Maurice and His Dictionary

A True Story

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Pub Date Oct 15 2020 | Archive Date Nov 26 2020

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Description

This is the story of one refugee family’s harrowing journey, based on author Cary Fagan’s own family history. The graphic novel follows a young Jewish boy, Maurice, and his family as they flee their home in Belgium during the Second World War. They travel by train to Paris, through Spain to Portugal, and finally across the ocean to Jamaica, where they settle in an internment camp.

All the while, Maurice is intent on continuing his education and growing up to be a lawyer. He overcomes obstacles to find a professor to study with, works toward a high school diploma while in the camp, and is ultimately accepted to university in Canada. His English dictionary becomes a beloved tool and beacon of hope through the danger and turmoil of the family’s migration.

Moments of lightness and humor balance the darkness in this powerful story of one refugee family’s courage and resilience, and of the dictionary that came to represent their freedom.

This is the story of one refugee family’s harrowing journey, based on author Cary Fagan’s own family history. The graphic novel follows a young Jewish boy, Maurice, and his family as they flee their...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781771473231
PRICE $18.95 (USD)
PAGES 56

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)

Average rating from 82 members


Featured Reviews

Well researched, and written story of the author's father's escape from Belgium, during World War II. Maurice's family were Jews, and they had to make their way across the continent where they finally fled to Jamaica.

Through it all Maurice wanted to be a lawyer, because only as a lawyer, could all be equal. Sounds as though it was impossible feat, considering he was in a refugee camp, but still he manages to do so, and ends up emigrating to Canada to complete his studies.

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Lovely pictures, the story flows well, and bonus, we get to see pictures of the real Maurice, as well as his English dictionary that he used to learn English.

Highly recommend this book, told so simply, yet powerfully, about the determination and luck of this young man, to achieve his dream in the face of all the world threw at him.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

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This graphic novel is the perfect addition to any reader's collection of World War Two literature. It follows Maurice, a young student who had to flee with his family during World War Two and the Nazi occupation and his journey coming into young adulthood in such an uncertain time. What I liked most about this graphic novel was the uncommon journey that Maurice and his family embarked on. When people think of the Holocaust and World War Two, they think of Jewish families either fleeing or perishing in the concentration camps. But this elaborated on an often overlooked aspect of Jewish life and survival in these times, voyages across the sea to Jamaica after fleeing Nazi occupation in other countries. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject or those who want to know more.

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This is a powerful story based on a true story. This is about a young boy and his quest to become an attorney and continuing his education despite escaping Europe as a refugee and traveling through several countries. The illustration is also great and I quite enjoyed this graphic novel. Thank you to NetGalley for making this available for review. It's well done!

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* I recieved an early e arch from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Maurice and his dictionary is a graphic novel based on a true story set during WWII. Maurice our main character has to flee from Belgium with his family and ends up in Jamica at an internment camp. Maurice goes through challenges of wanting to still learn and become a lawyer. He eventually gets his high school diploma and gets accepted to a college in Canada. This graphic novel has many lessons teaching you that you can do anything you desire as long as you are dedicated. Maurice is a very determined character that everyone will fall in love with. This is a powerful story and will teach many lessons!

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This is a wonderful story for children who like to relate to personal stories in history. The plight of Maurice's family is a familiar tale for those studying World War II - Jewish family fleeing their home in Europe - but the exodus and internment camps in island nations are not well known. Maurice is a character to look up to - he knew what he wanted and went to get it!

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Maurice and His Dictionary is a short, beautifully done graphic novel about the journey the author's father took out of Nazi-occupied Europe as a Jewish child with his family. The story is incredibly moving, stressing Maurice's love for learning and his love for his family as they try to stay safe in tumultuous times. Children today will be able to learn about some of the impact of the Holocaust while also reading a story that they will be able to connect to the modern struggles of refugees. The art is lovely and toned down in a way that feels respectful to the story, accessible to children, and easy on the eyes of anyone who enjoys comics.

This is a comic book I would happily recommend to all ages.

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Maurice and His Dictionary tell the story of Maurice, a young Jewish boy living with his family in Belgium with World War 2 begins. Luckily, him and his family flee,, moving from country to country to maintain their safety. They end up in Jamaica in a refugee camp where Maurice makes a real attempt to pursue his education and eventual dream of becoming a lawyer.
What an amazing story and book. The illustrations were beautiful. The true story is truly incredible, it was presented in an easy to read and understand fashion, with the right amount of history thrown in. The story is extremely interesting and highlights many important concepts, such as perseverance, the importance of family, education and using whatever resources are offered to you. Maurice's story shows how important it it to never give up on your dreams, no matter what difficulties are thrown your way. I would absolutely use this in a classroom, it is a great story to introduce World War 2 or to show where some individuals ended up. It can also be used in multiple other ways as the story shows very important character traits that are often highlighted in schools. Will absolutely read again and recommend!

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This was a great book to read to my children. My boys are 7 and 9 and they were able to appreciate the message in this book. In this graphic novel Maurice, and his family as they flee their home in Belgium during the Second World War.. My children know that this war was a bad one. This based on a true story shows what actual people went through. This book is well researched and I felt that my boys were able to get a history lesson in it as well.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, all thoughts are my own.

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SO GOOD! My kids loved it, I liked it, and it's one I will be looking to put in our local library history section. I think it is an excellent book.

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Interesting story about the author's father, Maurice, and his family's escape during World War II. Maurice's dream was to become a lawyer. Through hard work and determination he found a way to continue his education in a refugee camp in Jamaica. Maurice's father bought him a dictionary and the dictionary helped Maurice with the English language. The dictionary didn't play a big role in the story itself, but the significance of the dictionary becomes clear in the Author's notes where a picture of the dictionary is shown. This is the first time I have read a World War II nonfiction picture book that mentions Jamaica as an escape destination. I really enjoyed this book and I now have an interest in other World War II refugees that fled to Jamaica.

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