Anne Frank is one of the Holocaust’s most well-known victims. The Diary of Anne Frank is read all over the world, and while it gives us insight into who she was and her experiences in hiding, it doesn’t always give a full window into her life.True to Alice Hoffman’s unique style, she has breathed new life into the story of a young girl before she went into hiding, Despite knowing about the last portion of her life, I wanted to know who Anne was outside of the attic.

My own father was only a little bit younger than Anne Frank, and went into hiding with his younger brother and parents, as well as three cousins. They were in Poland, and all seven made it out alive. So this book is especially poignant to me, because while my own father survived while she didn’t. One thing I learned quickly in life was that while my father’s early experiences defined who he was as a person, he was also a complete person outside of those experiences. Before he went into hiding, he was a young boy who loved to learn and spoke three languages fluently by that time—Yiddish, Polish, and Hebrew. He had a close-knit family that included grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. By the end of the war, he had only four cousins (one was placed into a Catholic orphanage because she was too young to hide out), his parents, and his brother.

Annelies (Anne) Frank was born in Germany, and her family moved from Germany to Amsterdam after Hitler’s rise to power, to escape the influence of the Nazis and the failing economy in Germany. The book starts when she is eleven, and covers the period of the arrival of Nazis in the Netherlands up until they have to go into hiding. The amount of historical research and detail is incredible, and I especially appreciated how Hoffman captured Anne’s optimistic and creative nature in this story.

I can’t recall the exact quote or who said it, but as I read this book I realized that Hoffman has crafted a work where the freedoms of Anne, her family, and other Jews were systematically stripped away. It mirrors the experiences of my father before his family went into hiding—each day it felt like there was a new law passed limiting Jews from one thing or another. And this book really embodied the way Jews lost freedom in Nazi-occupied countries: slowly at first and then all at once.

Throughout the book, Hoffman depicts Anne as a dreamer, a creative and imaginative young girl who aspires to be an author. It’s a bittersweet story, emotional in all the right ways, getting to meet a young girl and to know that she had achieved her dream despite her early and untimely death. It’s clear that Hoffman took pains to make this as accurate as possible while still making this story accessible to young readers. I chose to read this because it had the potential to be a powerhouse of a book, especially at a time when Anne Frank’s lived experiences, her humanity, and even her life at all is thrown into question in recent days. This brings to mind all the times that Hoffman has crafted Jewish characters in her books, as well as The Dovekeepers, a book that takes place during the siege of Masada after a failed uprising against the Romans, another one I highly recommend. Anne Frank is often young people’s first experience with the Holocaust, and this book would be a fantastic addition to any library or classroom to counter the dehumanizing effects before and during the Holocaust. I recommend this one to everyone.

I read Anne Frank's actual diary a couple of times in my years of schooling, and so this book intrigued me. And, for the most part, it definitely lived up to the hype.

It was heart wrenching a lot of the time, telling the story of Anne before the diary. Even thought it's a fictionalized story, I could definitely tell that there had been research done too.

It had a lot to live up to, the original diary is just, hard to put into words, and this novel will always be compared to the original (and Non-Fiction) diary. But, as I said, I do think that it lived up to what very obviously inspired it (Anne Frank's Diary).

I wrote about this on Goodreads and the Storygraph. I'm generally recommending this book, with a reminder that the novel was written for middle grade readers. More thoughts here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6903697995

“‘They burn books. They throw them into metal trash cans and light a fire and then all the words that had been written fly away.’ ‘What happens to the words then?’ Anne asked. ‘They’re remembered by everyone who ever read them.’ Madame Clara’s bright eyes were trained on Anne…’I used to have everything,’ the bookseller’s wife said. ‘Now I just have what I can remember.’” My God 🥺.

When We Flew away was written by Alice Hoffman in cooperation with @annefrankhouse_official and is geared towards younger readers, but is perfect for every age!

There is not a single word that I have read about the holocaust that hasn’t disgusted me to my core and made me angry with humanity. This book tells the story of Anne Frank before her diary and is utterly heartbreaking. And the moral of this story is that words save lives. Whether it is in the form of books, journals, diaries, or the spoken word..they just do. They save us. Along with The Diary of a Young Girl this, too, should be required reading.

“In the Nazi regime, age meant nothing, humanity meant nothing, love meant nothing.”

Thank you to Netgalley, Scholastic Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A tale of Anne Frank in her words. The terror and hopelessness of the Jewish families during the Nazi invasion. I have read The Diary of Anne Frank and a book told from her doll’s perspective. Great addition to any school library for Holocaust study.

WHEN WE FLEW AWAY by Alice Hoffman is a fictionalized account of the time shortly before Anne Frank's family went into hiding. Many of the events are only speculative and the varied interactions are based on what we know of the personalities of her friends and family.

This is cast as middle grade historical fiction and would serve as a possible introduction to the Frank family for students, creating a way to find commonalities with the sisters as they consider family dynamics, blossoming infatuations, and growing anxiety with events outside of your control. Hoffman's treatment is clearly the work of someone who has great fondness and respect for Anne Frank and wants to make her circumstances come alive for a new generation.

In the afterword, Hoffman has written a loving tribute to the impact encountering Anne Frank's diary as a young child had on the rest of her life; in no small part, Hoffman credits Anne Frank with opening up the possibility that girls could also be authors, and she repays that gift with this work.

(Thank you to Scholastic for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

I remember reading Anne's diary and being moved each time. She was so hopeful and enjoyed the little things in life and had such dreams even while hiding away in an attic. Even though I knew it was fiction I wanted to see more of Anne but in reading this nothing really happens. I didn't feel like I knew Anne or her family any better than what I read in her diary. I recently finished A Place to Hide which is the story of an American working in the Dutch consulate and the atmosphere in Amsterdam was terrible but that didn't really come through. I understand that her father and mother wouldn't necessarily share the really bad news but there wasn't a lot of observation from the girls either. I was surprised that this is rated as middle-grade. Hopefully I'm wrong but I can't see this book keeping the interest of an 8-10 year old.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Scholastic for providing me with a digital copy.

Not sure where to start my review for this book. I picked this book up for two reasons one being that Alice Hoffman is an auto author for me. I will continue to read everything she writes from now to forever. Second reason being because The Diary of a Young Girl made such a huge impact on me in school. I knew this book was going to devastate my soul, both because I knew how it ends and because Hoffman's writing is so beautiful. When We Flew Away follows Anne in the years after she has already left Germany and her family is residing in The Netherlands. Then the Nazi party invades and everything changes. Getting to see a version of Anne before the invasion and during was heartbreaking, even as a work of fiction it broke my heart to watch the Frank family slowly lose hope. I liked that there were little things, her continued play dates with friends, her friendship with Hello, and her trip to the countryside with her father. The birthdays they tried to make as normal as they could, watching movies on the projector. All of it tiny pieces of light they desperately needed as the world got darker and darker. Hoffman's afterword was equally beautiful as she explained why this book was so important for her to write. A gentle yet oh so important reminder that these stories have to be written. This stories have to be read. "When you write it down, they cannot pretend it never happened."

“Hatred arises so quickly that one drop is all it takes before it spreads like ink on a page.”

Inspired by Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, this novel looks at Anne’s life in the years leading up to her family going into hiding. The book is geared toward a middle grade audience, but that doesn’t make the writing, story, or content any less poignant or heartbreakingly beautiful.

Knowing what will eventually happen toward the end of the books bring a sense of foreboding, like a clock ticking down to disaster. Anne feels that fear and dread while also living everyday experiences of preteens that include conversations with friends, bickering over everyday things with family members, and daydreaming about the future. I loved hearing her thoughts about the complicated relationship she had with her mother and sister, the bond she shared with her father, and the wisdom she soaked up from her grandmother.

It was both lovely and heartbreaking to read about Anne’s many aspirations, knowing how many of them would never come to fruition due to her life being tragically cut so short. There was a sense of innocence and yearning throughout the book, a hope that good would overcome evil and that the world would become a better place even while seeing it grow darker by the day. Seeing Anne’s perspective changing as the book progressed was so relevant and relatable.

Alice Hoffman’s writing brought out the delicious wit that Anne was known for, as well as the depth of her imagination. It’s clear that reading Anne’s diary held a special place in Hoffman’s life, and that she also did the requisite research to be able to fill in the unknowns in a way that was both plausible and respectful of Anne’s memory. With antisemitism being on the rise (again), it’s so important to read books like this and to remember people like Anne Frank.

Thank you so much to Scholastic and Netgalley for the advanced e-book!

The writing in this book was beautiful. It was an insightful take on Anne's life before she and her family went into hiding. Books about this time in history are so important for people of all ages to read.

I loved this story. We do not hear much of Anne Frank before the diary so I had to read this. It was so good. Alice Hoffman is such a great storyteller and she was the best person to write this.

We all know of Anne Frank’s story from her diary. Maybe we’ve even seen the play based on the diary (that was my first exposure to her story). Alice Hoffman’s novel “When We Flew Away” explores the period in Anne’s life BEFORE the diary.

The story begins on the eve of the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands and takes the reader down the horrifying path of greater and greater restrictions to the lives of Jews in the Netherlands. The omniscient narrator focuses on Anne’s innerworkings, of course. The reader sees Anne grow from a child into a young woman. However, we also catch fleeting glimpses into the thoughts of those in Anne’s orbit as well. These glimpses ratchet up the tension in the story even though the reader knows what is going to happen.

This book would be great for readers interested in Anne Frank or students of the Holocaust.

Sensitive readers should be mindful that there are random acts of violence and anti-semitism throughout the story.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Scholastic Press, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think this would be a good companion to Anne Frank's diary, especially for young readers. Alice Hoffman gives a fictionalized account of a beautiful young girl who had hopes and dreams for growing up and living a life that everyone deserves.

"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥."

I remember reading Anne Frank's 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 as an 11-year-old. It opened my eyes to what kids could do before I understood what Anne endured. I read it again in my teens with more context about the Holocaust, and again as an adult before visiting the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. Each time, I was astounded by the honesty, insight and beauty of her words.

"𝘖𝘮𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘖𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥."

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗪𝗘 𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗪 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬 is a middle grade novel about Anne before the diary, written by one of my favorite authors. In her signature lyrical way, Alice Hoffman imagines what Anne's life was like in the years leading up to the Frank family heading into hiding. She shows Anne has a normal kid in a world that was gradually becoming anything but. Beautiful and haunting, it's a testament to the author and to Anne's story that despite knowing what was to come, it still left me with hope.

Anne is the personification of the damage hatred can do. Hoffman says of her diary "The book is both a warning and a blessing" and so is this one.

Thanks to Scholastic for the copy to review.

I usually adore Alice Hoffman’s work, but I’m sorry to say this one fell a little flat for me. Diary of a Young Girl was a watershed reading experience when I was young, but somehow I could not get in the right mindset for this book. I think I will have to try it again when my mind is less cluttered.

Anne made a list of all the things that had disappeared. It had begun slowly and then it wasn’t slow at all. It was one thing and then it was everything.

I think this would be the perfect companion piece for a middle-grade reader who is reading The Diary of a Young Girl. I love Alice Hoffman’s writing and this book has all of her evocative writing style and masterful storytelling. It allows the reader to imagine Anne and her family before the attic, before everything changed.

I can’t wait to purchase this book for my library and introduce students to it.

I do not think there are sufficient words to review this book. It was a thing of sad, dark beauty that held me captive.

We all know the life of Anne Frank from her diary but what of her life before her diary? Alice Hoffman undertakes a fictional creation of what Anne's life was like in the three years before she and her family went into hiding. Anne comes across as a normal girl with a stunning imagination but a girl nonetheless who deals with the joys and pitfalls of childhood. The Germans begin to creep into her life until they invade the Netherlands and impose rules on the Jewish residents. Life gets more perilous as Anne grows up until she and her family are forced into hiding. This is where the book ends: Anne entering her new home with a new diary and the hope that it will be over and she can get on with her life.

As a historian, I have always believed we must study history to prevent ourselves from making the same mistakes. What happened in WWII was beyond devastation. It cannot happen again. Children should not be killed and people should not be eradicated because of their race or religion. Alice Hoffman's take on Anne Frank was beautiful as well as tragic.

Alice Hoffman is a terrific writer and I was so happy that she came out with this middle grade novel. Historical novels for this age group are a few and far between and Hoffman did an unbelievable job making this story accessible for all ages. This is one I will recommend to all of my middle grade readers!

Anyone who has read Anne Frank's diary of a young girl will want to read this book.
The author really brought Anne to life, full of dreams and wonder and hope. a very curious spunky lively girl. I liked how the family interactions were portrayed. Anne was more outgoing while Margot was more of a rule follower.
If this book had been written before the diary, I would read this one first. The next time I reread the diary I will read this one first.
Unlike how we met Kitty when Anne did. I liked her friends.

I learned quite a bit about the Frank's and the Netherlands and even learned a about their other relatives.

While reading the book one can literally feel the tension and apprehension ramping up.
Even though we know the true ending of Anne's history this book filled in some gaps.

While there is much written about the war there seems to be less written about life right before. It.

I would suggest this book to middle grade readers but anyone who wants to know more about how her life pre hiding might have been like. Very well researched and written.

Highly recommended 4*****


Many thanks to Net Galley the author and publisher.

Definitely selling this one at the store

Who was Anne Frank in the months before she had to go into hiding? That is what this book brings to life. Anne is a vivacious and curious girl who loves reading and ice cream. Hoffman, did a lot of research to bring Anne to the page and the story is hard to put down. The book shows us how the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands rolled out and how the they slowly but surely tightened the stranglehold on the Jewish citizens, cutting off escape and working towards their mission of entire elimination of the Jewish peoples. Highly recommended.