Streetlights in the Dark is a graphic novel geared toward younger readers (I'd say about third grade, due to the simple writing). Two children are at home with their parents, when suddenly, there is a knock at the door and their parents prepare them to flee. As they head out into the darkness of the night around them, they are confronted by police and their parents are taken away, leaving them cowering behind a bin. They need to make their way to safety, following signs on the wall that the father has trained the older child to read. The little brother makes a series of mistakes which up the suspense in the novel - including getting their uncle killed by the gestapo.

I liked the way that the book is aimed at making children aware of historical events, but found the writing too rushed and wanting to get to a happy ending too quickly. One minute they are at home, the next they are alone, after that their uncle saves them, now he's gone, then they get to the safe place and YAY! The parents weren't taken to a concentration camp! They magically appear at the end safe and sound.

Although the plot moves quickly, I just think this could be confusing because it lacks details. Why were the parents detained? How did they escape? Who were the people that saved the kids? Why didn't the parents go to look for the kids? I think adding a few more details would make this book more interesting and help it maintain the authenticity of the events that transpired during that era. I rounded up, but would give this book a 3.5.

Lili lives with her brother, Lucas, and their parents, in an apartment in Paris. Lili watches out of the window and sees Nazi soldiers rounding up families on the street below. One day, a note is pushed under their door, telling them that it is time for Lili and her family to go into hiding.

I have read a lot of fiction set during this time period and so I have a lot to compare this with and I would say that there is much better out there. This is supposed to be a hi-lo text, meaning it is more accessible for the reluctant or struggling reader, but unlike many "early reader" texts, it has content appropriate for an older child. I found that the text was largely accessible, however the story didn’t strike me as being especially "hi" and not a lot really happens. It just all felt very bland and I suspect it would leave the reader wanting more. I also found some inconsistencies (Lili says the children have no uncle but Lucas then recalls stories about him) and events that had no explanation and just seemed very unlikely, given the circumstances of the time.

Thank you so much to Jolly Fish Press / North Star Editions and NetGalley for the ebook to read and review.

Lucas and Lili live happily in Paris with their parents, but as the war starts approaching faster everything changes. While escaping they lose their parents and are left alone to figure out how to get to the shelter. The whole journey they must stay in shadow and not get caught by soldiers, that line each street.

What a very unique World War II story, it was simple but very effective, you could feel the fear and panic from the children, from the situation. I liked that you get so much build up of what could be happening when you don’t know for sure until you keep reading.

Lili was very smart and managed to hold it all together so that she could get them both safely to the shelter. It was sweet how she was able to help guide her brother and that he listened only to her. It was so scary though imagining these two young children out on their own during such a scary time.

This is a really good historical read, it written in a style perfectly suited to those just starting with chapter books. It’s very easy to read, but packs in plenty of story, of suspense and a constant fear of what might happen next.

I cared about what was happening in this book, it was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of the storyline. The characters were everything that I was wanting and thought had that realism that I was looking for. I enjoyed the illustrations and how they were used in this. Alex Hall wrote this so well and was glad I was able to go on the journey.