Reviews

Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan

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erine's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring tense

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

As a young reader, I devoured and reread books like The Devil's Arithmetic and Number the Stars. This would have sat on my shelf right alongside those tales of youthful heroism in the face of fascist displays of pathetic ideas of strength.

This story tells of Muslims in Paris during World War II who worked together to help Jewish residents escape persecution by those who couldn't handle their own insecurities. Safiyyah is a young girl whose family and community is buffeted by the German army as it invades Paris. Her friends are increasingly targeted by the Nazi invaders and she finds herself in a position to do something about it. So she does.

A much-needed addition to the stories of heroism during the Holocaust, not least because it reminds the reader that heroism isn't always Christian or white. I am increasingly wary of Holocaust stories in the sense that I think too many readers wrongly believe that they would behave heroically in a similar situation. This story, though, is a standout.

abeckett's review against another edition

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informative inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

bookbairn's review against another edition

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5.0

A brilliant kids historical fiction set in Paris during the Nazi occupation - a time period I am fascinated by and have done a lot of research in, as has this author. Sometimes that felt a little bit fact-dumping, but I wondered if that was my own reading perspective rather than the narrative. Similarly some of the conversations felt like they were a bit unnatural - like they were giving information rather than the characters speaking to each other, and the grandmother character definitely spoke in wise quotations (which I kind of liked as her role but it didn’t feel like natural speech). I loved the protagonist in this - she was appropriately cautious, yet still brave and feisty. Her friendships with many of the characters really jumped off the page and it said a lot about her as a character.
This is a slower burning story with less pacey action and much more character development which I really enjoyed. It gave me Rooftoppers meets *insert an amazing WW2 kids fiction - there are many* which I loved.
Perfect for a modern audience of young readers, this is a book I would have loved as a kid and thoroughly enjoyed as an adult.

bribeary's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of my favorite middle grade novels. It was so good. I need every parent to read this alongside their child.

iheartsparky's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

wordesmith's review

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4.0

4.5 This book reminded me in some ways of 'A Little Princess' for a new generation - a well-to-do and headstrong girl facing challenges related to war, riches to rags to riches with lush descriptions of interesting places, the role of imagination, and bravery. What makes it all the more compelling is that this book is based on the truth of a real story that is rarely told about the French resistance, and is soothing as love is shown between the jewish people and the muslim faithful. I would very highly recommend it to middle grade children.