It is in the darkest times that a person’s true character shows.

An inspiring and heartbreaking story of one brave woman and her family, who along with the French Resistance and the Jewish Scouts, risked everything to save the Jewish children in Nazi occupied France.

A beautifully written piece of historical fiction that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.

Thank you to Gloria Goldreich, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for a digital copy of this novel.

Sorry I could not finish this book in time. I will get a copy and try to read. Thank you for the opportunity.

Based on the life of Madeleine Levy, the granddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus and a heroine of the French Resistance movement. Hers was a normal French Jewish family of a proud WW1 hero. They didn't believe that their world could change so much when Hitler came into power. But none of them hesitated to do whatever they could to help others. Madeline cared for children and worked tirelessly to free as many as she could and get them to safety. Her sister was a forger who helped as well. They gathered as a family as often as they could and were strengthened by each other. Incredible courage and deception saved many, many lives. An amazing family, an amazing girl of strength, compassion, selflessness. They found love throughout it all. Beautiful read - brings their story to life.
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#TheParisChildren #NetGalley

I am grateful to Gloria Goldreich for writing this book, based on true story of Madeleine Levy during World War II. Prior to reading The Paris Children, I had not heard of this brave young woman. Madeleine was a courageous woman who joined the resistance against Hitler and was passionate about assisting young children to safety when Jewish people were being taken to death camps.

The Paris Children is a heart grabbing tale of hope, courage, perseverance, love, and tragedy.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes historical fiction can be a hit or miss for me, but this one was a really great read. Books like this remind me of why I enjoy this genre.

Historical fiction...my favorite genre. As Hitler's regime gains hold in Paris, young Madeline finds herself part of the resistance, helping to smuggle Jewish children to safety. She must stay strong and true to the chase as the city she knows and loves crumbles around her.

The Paris Children
A Novel of World War 2
by Gloria Goldreich
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Sourcebooks Landmark
Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 01 Sep 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Paris Children through SourceBooks Landmark and Netgalley:


In 1935 A dark shadow falls over Europe as Adolf Hitler's regime gains momentum, leaving the city of Paris on the brink of occupation. Madeline Levy a young woman who was theGranddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish World War I hero. Madeline Levy steps bravely into a new wave of resistance and becomes the guardian of lost children.


After Madeline meets a small girl in a tattered coat with the hollow look of one forced to live a nightmare a young Jewish refugee from Germany named Anna she knows that she cannot stand idly by. Madeline knows that Paris is full of Children like Anna, children who were terrified and starving, they were innocent casualties of a war that had only just begun.



Madeline offers the children comfort and strength while working with other members of the resistance to smuggle them into safer territories. As the Paris Madeline loves is transformed into a theater of tension and hatred, many people are tempted to abandon the cause and the country.



Even amidst the impending horror and doubt, Madeleine's relationship with Claude, a young Jewish Resistance fighter, as passionate about saving vulnerable children as she is, deepens. With a future with them in question all Madeleine can do is continue fighting and hope that her spirit and the nation's won't be broken.


If you are looking for a powerful World War 2 novel, one that draws you in and doesn’t let you go.


I give The Paris Children five out five stars!


Happy Reading!

I am the granddaughter of an American soldier who went to France during World War II and brought home a bride this story hit home and I am looking forward to buying this book and giving it to absolutely everybody in my family I think they will enjoy it. The story was well writen and it showed that the author knew her stuff.

I absolutely loved this book about WWII resistance fighters. I Highly recommend this book to fans of historical WWII fiction. Absolutely beautiful.

An excellent novel about WWII Resistance and the need for brave men and women to stand up and do what's right regardless of the circumstances. I really enjoyed this book - this was a story that needed to be told and read!

This is one of the better historical fiction WWII novels I've read. Many scenes illustrated how little the resistance had to work with. The girl who was a forger (Simone? I read this months ago) had no training but someone needed to produce fake documents so she stepped in and taught herself how, but she worried constantly that the recipients would be caught because the quality wasn't good enough. But she kept creating them because of the overwhelming need. As other reviewers have mentioned, their biggest risk was not from the Nazis themselves but from other Frenchmen collaborating with the Nazis. I thought about the book for days after I finished it.

I received an ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley.com. I wasn't required to write a positive review & opinions expressed are my own. FTC 16 CFR, Pt 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements &Testimonials in Advertising.

A BEAUTIFUL historical retelling. I posted a previous review but it didn't go through. I think fans of "The Book Thief" will love this.

I never got the chance to read this one before it was archived, but the idea behind it is so promising! I'm truly grateful for the publisher giving me a chance to read it, and will be looking for a physical copy in my local bookstore.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in historical fiction specifically World war II. I can't wait to read more from the author

Madeleine Levy is the granddaughter of a Jewish WWI war hero. Paris, 1935 Madeleine finds herself in unimaginably dark and frightening times. Upon finding a girl on the street in tattered clothes with a look of starvation, Madeleine know that she must help Jewish children. Madeleine joins the resistance using her social work certification to help save children and fight for her country.

First off, I thought The Paris Children was a magnificent book. Being based on Madeleine's true story, really brought this book to life for me. She was such a strong and brave woman that didn't allow limitations to hold her back. There was an incredible amount of detail. I felt that I could really imagine the events as they were happening. This book had me hanging on to every word! My heart was rooting for Madeleine and all the children she was helping. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a lover of historical fiction.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my ARC of this great book! The Paris Children was released September 2020 and is now available for purchase.

4.5 stars

“Charity is not sufficient. What is needed above all is openness of heart, material deeds.”

This is a moving piece of historical fiction reflecting the courage and selflessness of those in the French Resistance during WWII, based on the true story of Madeline Levy, who was the granddaughter of Alfred Dreyfus (who we remember from high school history class of the Dreyfus Affair,
“one of the most notable examples of a complex miscarriage of justice and antisemitism.” (Wikipedia). ) It was after his death when the truly horrific result of antisemitism occurred during the Holocaust that his family found themselves in the middle of the Nazi occupation of France.

While I have read several novels about the French Resistance, I was not aware of Madeline Levy or her family and the role they played. I was drawn to the characters and emotionally connected to their mission, bringing Jewish children to safety, mostly orphans whose parents were taken to concentration camps. Although fiction, with imagined “scenes and relationships “ as the author describes in her note, it was much more meaningful to me that it is based on real people.

The novel opens on the verge of the fall of France to Hitler and the Levy family is forced to leave their home in Paris. It is then that Madeline and some of her family become involved in the resistance. As a social worker she faces danger in moving children to safety amid the Nazi occupation and in even more harrowing assignments as the story progresses. I found this to be beautifully written and I would definitely recommend it to readers of historical fiction, especially WWII and Holocaust fiction. It’s a story of family ties, a love story, a story of courage in the face of evil , a tribute to Madeline Levy and so many others who sacrificed themselves for the children . It’s about “openness of heart” and a belief that “This life is worth its grief.”

I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through NetGalley and Edelweiss.

Based on the true story of Madeleine Levy a French- Jewish social worker who remained in Toulouse despite her family fleeing for safety, in order to continue her work with in the special combat division of the Resistance- Éclaireurs Israélites.

This one was an OK for me, I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. I was pulled immediately by the writing style and introduction as well as the slight romance between Claude and Madeleine. However, about 35% in, I found it repetitive and kept waiting for some action. I feel like this book was so much more than just "The Paris Children". It was about the treacherous resistance work, the courage the Jewish people strived on to maintain hope, also the sacrifice and selflessness many showed to put their lives in risk in order to save another. At that point, reading until the end was really to get closure of the characters. I appreciated how the author kept true to Madeleine's death, as sad as it was. I wish there was more detail. Detail about Madeleine's work specifically and maybe more history of Alfred Dreyfus and his reputation as it kept getting repeating throughout the novel.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was very much a typical WWII novel. I enjoyed it somewhat but it did not grab my attention because I felt like it was too.. predictable.

This was a new author for me, Gloria Goldreich. She didn't disappoint. The book was captivating and very hard to put down. From start to finish the book kept my attention and I couldn't wait to turn the page. Characters were amazing with a bit of suspense situated in a love story. Highly recommend and definitely will read more from this author. 5 Stars