This is such a great book. The characters draw you in from the start. It gives a real sense of what life in the Grand Mosque was like in Paris during WWII. It's filled with hope and humanity. There are a lot of difficult topics revolving around war, occupation, and religious persecution that would probably need extra support/ guidance for younger middle grade readers.  

I tend to avoid 'WW2 in Britain/France' books, because I find them very samey and consider the time period overall very overdone - but apparently adding a Muslim character is the way to get me to read one, and this was wonderful!

Safiyyah was such a brilliant heroine - she's so brave and bold and curious, and Hiba Noor Khan does such a great job of capturing a child's perspective, balancing an eleven year old's worldview with the upheaval having to grow up too fast in wartime. Her relationship with her family was also so lovely, especially her grandmother (though I also wanted to know more about the family's history! Why did they move from Algeria to Spain, and then to France?)

Though I've been to the Grand Mosque of Paris, I had no idea about its history helping Jews escape the Holocaust. I love that it's the characters' foundation of faith that makes them so determined to do the right thing (we often hear about Catholic priests etc. who sheltered Jews in WW2, so I love that we get this version of that story too!), and I really appreciated how naturally Islam was woven into the story.

Ultimately this is a story about love and kindness, and doing the right thing even when it would be easier not to. Certain lines definitely felt very pointedly applicable to present day issues, but overall I love the message that this sends for both children and adult readers! Actually, this is exactly the kind of book I want adults who dismiss middle grade to read, because the writing may be <i>simple</i>, but that doesn't mean it's not effective, and the way Khan writes emotions is incredibly moving!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andersen Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

CW: antisemitism, Holocaust, PTSD, family separation, grief