Safiyyah’s War

FROM SARAH: 

A heartfelt story about the German invasion in France as told by a Muslim girl, shedding light on the bravery and generosity of the Paris Mosque in sheltering Jews and helping them escape. The publisher recommends it for ages 8-12 but I would recommend for 10 or 11+. This is WWII Paris, after all, and it’s heavy and heartbreaking. But the hope and courage celebrated makes it a lovely story! I didn’t love the audiobook narration. Heads up for a few incidences of using God's name in vain.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Safiyyah loathes the brutal Nazi occupation of Paris, even though her Muslim identity keeps her safe—or, at least, safer than her Jewish neighbors. Violence lurks in the streets, her best friend has fled, and even her place of refuge—the library—has turned shadowy and confusing, as the invaders fear the power of books.

Safiyyah longs to fight back and hates feeling powerless to help her Jewish friends. Worse yet, her father—who taught her to always do the right thing—is acting strangely and doing nothing to help them either.

Or is he?

Unravelling the mystery of her father’s odd behavior draws Safiyyah deep in the heart of the perilous underground resistance to the Nazis, where her bravery is put to the ultimate test…