Saturday, September 17, 2011

Lily Renee, Escape Artist by Trina Robbins



World War II is one of the most requested non-fiction subjects in a school library.  Graphic novels are also quite popular.  A graphic novel about a World War II event is sure to find it's niche.

Lily Renee lives a comfortable life in Vienna enjoying all the culture the city has to offer.  Told in accessible language that young readers can understand, Trina Robbins  tells the story of Hitler's rise to power including how friends turned their backs on the Jews, the beginning of ghettos, and Kristtelnacht, the night of broken glass, the event that led to Lily's parents sending her out of the country.  Lily is shown on the train and boat as one of the 10,000 children saved by being sent out of Nazi rule.  While not so lucky with the family she was sent to live with in London Lily leaves them and becomes a nurse's assistant surviving the bombings.  Finally Lily makes her way to America to be reunited with her parents. She dines in an automat ( I have too!)and gets a job which ultimately leads her to be a successful comic book artist.

Throughout her life Lily overcame the horrific obstacles dropped in her way but this book is written so young children get just enough information about the situation and perhaps be inspired to seek more. Lily is an admirable girl and I would recommend this book for a biography report, a non-fiction report or casual reading.  While the illustrations by Anne Timmone may not be as eye popping as manga or anime they work well with this story. Read as an ebook arc courtesy of Lerner Publishing Group via Netgalley.

2 comments:

Lauren said...

This looks good. I miss you, Mrs. Katz! Come back!!!

Mrs. Katz said...

Lauren, I miss you too! Let's chat at services next week.