Perhaps the most affecting part - besides the siblings' ultimate, post-war separation, despite all that they'd overcome - is the repeated kindness of strangers, presented in a matter-of-fact manner despite the bravery and risk these acts entailed. From the four Polish gentiles who hid Enia and several of her relatives for years, to the Polish warden who deliberately placed Enia and Shia in a basement jail cell so that they might escape out the ground floor window, the ability for everyday people to engage in acts of heroism never ceases to awe me.
If anything, this juxtaposition underscores the more everyday senseless acts of cruelty, such as the Polish teens who betrayed Chaya for a bounty, and the neighbors who reported Pudlina.
One unexpected motif is the surprise of small coincidences, with consequences both good and bad. The significance of the book's title doesn't really hit home until the final scenes, but it's worth the wait.
February 16, 2024
A horrifying time in history where a group of people were killed, beaten, and disposed of like dust of the wind. Growing up and learning about the Holocaust, to see how one's ideology and hate for one group of people can escalate to eliminating 6 million Jews, I cry for those who had families killed, who had families who were tortured by the gas chambers thinking they were going to take showers, who had families who were shot just because some people who lived among them thought it was funny to kill Jews like as if it was a sport. To have people who didn't help because they were afraid of being called traitors, people who only thought about their own safety.
Reading this book made me cry all over again. When there were people who weren't willing to help, where Enia's mother was killed because some Polish teenagers snitched on her while she went out at night finding food to feed her children, where families were separated a few feet apart from each other but had different fates (one line were people who were saved and the other were people who were killed with gas chambers or shot to death). All these horrendous things happened, all according to what the Germans felt like doing. How can a human being be so... evil? People can argue that it's because the Germans had to follow orders, but to be so numb to killing so many individuals a day, does it not bother them? Does it not kill them inside? How can people TO THIS DAY say that the Holocaust didn't happen? There are endless stories and numerous videos of Holocaust survivors discovering their own family members' names in "The Book of Names" and crying because of how tragic they passed. Murdered in _____.
This is the raw version of what happens with Holocaust survivors. I've read books where people reunited with family after the war, but I've never read a book like this where the ending is not quite a happy one. Enia's brothers had to give their own sister up for adoption because they were not old enough to take care of her nor keep them all together. How sad is it that you survived with family but you are unable to continue the rest of your life together? I know that at the end, it says that Enia and her brothers visited each other throughout their life, but it is not the same as living together where you see each other everyday. It's sad to read that each and every one of them lived in different parts of America and her brothers eventually passing away at old age in different places. As an adult, living away from your family feels somehow lonely, like there's a part of you that will always be missing. I don't know how Enia did it, but my heart aches for her. I'm sure she is happy with her life now, but for her to go through so much at such a young age... that is life. Even when you survive a horrendous war, life goes on... it makes me sad that she went through so much, yet she missed so many things that children do when they are... well, children. Not being able to live life, not worry about anything but just being happy, playing and running in the wind. Childhoods were stolen from Enia and her brothers. Families became broken and separated.
"I'm not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors still living. We will be gone. I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on and someday tell your own children that yes, you knew a Holocaust survivor. She was real. It really happened." Love, Estelle.
Yes, the Holocaust happened. It is a disgusting part of history and people should never forget what happens when propaganda gets out of hand. How this part of history should never ever be repeated again. Thank you, Enia, for speaking up for all Holocaust survivors. Your words and experiences will never be forgotten.
Reading this book made me cry all over again. When there were people who weren't willing to help, where Enia's mother was killed because some Polish teenagers snitched on her while she went out at night finding food to feed her children, where families were separated a few feet apart from each other but had different fates (one line were people who were saved and the other were people who were killed with gas chambers or shot to death). All these horrendous things happened, all according to what the Germans felt like doing. How can a human being be so... evil? People can argue that it's because the Germans had to follow orders, but to be so numb to killing so many individuals a day, does it not bother them? Does it not kill them inside? How can people TO THIS DAY say that the Holocaust didn't happen? There are endless stories and numerous videos of Holocaust survivors discovering their own family members' names in "The Book of Names" and crying because of how tragic they passed. Murdered in _____.
This is the raw version of what happens with Holocaust survivors. I've read books where people reunited with family after the war, but I've never read a book like this where the ending is not quite a happy one. Enia's brothers had to give their own sister up for adoption because they were not old enough to take care of her nor keep them all together. How sad is it that you survived with family but you are unable to continue the rest of your life together? I know that at the end, it says that Enia and her brothers visited each other throughout their life, but it is not the same as living together where you see each other everyday. It's sad to read that each and every one of them lived in different parts of America and her brothers eventually passing away at old age in different places. As an adult, living away from your family feels somehow lonely, like there's a part of you that will always be missing. I don't know how Enia did it, but my heart aches for her. I'm sure she is happy with her life now, but for her to go through so much at such a young age... that is life. Even when you survive a horrendous war, life goes on... it makes me sad that she went through so much, yet she missed so many things that children do when they are... well, children. Not being able to live life, not worry about anything but just being happy, playing and running in the wind. Childhoods were stolen from Enia and her brothers. Families became broken and separated.
"I'm not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be any Holocaust survivors still living. We will be gone. I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on and someday tell your own children that yes, you knew a Holocaust survivor. She was real. It really happened." Love, Estelle.
Yes, the Holocaust happened. It is a disgusting part of history and people should never forget what happens when propaganda gets out of hand. How this part of history should never ever be repeated again. Thank you, Enia, for speaking up for all Holocaust survivors. Your words and experiences will never be forgotten.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2024
The Girl Who Sang by Estelle Nadel, illustrated by Sammy Savos and Bethany Strout (Roaring Brook Press, January 2024) is a graphic memoir about a very young Jewish girl surviving World War II hiding in barn. I’m always amazed at what humankind can endure and how strong children can be during hard times. The Girl Who Sang emphasized the author’s resilience and the strength she found after she was once again freed from hiding and able to sing in her joy.
Enia (Estelle’s Polish name) was just a preschool child when the war began, and so she did not have the chance to attend school before life changed dramatically in her small town in Poland. She and her brothers end up the only ones from their family to survive the war, and it is only due to the kindness of neighbors who hide them in the attic barn, amazingly hiding their presence from the father of the house for more than a year before he discovers and supports them as well. Following the war, the book travels to New York and eventually to the author’s own adulthood, to show just how far she has come.
The illustrator wonderfully captured the events of the book in graphic novel format, with a clear sense of place that helped the reader recognize the community and the children’s place in it. Although the book dealt with difficult issues and there are bloody scenes depicting some of the events, in general, the color tone and narration remains child-friendly. The illustrator nicely captures Enia’s various emotions and brings the story to life. I loved how, after the war, as Enia (now Estelle) did things familiar to her like cooking the borscht, the outline of her mother smiled on her, an echo of her very early years with her dear mother.
It is hard to imagine being confined to an attic for years. Enia/Estelle’s story is amazing. That said, because life is not neat and tidy, the graphic memoir did lack a little bit of continuity. I felt there could have been more emphasis on Estelle’s singing after the war (as the end note says she did). It was disappointing that she never ends up living with her older brothers again, after there is so much emphasis on how they needed each other. Further, the recovery years after the war seemed rushed through in order to get to that great last story.
There was some resolution in The Girl Who Sang, but as with life, there were still many loose ends at the end. I can’t fault the book for that. That is, unfortunately, what happens when a childhood is spent in such a traumatic situation. People are never quite the same and it can’t be wrapped up with a bow in a true memoir. I’m just glad that even with her trauma, she could still become a girl who sang.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Enia (Estelle’s Polish name) was just a preschool child when the war began, and so she did not have the chance to attend school before life changed dramatically in her small town in Poland. She and her brothers end up the only ones from their family to survive the war, and it is only due to the kindness of neighbors who hide them in the attic barn, amazingly hiding their presence from the father of the house for more than a year before he discovers and supports them as well. Following the war, the book travels to New York and eventually to the author’s own adulthood, to show just how far she has come.
The illustrator wonderfully captured the events of the book in graphic novel format, with a clear sense of place that helped the reader recognize the community and the children’s place in it. Although the book dealt with difficult issues and there are bloody scenes depicting some of the events, in general, the color tone and narration remains child-friendly. The illustrator nicely captures Enia’s various emotions and brings the story to life. I loved how, after the war, as Enia (now Estelle) did things familiar to her like cooking the borscht, the outline of her mother smiled on her, an echo of her very early years with her dear mother.
It is hard to imagine being confined to an attic for years. Enia/Estelle’s story is amazing. That said, because life is not neat and tidy, the graphic memoir did lack a little bit of continuity. I felt there could have been more emphasis on Estelle’s singing after the war (as the end note says she did). It was disappointing that she never ends up living with her older brothers again, after there is so much emphasis on how they needed each other. Further, the recovery years after the war seemed rushed through in order to get to that great last story.
There was some resolution in The Girl Who Sang, but as with life, there were still many loose ends at the end. I can’t fault the book for that. That is, unfortunately, what happens when a childhood is spent in such a traumatic situation. People are never quite the same and it can’t be wrapped up with a bow in a true memoir. I’m just glad that even with her trauma, she could still become a girl who sang.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 30, 2023
I can’t imagine being just five years old when Germany invades your country. Hitler invaded Poland on on September 1, 1939. Enia is living a happy and carefree life in the small town of Borek, with her father, mother and oldest siblings, brother Moishe and sister Sonjia. After the invasion, they are forced to work in a refinery, leaving the family's fields untended. Jews were forced to wear the Star of David in public, and their homes were ransacked by Nazis, who stole anything of value.
One day, the Gestapo surrounds the refinery and separates the workers into two groups, Sonjia slipped home just long enough to warn her mother and younger siblings to run. Enia never saw her or Reuven and Moishe again. She later learned they were selected for the right line, taken by train to Auschwitz, where they were murdered upon arrival. What remained of the family took refuge in the attic of a friendly villager they knew only as Pudlina. Pudlina, like most of the villagers, was poor, so, to feed her family, mom ventured out several nights a week in search of food. One night, she did not return, leaving Enia and her remaining brothers, orphans.
THE GIRL WHO SANG: A HOLOCAUST MEMOIR OF HOPE AND SURVIVAL is part of Estelle, her Americanised name, effort to ensure that her story, and the stories of millions like her, are not forgotten. This is a heartbreaking memoir of survival and loss. The fact that the story is told through a child's eyes makes it that much more poignant. You can see such expression in her eyes depicted in this lively graphic novel.
Until I reached the end of the book, the title didn’t seem to fit, The significance of the book's title doesn't really hit home until the final scenes, but it's worth the wait.
Pictures and diagrams in the afterward make this story become a truly heartbreaking reality for just one family out of millions who were treated so brutally for absolutely no good reason.
One day, the Gestapo surrounds the refinery and separates the workers into two groups, Sonjia slipped home just long enough to warn her mother and younger siblings to run. Enia never saw her or Reuven and Moishe again. She later learned they were selected for the right line, taken by train to Auschwitz, where they were murdered upon arrival. What remained of the family took refuge in the attic of a friendly villager they knew only as Pudlina. Pudlina, like most of the villagers, was poor, so, to feed her family, mom ventured out several nights a week in search of food. One night, she did not return, leaving Enia and her remaining brothers, orphans.
THE GIRL WHO SANG: A HOLOCAUST MEMOIR OF HOPE AND SURVIVAL is part of Estelle, her Americanised name, effort to ensure that her story, and the stories of millions like her, are not forgotten. This is a heartbreaking memoir of survival and loss. The fact that the story is told through a child's eyes makes it that much more poignant. You can see such expression in her eyes depicted in this lively graphic novel.
Until I reached the end of the book, the title didn’t seem to fit, The significance of the book's title doesn't really hit home until the final scenes, but it's worth the wait.
Pictures and diagrams in the afterward make this story become a truly heartbreaking reality for just one family out of millions who were treated so brutally for absolutely no good reason.
November 14, 2023
Every time I read a book about the Holocaust, I am surprised by the well of emotions that spring up within me; this story was no different. Estelle's story was deeply sad but ultimately hopeful, her connection to her homeland and her brothers was so like the many stories from the Holocaust that we are still required, as Jews to tell.
The comic form lent itself so viscerally to the emotions of each of the characters. Art, in many ways, has helped Holocaust survivors and their descendants fully communicate the intense fear felt during the war. In a book meant specifically for children, there's a fine line between that fear being too dark, and that fear being ignored entirely. I think that The Girl Who Sang takes a thoughtful approach to character and story by using color and a child's voice to best convey how it felt to survive as a young Jew during this time. I also admired how it portrayed the deep personal struggles faced after the war, when Americanization felt so necessary but so uncomfortable at times.
Being able to see Estelle's original images and hearing directly from her was a great way to end the story and can help to orient kids in the real world again. I would have loved to have seen some discussion questions or prompts at the end to get readers thinking about their own experiences or about the knowledge of the Holocaust, because I think this story deserves to be more than just consumed and set aside. Overall, would recommend for kids, especially non-Jews, looking to understand how desperate it felt to be a young Jewish child during this time, with the caveat that this is about the Holocaust, and is not a tale that sugarcoats hatred and death.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.
The comic form lent itself so viscerally to the emotions of each of the characters. Art, in many ways, has helped Holocaust survivors and their descendants fully communicate the intense fear felt during the war. In a book meant specifically for children, there's a fine line between that fear being too dark, and that fear being ignored entirely. I think that The Girl Who Sang takes a thoughtful approach to character and story by using color and a child's voice to best convey how it felt to survive as a young Jew during this time. I also admired how it portrayed the deep personal struggles faced after the war, when Americanization felt so necessary but so uncomfortable at times.
Being able to see Estelle's original images and hearing directly from her was a great way to end the story and can help to orient kids in the real world again. I would have loved to have seen some discussion questions or prompts at the end to get readers thinking about their own experiences or about the knowledge of the Holocaust, because I think this story deserves to be more than just consumed and set aside. Overall, would recommend for kids, especially non-Jews, looking to understand how desperate it felt to be a young Jewish child during this time, with the caveat that this is about the Holocaust, and is not a tale that sugarcoats hatred and death.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.
February 14, 2024
I was so excited to win a copy of The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival in a Goodreads Giveaway! I tend to read quite a few WWII books and it is fun to get something a bit novel. As I was reading I realized the graphic novel format lent itself well to some text features that I really appreciated–illustrated family tree of characters, map of the neighborhood and the interiors of homes (it would be nice if all historical memoir/fiction would have these)! I also enjoyed everything in the Afterword–final updates on all characters, photos of Estelle’s family, photos of buildings and landscape in Poland, as well as information about the process of creating the book. It was of particular interest to see the color palette–I had noticed it was very controlled but hadn’t realized just how few colors were used. I had to look back to see how I rated the Maus books. And, although I’m sure it won’t be the prevailing opinion!, I liked The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival better!
May 31, 2024
Powerful description of the toll taken by incremental and sudden losses in a young (4-10) girl's life in occupied Poland. Their rights and freedoms, home and food, were gradually lost, and then they went into hiding with Gentile neighbors. The most horrific events are told secondhand--her mother being beaten and shot, refusing to give her children's hiding place away, her father and sister being taken from a factory by train to Auschwitz, where they were immediately gassed. She did see her brother beaten for info about relatives in hiding, which they did not give up. Her story is broken into chapters, and readers can see how each section has its own challenges, and how, having lost her parents, she deperately wanted to stay with her brothers. A few moving cumulative pages summarize her relationships with her mother, and with the brother who was with her through most of her suffering.
The illustrations add a lot of detail to the story, and the faces are very expressive
The fact that this is titled "The Girl Who Sang" is a tribute to her will to live and find beauty in her survival of this ordeal. (She always loved singing, but couldn't during hiding; finally sang in the US-run displaced persons camp in Austria (catching the ear of a US soldier), and on the ship to the US--where other passengers rememberd her by that description.)
She died in November 2023, but did not want her story to be lost.
The illustrations add a lot of detail to the story, and the faces are very expressive
The fact that this is titled "The Girl Who Sang" is a tribute to her will to live and find beauty in her survival of this ordeal. (She always loved singing, but couldn't during hiding; finally sang in the US-run displaced persons camp in Austria (catching the ear of a US soldier), and on the ship to the US--where other passengers rememberd her by that description.)
She died in November 2023, but did not want her story to be lost.
January 18, 2024
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
I'm a firm believer that books about events in the past that are significant, especially books which are accessible to all ages, should be available. When I saw that this was not only a memoir but a graphic memoir of a holocaust survivor, I definitely wanted to give it a read. Sadly we have reached a point in time where the number of people who lived through World War II are very few, so it's important that their stories are told and that people continue to learn about those events. Estells/Enia's story is both heartbreaking and uplifting, starting before the war and progressing through her loss. She lost most of her family as so many did, and had to survive through horrible and scary things, relying on people who could have turned on her at any moment. It's also the story of those who did help her and her brothers to survive, those who risked themselves to keep the children as safe as they could. The artwork is beautiful and informative, many details of specific places and customs woven into the story. Since it's a graphic memoir it is accessible and easily read, but full of Estelle's impactful story and should be shared and read for a personal view on the events of the holocaust.
I'm a firm believer that books about events in the past that are significant, especially books which are accessible to all ages, should be available. When I saw that this was not only a memoir but a graphic memoir of a holocaust survivor, I definitely wanted to give it a read. Sadly we have reached a point in time where the number of people who lived through World War II are very few, so it's important that their stories are told and that people continue to learn about those events. Estells/Enia's story is both heartbreaking and uplifting, starting before the war and progressing through her loss. She lost most of her family as so many did, and had to survive through horrible and scary things, relying on people who could have turned on her at any moment. It's also the story of those who did help her and her brothers to survive, those who risked themselves to keep the children as safe as they could. The artwork is beautiful and informative, many details of specific places and customs woven into the story. Since it's a graphic memoir it is accessible and easily read, but full of Estelle's impactful story and should be shared and read for a personal view on the events of the holocaust.
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April 23, 2024A young Jewish girl Enia Field was seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland. It was the year 1939. She as a spirited girl with a song for every occasion. In the next five years she lost her voice due to losing her mother, father, elder brother and sister’s death. Her neighbors didn’t help her. Why? It is a first hand account of Edina’s fight for survival during World War II. She would survive loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun―all before the age of eleven. When the war was over, Edina walked barefoot across European borders and finds a home in an Austrian displaced persons camp. She finally crosses the Atlantic to arrive in New York City. She changed her name to Estelle Nadel.
This graphic memoir is rendered in bright colors with expression and emotions. This is an important story as it seems unbelievable to many that there was no Holocaust but there was. It is important that people are aware of what happened in World War 2. The graphic memoir makes it easy to assess what happened. It is tragic and uplifting.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this graphic memoir from the author/polisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. My opinions are strictly my own.
This graphic memoir is rendered in bright colors with expression and emotions. This is an important story as it seems unbelievable to many that there was no Holocaust but there was. It is important that people are aware of what happened in World War 2. The graphic memoir makes it easy to assess what happened. It is tragic and uplifting.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this graphic memoir from the author/polisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. My opinions are strictly my own.
June 27, 2024
This is the story in graphic format of Estelle Nadel, born Enia Feld, who was a young girl in a big family living in Borek, Poland. Enia was a happy child who did not understand the changes that would soon happen in her town. The reality of WWII and the Nazi invasion of Poland is overwhelming and many details are here in this book. Her story is told in 5 parts. Her devotion to her mother is especially beautiful and tragic. Her need to be with family, her brother stays with her in hiding as long as he could, but he was a child providing for another child. Anyone hiding the family was in great danger and they knew that as they tried to just survive. Leaving Poland was painful, but necessary. Chaos of war does not only have victims who are soldiers and this book makes that quite clear.
This book is a song, a prayer, a memoir with heart that I will not forget. I was happy to see that Estelle Nadel's story is catalouged to be shared after she can no longer share it. I am so pleased that Sammy Savos has created this magnificent and powerful graphic novel for my students and future students who study WWII. The survivors mattered and this book sings as Enia sang. Graphic format seems ideal for this survival story.
This book is a song, a prayer, a memoir with heart that I will not forget. I was happy to see that Estelle Nadel's story is catalouged to be shared after she can no longer share it. I am so pleased that Sammy Savos has created this magnificent and powerful graphic novel for my students and future students who study WWII. The survivors mattered and this book sings as Enia sang. Graphic format seems ideal for this survival story.
January 10, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 5 ⭐️ Wow what a powerful graphic novel. Estelle’s story is simply amazing and told beautifully through the artwork. I loved that several times in the story the artwork could capture intensely charged emotions without the need for dialogue. This is why I love reading graphic novels so much and think they are such a powerful tool for young readers, especially when detailing true events. I loved the resources and information at the end of the story about all different characters in the book and the process of creating the book. I learned so much from that! I was very excited to see that the author lives near me, which was very emotional to learn when considering the aging of Holocaust survivors. Reader should be aware of content warnings prior to reading, and I would strongly advise this to be read by older middle grade readers as it can get graphic. Highly recommend this graphic novel and to readers who are new to graphic novels as well.
January 12, 2024
A great team brought to live Enia Feld's (Estelle Nadel's) memoir. From her years of innocence in Poland, we see Enia with her family on a farm and she is only seven years old when Hitler's troops arrive. It's told through her eyes and the illustrator has done amazing work in portraying the horrors and cruelty of what happened to Enia's family and neighbors one by one. We go through the years and different chapters, and we learn the details and politics of this war, but we're still seeing through the eyes of Enia, and all the time that she waited in hiding before going to America with the survivors.
The hardship didn't end there, but she survived.
It's emotional, heartbreaking, and educational. Provides much to be explored and discussed at different levels.
With the same emotional strength as Grave of the Fireflies. For fans of Anne Frank's Diary and graphic novels such as Maus.
I appreciate the last pages where we can see some of the behind-the-scenes of the making of this graphic novel.
Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this eARC.
The hardship didn't end there, but she survived.
It's emotional, heartbreaking, and educational. Provides much to be explored and discussed at different levels.
With the same emotional strength as Grave of the Fireflies. For fans of Anne Frank's Diary and graphic novels such as Maus.
I appreciate the last pages where we can see some of the behind-the-scenes of the making of this graphic novel.
Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this eARC.
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