I read this when I was about 10, as I played Joseph in the Windsor Arts Club Junior Drama production. Apart from 2 or 3 bits, I didn't remember most of the events in the story. It's interesting in that so much of the book takes place after the end of the war - it shows the allied occupation, and how the different countries managed their sectors (I don't want to overplay this though - it's interesting, but it isn't one of the major parts of the book).

The structure of the book is quite interesting - it feels like a bunch of vignettes, rather than having an overarching narrative. You could drop one of the sections, without it significantly affecting the narrative. Still, it is a fascinating story, very evocative of the broken Europe left after World War 2.

Quite a good introduction to the plight of Polish refugees in WwII for younger children. It reads as somewhat sanitised and a bit old fashioned now, but at the time was ground breaking as a lot of adults thought the subject matter was unsuitable for children. ( )

I remember reading this book a very long time ago; like, maybe 15 years ago (Before any of you say anything, 15 years ago is a long time for me, when you remember that I’m only 24 years old). The copy I have at home is quite old, and if you remember my review of Ben Hur, then you can imagine how old this is. The pages are brittle, the writing looks like it was done on a typewriter, and there’s one of my family member’s initials in dark fountain pen ink on the front page.

The story is about a family, the Balickis, who are a Polish family living in Warsaw when the war breaks out. Because of circumstances beyond their control, the whole family – three children, father, and mother – are all separated from each other. The story mostly follows the children on their wacky adventures through war-torn Europe as they try to find their way back to their parents, not even knowing if they’re alive or not. But their unwavering hope and optimism keeps everyone going and they always find a way in the end!

I think that what adult readers of this novel have to keep in mind is that it is written for children under the age of 12. The story is very feel-good, even if they do have a lot of mishaps and problems coming their way, but you do know that they are going to be just fine in the end.

It’s a cute little family novel that does well in introducing children to the severity of World War II, and what the real situation was for a lot of families during that time – separation, not being able to contact each other, death, and illness. It’s all in the book, and it’s all tied up with a nice little ribbon made of happy endings at the end.

Final rating: if this is for a child below the age of 12, then definitely a 4/5. The writing is very babyish but I’m sure that a child would enjoy it more than an adult would. ( )

When their parents both get taken away to the camps, a family of three children manage to survive for three years of WWII in a bombed-out cellar in Warsaw before learning that their father had escaped and sent word to them via another young war orphan to try to meet him in Switzerland. So they set out with their new young friend in tow to make the long trek to a new home, facing perils and meeting with helpful folk along the way.

This is one of the better middle grade books about children during the war within the subset of not-too-horrific, kiddos-with-gumption stories. It's not too saccharine and still hints at the horrors of the war, which makes for an easy, uncomplicated read. Recommended if you like this sort of thing (and I do). ( )

A story crafted around real life examples. This novel tells the story of three Polish siblings (Ruth, Edek and Bronia) search for their parents, after their schoolmaster father is tossed in jail for hanging Hitler's picture facing the wall. He escapes from prison to find his house destroyed by fire and his family gone, and meets a streetwise orphan, named Jan. Ruth manages to find shelter, becoming a "mother" to her siblings, and they decide to go to Switzerland to find their remaining relatives, crossing Poland and Germany along the way. Jan joins them on their quest, helping them survive in a world gone mad, even as the family is separated and reunited along the way. Along the way, they are assisted by generous, caring people: soldiers, farmers, etc.

No idea why Scholastic changed the perfectly apt title of The Silver Sword, which was a family heirloom and symbol of hope for the wayward children. Maybe 3.5 stars. ( )