A couple of 13-year-old boys start a resistance movement against the Nazi occupation of a small French town in 1940. Some events credited to the lads seemed unlikely, making me question the verisimilitude of the work. And the boys personalities were pretty one-note -- the hothead and the shy one -- so there wasn't much to pull me into the story regardless. ( )

In May, 1940, Germany attacked France. The country fell in just six weeks. In Putain-L'Ecluse. a small (and fictional) village, nothing seems to have change with the exception of refugees passing through, seeking safety and, a few days later, their return as the Nazis block off the roadways, followed soon after by Nazi soldiers marching through the streets. Thirteen-year-old Francois is dismayed by the seeming acceptance of the occupation by the adults and, with the aid of his best friend and a young German-speaking girl who claims to be from Belgium, is determined, through small acts of sabotage, to make the villagers fight back.

The graphic novel, Children of the Resistance Volume 1 Opening Moves is written by Dugomier with art by Ers and published by Europe Comics. Although the story is fictional, it is based on journals written by young people during the occupation as well as stories told by the writer's relatives who lived through it. it is well-written and the art complements the story. It gives an interesting view of what it was like to be a child during the war. Most importantly, it reminds us that, even in the worst most dangerous of times, there are always ordinary people willing to risk everything to fight back.

Thanks to Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )