Freedom's Game Trade Book (Paperback)

Written By Rosanne Tolin
Illustrated by Vali Mintzi
Critically Reviewed
  1. PaperBack
    Price $10.95
Written By Rosanne Tolin
Illustrated by Vali Mintzi
Critically Reviewed

Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope.

Read Full Description
Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope. Read Less Description

Freedom's Game Trade Book (Paperback)

Written By Rosanne Tolin
Illustrated by Vali Mintzi
Written By Rosanne Tolin
Illustrated by Vali Mintzi
Critically Reviewed
Critically Reviewed

Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope.

Read Full Description
Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope. Read Less Description
Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope.
  1. PaperBack
    Price $10.95
SKU WW-NL6158
ISBN 9781478876205
Series Reycraft Books
Language English
SKU WW-NL6158
ISBN 9781478876205
Series Reycraft Books
Lexile level 700L
Genre Historical Fiction
Language English
BISAC Subject Headings Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Holocaust
Juvenile Fiction / Religious / Jewish
Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Friendship
Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Holocaust
Juvenile Fiction / Religious / Jewish
Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Friendship
Price $10.95
Author & Illustrator

Rosanne Tolin

Rosanne Tolin was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the author of More Than Marmalade: Michael Bond and The Story Of Paddington Bear. An experienced and respected journalist, her work has focused primarily on children’s publications. She was the creator of an ALA-notable website for kids, the managing editor of a children’s magazine, and a Hoosier State Press Award-winning features writer. Rosanne lives in Chesterton, Indiana, with her husband. When not working, she can be found hiking with her dogs in the Indiana Dunes or Colorado’s Tenmile Range. 

Reviews

“Freedom’s Game is so many things: an astounding true account; a tense thriller; a testimony to the evil- and the good- of which humans are capable; and, most of all, a story of friendship, hope and kindness in the midst of despair. Rosanne Tolin captures her young protagonists’ voices beautifully, imbuing Ziggy and Elka, Jewish children living on the razor’s edge in World War II France, with raw, authentic emotion and strength. Readers will gasp, cry, and cheer their way through this wonderful historical novel!”
—Stacy Nockowitz, National Jewish Book Award-winning author of The Prince of Steel Pier

"I held my breath as Elka and Ziggy defied the Nazis and escaped to freedom. A beautifully told, important story. Not to be missed."
—Anne Blankman, author of THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS, winner of the National Jewish Book Award

"Tolin's thrilling, well-researched historical tale of heroism and hope is sure to touch young hearts as it takes readers into the tense world of Jewish children whose survival during the Nazi regime depends on learning who to trust."
—Nancy Churnin, author of National Jewish Book Award winner for Dear Mr. Dickens

In 1942, two Jewish children in a French orphanage dream of escaping to safety across the border in Switzerland.

Twelve-year-old German Jews Ziggy and Elka meet in Annemasse, France, near the Swiss border. Both have traumatic memories of seeing their families for the last time, but Elka, at least, is hopeful of being reunited with her parents and sister, Ruth. Georges Loinger—a real person whose story inspired this novel and who appears as a character in the book—accompanied Ziggy and other children on the train to Annemasse, and now he’ll be their new gym teacher. But Ziggy is unsure: Based on his close observations, he suspects that Georges is a spy. The question is, for whom? Elka, however, is sure that Georges is no Nazi collaborator and is determined to prove it. The story alternates between Ziggy’s and Elka’s close third-person perspectives. The early chapters are somewhat bogged down by the backstory, but the pace picks up as the children discover more about Georges’ true identity. Ziggy has a limp due to a bout of polio; sporty Elka reflects on how he’s been “so selfless….Spooning extra oatmeal in her bowl, staying up late to keep watch while she ran” (in preparation for their sports festival). Although Ziggy’s faith in his own future wavers, at a crucial moment Elka has enough hope for both of them. The epilogue ends on an optimistic note.

A solid World War II story that features quiet heroes.

—Kirkus Reviews

Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope.

Read Full Description
Details:
SKU WW-NL6158
ISBN 9781478876205
Series Reycraft Books
Lexile level 700L
Genre Historical Fiction
Language English
Juvenile Fiction / H Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Holocaust
Juvenile Fiction / Religious / Jewish
Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues / Friendship
Full Description

Ziggy doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage. It is 1942, and the Nazis have taken northern France. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that they are all just waiting for the worst. Anyone around them could easily be a Nazi spy. Elka has lived at Annemasse for three years, dreaming of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Ziggy’s arrival brings the excitement of a new friendship. But even more intriguing is the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead them to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or a spy luring them towards the Nazis? When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust. Inspired by real events, Freedom's Game tells a courageous story of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of hope.

Author & Illustrator

Rosanne Tolin

Rosanne Tolin was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the author of More Than Marmalade: Michael Bond and The Story Of Paddington Bear. An experienced and respected journalist, her work has focused primarily on children’s publications. She was the creator of an ALA-notable website for kids, the managing editor of a children’s magazine, and a Hoosier State Press Award-winning features writer. Rosanne lives in Chesterton, Indiana, with her husband. When not working, she can be found hiking with her dogs in the Indiana Dunes or Colorado’s Tenmile Range. 

Reviews

“Freedom’s Game is so many things: an astounding true account; a tense thriller; a testimony to the evil- and the good- of which humans are capable; and, most of all, a story of friendship, hope and kindness in the midst of despair. Rosanne Tolin captures her young protagonists’ voices beautifully, imbuing Ziggy and Elka, Jewish children living on the razor’s edge in World War II France, with raw, authentic emotion and strength. Readers will gasp, cry, and cheer their way through this wonderful historical novel!”
—Stacy Nockowitz, National Jewish Book Award-winning author of The Prince of Steel Pier

"I held my breath as Elka and Ziggy defied the Nazis and escaped to freedom. A beautifully told, important story. Not to be missed."
—Anne Blankman, author of THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS, winner of the National Jewish Book Award

"Tolin's thrilling, well-researched historical tale of heroism and hope is sure to touch young hearts as it takes readers into the tense world of Jewish children whose survival during the Nazi regime depends on learning who to trust."
—Nancy Churnin, author of National Jewish Book Award winner for Dear Mr. Dickens

In 1942, two Jewish children in a French orphanage dream of escaping to safety across the border in Switzerland.

Twelve-year-old German Jews Ziggy and Elka meet in Annemasse, France, near the Swiss border. Both have traumatic memories of seeing their families for the last time, but Elka, at least, is hopeful of being reunited with her parents and sister, Ruth. Georges Loinger—a real person whose story inspired this novel and who appears as a character in the book—accompanied Ziggy and other children on the train to Annemasse, and now he’ll be their new gym teacher. But Ziggy is unsure: Based on his close observations, he suspects that Georges is a spy. The question is, for whom? Elka, however, is sure that Georges is no Nazi collaborator and is determined to prove it. The story alternates between Ziggy’s and Elka’s close third-person perspectives. The early chapters are somewhat bogged down by the backstory, but the pace picks up as the children discover more about Georges’ true identity. Ziggy has a limp due to a bout of polio; sporty Elka reflects on how he’s been “so selfless….Spooning extra oatmeal in her bowl, staying up late to keep watch while she ran” (in preparation for their sports festival). Although Ziggy’s faith in his own future wavers, at a crucial moment Elka has enough hope for both of them. The epilogue ends on an optimistic note.

A solid World War II story that features quiet heroes.

—Kirkus Reviews

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