Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping Holocaust-refugee thriller has history and a ghost.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As THE NIGHT WAR opens, 12-year-old Miriam Schreiber and her parents are among many Jewish families who fled Germany when the Nazis took power and settled in a Paris neighborhood. Now it's 1942, the Nazis have taken Paris, Jews are openly mistreated -- and when the long-feared roundup comes, a neighbor thrusts her baby into Miri's arms and tells her to run. Which she does -- and narrowly escapes when a clever nun, a total stranger, convinces the suspicious policeman that she's an errant, but Catholic, orphan. Soon Miri and baby Nora are in the back of a truck bound for the country, where Miri becomes one of several girls in an orphanage run by nuns -- some of whom are risking their lives to get Jewish refugees to safety and, in a desperate moment, enlist Miri to help. Miri, meanwhile, is trying to find baby Nora -- and keep her Christian foster parents from baptizing her.
Is It Any Good?
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley packs a lot of peril, courage, history and nuance into her tale of a Jewish tween fleeing Nazis, landing in an orphanage run by nuns, and smuggling refugees to safety. Also, there's a ghost. The Night War combines a thrilling plot with a lot of ethical issues, daily-life details from Nazi-occupied France, and the idea that atrocities come down to money and power. Sometimes it seems to be trying to do too much, but it's an exciting, thought-provoking read that celebrates doing the right thing, especially when all your choices are bad. And, accepting that maybe you're wrong sometimes.
"Sister Anchovy put her fork down and cleared her throat. 'Jacqueline,' she said, 'the grace of God is unfathomable. If God has made promises to other people -- let us say for example the Jewish people, who believed in God long before the birth of Christ -- those promises will be upheld just as firmly as the promises made to the followers of Christ.'
"Jacqueline's eyes widened. 'That's not true. My mother says only Catholics can go to heaven.''
"'Your mother,' Sister Anchovy said, 'will not be the one who decides.'"
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Holocaust stories -- especially those about people who put themselves at risk to protect others and get them to safety, rather than just look the other way. How does The Night War compare to other stories about this time you've read?
A character suggests that a lot of racist and religious bigotry isn't actually about race and religion at all, it's about money and power, and who has them. What do you think?
The Chateau de Chenonceau, where much of the action takes place, is a real castle with a real history. Do you think you'd like to visit it, now that you've read this story?
Miri shows a lot of courage throughout this story. Where do you think she gets her courage? How can you be brave when you need to be?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , History
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : April 9, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 288
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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