The Girl Who Sang

March 1, 2024
At the start of this compelling graphic memoir, four-year-old Enia Feld lives a seemingly carefree life with her loving extended family in 1939 Borek, Poland. Though they are "very, very poor" -- and there are hints of antisemitism and violence to come -- Enia feels safe, secure, and well cared for, her voice constantly lifted in song. "And I thought we would be this happy forever." On September 1, though, Germany invades. The family's rights are continually eroded ("Things changed over the next two years. Slowly") until, inevitably, they are forced to flee for their lives. In five dramatic parts -- Innocence, Hidden, Liberation, A New Beginning, The Girl Who Sang -- this harrowing story is told and shown in clear sequential art that reflects the terror and grief of Enia's experiences in contrast with her early, pastoral-set days. When liberation finally occurs, after years of whispers in hiding, the once-vivacious girl has gone nearly silent, but it's in finding her voice that she is able to begin a new life in America. The history is deeply personal, as related by Nadel (who passed away in November 2023), and her intent is made clear in her concluding note: "I'm not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be Holocaust survivors still living...I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on." An afterword, family photos, additional resources, an illustrator's note, and details about comics are appended. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from November 1, 2023
The true story of how a music-loving Jewish girl survived the Nazis and rebuilt her life in America. Enia Feld was 5 when the Nazis invaded Poland. At first, even as her mother sewed the Star of David onto her clothes, Enia "didn't know to be scared," but violence soon came to the family. Suddenly warned that they must flee, Enia, two older brothers, and her mother managed to escape and seek protection from a neighbor. After years of hiding, their mother's death, and the end of the war, the siblings ended up in an Austrian displaced persons camp and then on a ship to New York. Enia felt deep gratitude toward her rescuers and contemplated the reasons why some people helped, and others betrayed them. In the U.S., the three Felds took new names, and Enia became Estelle. Her brothers found work, and despite her wish to stay together, they arranged for her to be adopted by the Nadels, whose only child had died in combat. Told in five parts, Nadel's story presents readers with a picture of her life before ("I thought we would be this happy forever"), during, and--crucially--after the war. Savos' exceptionally powerful illustrations convey the extremes of human emotion, make original use of different perspectives, and are both cinematic and intimate; they also do not shy away from accurately portraying the hardships and violence. Sweeping, stark, tragic, and triumphant. (family trees, authors' notes, process notes, photographs, resources, photo credits) (Graphic memoir. 11-16)

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Starred review from February 1, 2024

Gr 7 Up-Enia loved her life with her family in their small Polish village before the war. It was home, it was safe, and she was free to run, play, and help her mother in the kitchen. On September 1, 1939, the dark clouds of war began to circle, and she felt the safe comforts of home being ripped away. The Girl Who Sang is a powerful story of survival where readers are given the privilege of following Enia's life before, during, and after surviving the Holocaust, and in some ways, survival signaled only the beginning of Enia's struggles. The illustrations tell Enia's story in ways words cannot. Readers can immediately sense the range of Enia's emotions in every situation, from joyous family celebrations to horrific trauma. Students with an interest in the Holocaust, especially the lives of survivors, will find this book vital to developing an understanding of the long-term effects on families. Educators who appreciate the richness of using biographies to teach history will find multiple opportunities for utilizing this title, especially in social studies courses. Although Enia is the main subject in her life story, there are many other figures whose perspectives enhance study of the Holocaust and its aftermath. An excellent accompaniment to lessons on World War II, this book will help countless students examine the Holocaust on a personal level. VERDICT A must-have. The graphic novel format will appeal to those whose first choice might not be history or biography, and all others will be invited to consider the full-life experiences of Holocaust survivors.-Darby Wallace

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
At the start of this compelling graphic memoir, four-year-old Enia Feld lives a seemingly carefree life with her loving extended family in 1939 Borek, Poland. Though they are "very, very poor" -- and there are hints of antisemitism and violence to come -- Enia feels safe, secure, and well cared for, her voice constantly lifted in song. "And I thought we would be this happy forever." On September 1, though, Germany invades. The family's rights are continually eroded ("Things changed over the next two years. Slowly") until, inevitably, they are forced to flee for their lives. In five dramatic parts -- Innocence, Hidden, Liberation, A New Beginning, The Girl Who Sang -- this harrowing story is told and shown in clear sequential art that reflects the terror and grief of Enia's experiences in contrast with her early, pastoral-set days. When liberation finally occurs, after years of whispers in hiding, the once-vivacious girl has gone nearly silent, but it's in finding her voice that she is able to begin a new life in America. The history is deeply personal, as related by Nadel (who passed away in November 2023), and her intent is made clear in her concluding note: "I'm not going to be here forever. Someday there will no longer be Holocaust survivors still living...I want you, the young people, the next generation, to carry our stories on." An afterword, family photos, additional resources, an illustrator's note, and details about comics are appended.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)