Hope Summers

Loved, loved, loved, loved this book! It gave me a better understanding of Nazi Germany and what the children had to go through. Yes, I did cry at the end of the book, but I'm still glad that I read the book. I love learning about World War II and this book, although fictional, was written in such a way that it could have been non-fiction. It was so creatively written (I LOVED the idea of Death as the narrator) and allows people to learn about history in a touching story a simple little girl. I hope that everyone else can enjoy the book as much as I did!

I love this book so much!!! I have read some of the other reviews for it, and would like to say that the book was published in 1974... that means that, yes, there are going to be some generalisations and, yes, there are going to be some topics in it that would not pass in today's society at all, but that does not mean that the book is bad, it simply means that it is a bit old. I really appreciate the fact that there is less action and minimal romance (you know, typical conventions for the fantasy genre) as, through this, Julie Andrews sends the message that those aren't really applicable to real life, but imagination and wisdom are. Julie Andrews decided to write a book that actually adressed life lessons (such as the dangers of talking to strangers, giving into tempations, how to turn the other cheek, how to overcome fear, etc.) in a way that children can begin to understand. The book begins to plant seeds of wisdom in the minds of children, which is very different to other fantasy books, whose main purpose is to simply entertain and put ideals of romance and good vs. evil in their minds. This book is an AMAZING read and I definitely suggest it for parents to read to their children as they grow up.