When Germany invades France and they start rounding up Jews, Rosa and Albert Laskowski are taken away leaving their 5 children behind with some various relatives including their blind grandmother. The children included Pierre, Samuel, Claude and twins Henriette and Georgette. When the other adult relatives are taken away, it leaves only the children to fend for themselves with Pierre being in charge since he was the oldest. This story is told from the different points of view of Pierre, Samuel, Georgette and later Jacqueline as the children struggle to try to stay together and to survive. I love WWII Historical Fiction books and this was so different from others that I have read in that it was from the POV of the children who were left behind trying to survive. I think the author did a fantastic job researching and writing her debut novel. Thank you NetGalley and Duckworth Books for the ARC of this heartbreaking page-turner in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so happy I requested this amazing book!!!! What an amazing book!!! The real story of a family ripped apart during WWII and what each of them needed to survive, different ages, different fights!! What would you do if you see all your beloved ones leaving you alone? How would you try to keep your family together during a war? Would you know what's the right thing to do? Would you forgive yourself if you survive but your beloved ones doesn't? 🌸 This story is told from five kids perspective. Five kids growing up during WWII. That's one of the things I love the most about this book, is really hard to find this kind of perspectives! They were ripped apart, they all live different things, each of them feelings were different and that was really heartbreaking for me, to be able to see a kids perspective, being a mom, broke my heart. 🌸 I loved the characters, their story, their fight, their bravery!!! Strong amazing kids!!!
JUST INE THING!!! It says is historical fiction BUT the author at the end of the book says she has even been on tv and that here she tells the story of her mom and her mom's family. That's a bit confusing

An engaging book based on the true story about the author's mother growing up in France as a young girl in a Jewish family at the outbreak of WW2. An interesting read with a different side to the hardships endured during the second WW2, told from the perspective of the family members that survived which is obvious which ones as the story progresses giving their different sides of the story as they each experienced. The story is written in part through the eyes of children, who are being shielded from the more gruesome aspects of war which makes some of the reading more naive, but it is their memories. Surprisingly easy and fast read which keeps the reader engaged as to the next part. The acknowledgements at the end give the whole picture as they're not just a list of thanks for the help received.

I have always been interested in the social history of WW2 and this was another chance to learn something of the terrible tragedy that befell the Jewish people albeit from the eyes of children. In the form of a diary written by the children involved, Ms Barnes has managed to successfully portray the ages of the children through the language used and the experiences. Whilst the older children have more understanding of what is going on, your heart bleeds for the younger children and their perceptions. Equally moving is the description from the author of her real family's story. All in all I found this to be a moving story and would recommend it to all.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review

I really loved reading this book. It is a beautifully constructed novel which provides a window into the experiences of French Jews during World War Two, in an extremely engaging way.

The majority of Holocaust literature, both factual and fiction, focuses on Central and Eastern Europe, but in many cases the impact on Western Europe Jewry was just as dramatic. In all, approximately 77,000 Jews living on French territory perished in concentration camps and killing centres—the overwhelming majority of them at Auschwitz—or died in detention on French soil. The Young Survivors gives insight into their journeys and the experiences of those who survived.

The book follows the lives of the Laskowski family after Germany invaded France. As the front cover of the book hints, only three of the five children survived. Although fictional, the children’s experiences are based on those of the author’s mother and her four siblings.

Like many historical novels the book begins in a contemporary setting, with a character reconnecting with someone or something from their past. The narrative is then told in the first person and ‘real-time’ and in alternate chapters by the Laskowski children who survived. In fact the youngest child doesn’t start ‘writing’ until late in the book, due to the fact that she would have been too young earlier on.

I especially liked the way the book describes events through the eyes of the different siblings, showing how different ages understand and experience things very differently according to their personal needs and interests. While the eldest son rises nobly to the responsibility conferred to him as the new head of the family, his younger brother finds intrigue and teenage camaraderie in the various new situations that he experiences. At kindergarten age their younger sister’s needs are still very primal and she instinctively trusts the adults around her.

Although the story is told through the eyes of children, this is by no means a children’s book. It is an extremely emotional story which brought me to tears on more than one occasion but also made me smile numerous times. I felt slightly lost after I finished it, which I always think is the sign of a genuinely compelling book. I heartily recommend it.

The Young Survivors
⭐⭐⭐⭐

"aѕ мore people reтυrned ғroм тнe caмpѕ or нιdιng placeѕ, тнe нoтel lυтeтιa waѕ a ғaѕcιnaтιng place тo вe. ғaмιlιeѕ ѕoввed joy aѕ тнey were reυnιтed ιn one oғ ιтѕ мany rooмѕ. ѕυrvιvorѕ were тreaтed lιĸe royalтy; ιdenιтιeѕ and opтιмιѕм ғor тнe ғυтυre were reтυrned тнroυgн newѕpaperѕ and paѕѕporтѕ. вυт ғor тнe ѕυrvιvorѕ wιтн ғaмιlιeѕ wнo dιd noт reтυrn, нope waѕ ѕмaѕнed тo pιeceѕ; ғaмιlιeѕ deѕтroyed ғorever and lιveѕ вroĸen вeyond repaιr."

I was given an arc from netgalley to review.
This book tells the story of a Jewish family that was ripped apart during WWII. There are 5 siblings who are tossed all around Europe at an attempt of survival. They're parents were arrested early during the war and never returned. This is a new tale of the Jewish people during this nasty time. Instead of being about the camps, it is about the the 5 children who were taken away from one another and moved from one home to another to try and stay out of the German's hands.

This novel gives an emphasize on the broken families during the war and after. it shows the love and connection between a family even when they are not together. It showed the hope and helplessness family members endured after the war when someone returned or did not. It was a hard read, but one that is definitely worth it.

This is a heartbreaking story of love, resilience and the struggle to keep one family together against all adversities. Five Laskowski children were left without their parents, who were abducted one night, when the Nazis invaded France. They endured hardship and witnessed atrocious atrocities as the war progressed, they loved through ordeals that nobody else should ever have to even dream of. This was another heart wrenching read highlighting the suffering that so many endured during the second world war. It didn't bring any new information to light but it was interesting and well written.

This is one of the those impossible to put down books. You know the ones were the pacing, the chapter breaks etc are all perfectly timed so you keep reading "just one more bit", until you are late for making dinner, or have stayed up too late? I am a big sucker for a Holocaust survivor story it must be said. However, i found I was more invested in this story than i was with the big hit The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Maybe it is the voices of the children, with their innocent look at the world. The author has based this novel on the story of her mother's survival. The reader is led into the story by a meeting of two survivors, however, you aren't sure until the end how the whole story plays out. If you watched and enjoyed the TV movie, The Windermere Children, then this book comes highly recommended. It doesn't cover the Windermere story at all, but the journeys of Jewish children in Nazi occupied France.
The post war reconnection of family after the war, would have been a mammoth effort on the part of multiple agencies. So many unbelievable stories, of survival, of loss, and of hope.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this gem.

The Young Survivors is the story of harrowing experiences faced by the Laskowski family, especially the five children aged 4 to 16 years old when their parents are arrested by the Gestapo in the Nazi ruled France. Based on the story of the author’s mother, the story recounts the experiences of the siblings through the years 1938 to 1945.

The Young Survivors is the story of harrowing experiences faced by the Laskowski family, especially the five children aged 4 to 16 years old when their parents are arrested by the Gestapo in the Nazi ruled France. Based on the story of the author’s mother, the story recounts the experiences of the siblings through the years 1938 to 1945.

The story in itself is deeply moving. Narrated from the point of view of the siblings i.e. the young survivors of the war, who were separated one-by-one from their relatives, parents and eventually from one another, the trials and tribulations faced by them are heart-breaking, and their courage and quest for survival in the face of adversity admirable. The youngest of them were barely 4 years old when separated from their parents, and unaware of what war means and what it entails, though war was all what they had seen in their short lifetime.

So, what did I not like about it?

Although the story has a lot of potential, I found the writing not doing justice to the story. I found the writing style dry and not evoking the emotion that a story entailing such pain and suffering should. Most of it is written in a journal-entry style, focusing more on the “happenings” rather than the related “feelings” of the characters. This made it difficult to be invested in the characters, since I did not know them or their feelings enough. At times, the dialogues and the self-assessment of characters felt a bit artificial, more like it is a second person account and not a first person account. This had me a little bummed, as I have a weak spot for world war 2 based stories, more-so-ever if they are based on real life and are told from point of view of children.

Nevertheless, the story is rich in details. It was interesting to read and realize how life changed over time for the Jews in France, and how even amidst the terrible conditions, people went out of their way to look out for other people, when they did not have enough to eat themselves and it endangered their own safety. It is a fast read and can be completed in a sitting or two. Recommended for anyone looking to understand the adversities faced by a Jewish family in WW2.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Kindle version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very muddled story of many characters, their lives meeting and parting at turbulent times of war,.Too confusing to be engaging.

The Young Survivors by Debra Barnes is a haunting story of five young Jewish siblings that end up being alone after their parents and adult family members are taken away by Gestapo during the occupation in France during WWII.

The harrowing journey that these children went through, and all that they lost, was horrible and heartbreaking. The chapters alternated with different siblings and the reader was able to see those alternate viewpoints which added to the complexity of the novel. We see their journey throughout this devastating time.

This is a great novel with such strong, resilient children that grew up much too soon. Anyone that enjoys reading historical fiction about WWII and the people it affected would enjoy this read.

5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Duckworth Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR account immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication. GR review attached below as the automatic link would not work.

I absolutely loved this book even though it dealt with such a horrific period in time. It was so brilliantly told that I felt connected to all the characters and their experiences during WW2. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC

It’s been a couple of hours since I completed this book and yet I’m still feeling emotional. Based off the author’s mother’s own holocaust story, this one is sure to tug on a few heartstrings. This book isn’t too long so super easy to devour in a few sittings, like I did - but it will stay with you for much longer. The Young Survivors follows five siblings on their individual journeys throughout nazi occupied France during 1938-1945. God I really can’t say anything without tearing up, just read it. You won’t regret it.

The Young Survivors is the story of five Jewish siblings that were raised in France during the Nazi occupation. The family is first forced to flee their apartment in Metz and relocated to Sarry. There they lived in a house with extended family and were quite happy despite the father having lost his business. Eventually all the adults are arrested and hauled off to concentration camps. This is the story of what happens to the children.

It did take me a couple of chapters to get invested in the story but once I did, I really wanted to know what happened to Pierre, Samuel, Claude, Henriette and Georgette. Each chapter is told from a different child’s point of view and I liked that.

One of things I had a hard time with was the use of foreign language words throughout the book. I found myself googling Yiddish and French phases more than once. I found that a bit annoying. Thankfully toward the last third of the book, the author seemed to get away from that. The ending was pretty emotional and I really liked it.

I received an ARC copy of this book from netgalley in return for my honest review.

Heartbreaking novel about 5 French-Jewish siblings of the Polish-descent Laskowski family, who are left on their own in World War II France after their parents, aunt & uncle and grandmother are deported by the Nazis.

This book, "The Young Survivors" kind of reminds me of the TV series "Party of Five" in that the eldest sibling, Pierre is left to take care of his 4 brothers & sisters (similar to the premise of "Party of Five where in the original series, the eldest child, Charlie is left to care for his 4 younger siblings after their parents were killed by a drunk driver and in the 2020 reboot of "Party of Five", the eldest child, Emilio was left to care for his 4 brothers & sisters after their parents were arrested by ICE and deported to Mexico).

However, UNLIKE in "Party of Five" where the eldest sibling was a full-grown adult when they were involuntarily thrust into the role of parent, in this book, if I remember correctly, Pierre was only 15 or 16 at the time his parents & other adult relatives were arrested & sent to concentration camps in the summer of 1942, and he was left to care for his 4 younger brothers & sisters which included his brother Samuel who was maybe a year or two (or so!) younger, his brother Claude who was 10, and his twin sisters, Henriette and Georgette who were 4. years old.

"The Young Survivors" tells the story of these 5 siblings during World War II and what happens to each of them. This book is both heartbreaking and yet, in some ways, uplifting in how the French Resistance worked to hide and try to save as many people (especially Jewish children), as possible from the genocidal Nazi thugs.

This book was so riveting that I stayed up until 5;30 in the morning reading it, because I couldn't put it down before I knew what happened at the end. So I just kept going and before I realized it, it was almost morning, before I went to bed!

Highly recommend this book for those interested in the subject of the Holocaust and World War II.