LoveReading4Kids Says
Written in spare beautiful prose, this extraordinary story will haunt readers. It begins in Krakow in 1939. Seven-year-old Anna is left to fend for herself when her father fails to collect her at the end of the day. Though Anna is fluent in many languages, she has no way to understand the new world in which she lives. By chance she falls in with a stranger, seemingly as alone as she is. He allows her to call him the Swallow Man – ‘names are ways for people to find us’ – and teaches her how to survive in this new landscape. Their unusual friendship grows and, though the Swallow Man can’t protect Anna from the realities of war, their relationship remains truthful, full of compassion and trust. A powerful and deeply moving story, highly recommended for mature, resilient readers. ~ Andrea Reece
LoveReading4Kids
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Anna and the Swallow Man Synopsis
Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning, literary, and wholly original debut novel that tells a new WW2 story. Krakow, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she's alone.
Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna's missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous ...
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780141376646 |
Publication date: |
2nd February 2017 |
Author: |
Gavriel Savit |
Publisher: |
Penguin Books Ltd |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
256 pages |
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Gavriel Savit Press Reviews
The breakout WWII drama ... is causing quite the stir amongst both adults and the pre-teens it's aimed at Stylist - 'Your Essential 2016 Reading List
A beautifully haunting and thought -provoking story of friendship that lingers long after the last page Ruta Sepetys
A bold first novel that promises more from the undoubtedly talented Savit Guardian
A beautifully written debut Sunday Express
An astonishingly accomplished debut about war, survival and humanity ... this is very much in the territory of The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas with all the potential that such a comparison suggests -- Fiona Noble The Bookseller - One to Watch
A chilling, stylishly written and utterly memorable story Guardian, Best New Children's Books 2016
A small wonder, and for once a book worthy of the hype Alex O'Connell, The Times
Tense, moving, original and skilled, this phenomenal debut will seize sophisticated readers Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times - Children's Book of the Week
It sometimes seems there can be no stories left to tell about the anguish of Nazi-occupied countries in 1939-45 but the debut novel by Gavriel Savit makes the territory new Observer
This wonderfully original concept, enigmatic in style yet grounded in brutal reality, is written with deceptive power and grace Daily Mail
A stark and beautifully written tale that will leave you feeling unsettled yet enthralled Woman Magazine
Savit's young adult novel reveals the power and danger of language, the necessity for deceit when humanity is under siege and ... the hope that we will all find a guardian when we most need it Sainsbury's Magazine
Savit brilliantly dramatizes the adventures of survival ... this book has an enticing sense of fable Daily Telegraph
Savit's story is aimed at anyone who will listen. A 10-year-old may identify with Anna. A teenage reader will absorb the deftness and sophistication of the telling. An adult will find his or her expectations challenged New York Times