Greater Than Angels

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Deported from Germany to Vichy France during WWII, Anna is sent to Le Chambon, a refuge for Jews. PW called it "an inspiring and memorable lesson in courage." Ages 9-12. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Matas (Daniel's Story) again returns to the Holocaust as the setting for this sturdy if earthbound work. Her topic this time is the tiny French village of Le Chambon, famous for offering help to all of the approximately 2500 Jews who sought refuge there during WWII. Matas's heroine, young Anna Hirsch, remains plucky when she, her mother, aunt and elderly grandmother are deported from their home in Germany in 1940 and sent to France (she tells jokes on the train). They are sent to the detention camp at Gurs; Anna, unbowed by the wretched conditions, helps arrange concerts, learns some French and has theological debates with her friends. The story picks up when Anna is sent to Le Chambon and the emphasis shifts from Anna's indomitable spirit to well-researched descriptions of the villagers' resistance, under the leadership of the pastors Andr Trocm and Eduoard Theis. Anna, too, becomes involved with the resistance, helping deliver false identification papers. Suspense grows as Anna and a younger girl hide in the woods after news of an impending raid reaches Le Chambon, and the danger culminates in an attempt to lead the younger girl and a boy into Switzerland. Although Matas neglects to explain what happened to Trocm and Theis after her story ends (Milton Meltzer's book Rescue will prove a useful companion), she offers an inspiring and memorable lesson in courage. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

Children's Literature - Judy Silverman

In the face of utter disaster, when the Nazis are rounding up Jews all over Europe and no one seems to care, the people of a small French village quietly save Jewish children. Huguenots themselves, they are very aware of the abuses that power can bring to otherwise civilized people. Told from the point of view of teenaged Anna Hirsch, it doesn't spare the reader much, so it's not for anyone under 10. Beautifully written, it gets into Anna's heart. Highly recommended.

VOYA - Patricia J. Morrow

Anna Hirsch is deported from Mannheim along with her grandmother, mother, and aunt to Gurs, a refugee camp under Vichy control in southern France, where they struggle to survive. Tragedy strikes as the grandmother sinks into unreality and dies. Given a chance to live in the village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, Anna and her friends Klara, Rudi (Klara's brother), and Peter relocate and continue school. As Anna tells her story, her sense of humor--a litany of Jewish jokes--and dramatic flair lighten many situations. Rudi surprises Anna with his involvement in the underground and she begins to help him deliver forged identity documents for escapees. Anna gets passes to visit her family at Gurs only to see them boarded on cattle cars bound east. As German control spreads, Rudi convinces Anna to take Klara to safety and the girls leave, along with Peter, on a harrowing mountain journey. They cross the Swiss border only to be sent back to French authorities and the camp at Rivesaltes. When Germany takes final control, students and political prisoners are set free and the trio returns to Chambon. Germans begin to round up the Jews, and Klara, Peter, and Anna again attempt to get to Switzerland, this time successfully. At the end, we feel that Anna will return to join Rudi and the resistance. Matas has again brought us a finely crafted novel about young people's experiences that broadens readers' understanding of the Holocaust throughout Europe and recognizes the strengths of young people and their ability to survive with their humanity intact. Survivors of Chambon have continued their relationship with those who helped them, as noted in the afterword. A nice addition to the book is a map of the French region during the war. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8Set in Vichy, France, this novel covers a section of Europe often overlooked in Holocaust literature. Anna, 13, along with her mother, her aunt, and grandmother, are deported from Germany to Gurs, a refugee camp on the French-Spanish border. The details of the journey and the terrible conditions there are vividly and realistically described. Anna's grandmother dies and the girl's mother and aunt are eventually removed to a concentration camp and never heard from again. Relief workers arrange for Anna and some of the other young people to be sent to the village of Le Chambon where French citizens take them in and allow them to live with some semblance of normalcy. Anna is a strong young woman with a flair for acting and singing and a penchant for telling corny jokes. She and her friends spend long hours discussing the "why" of what is happening to the Jews of Europe, trying to understand a universe in which such evil could exist. A budding romance between Anna and Rudi, a childhood friend, gives a little extra zest to the plot. The French gendarmes who are collaborating with the Nazis provide a sharp contrast to the actions of the local people, who literally risk their lives to help the Jewish children. A map clearly shows the areas where the story takes place. In an afterword, Matas tells of interviews she had with survivors who spent the war years in Le Chambon. This well-researched historical novel will make a good addition to middle-school collections.Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC