A complex, gruelling trip through the midnight of the last century
Financial Times - Summer Reading 2016
Savit spins a dark and heart-breaking tale of history and fable seen through the eyes of a child. A thought-provoking read, great for book clubs
South Wales Evening Post, Children's Book of the Week
This is cleverly done and beautifully written tale of loss, hope, survival and trust
Kate Ormand
A harsh tale of innocence lost, yet touched with magic
Herald
Such an important, painful, beautiful, hopeful read
Bloggers Heart Books
A beautiful and stunning read . . . It creeps slowly into your heart just like Morris Gleitzman'sOnce, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas did
Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books
One of those all ages and no age stories . . . told by a genuine wordsmith . . . And it's a story of generosity in the worst of times. Of friendship and loyalty and yes, of love despite all the horror. We won't forget how it felt to read it. Ever
Jill Murphy, The Bookbag
Like the characters in his debut novel, author Gavriel Savit has harnessed the power of language. He's a talented wordsmith, wielding words and sentences with a precision that allows them to wriggle deep into this reader's heart, leaving me both enchanted and brokenhearted
Sara Grochowski, Publishers Weekly
Exquisite debut novel
Wall Street Journal
Exquisite
Irish Independent
[a] complex graceful book
Financial Times
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
Savit captures the moods, fears and delightful conversation of this odd couple on their implausible odyssey. It's a touching tale, both sad and sweet
Mail on Sunday, EVENT magazine - Best New Fiction
The book that brings magic to the 20th century's darkest hour
Mashable
There's much for adults to love about Gavriel Savit's beautiful tale
Sun, Fabulous Magazine
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
Savit brilliantly dramatizes the adventures of survival . . . this book has an enticing sense of fable
Daily Telegraph
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
A stark and beautifully written tale that will leave you feeling unsettled yet enthralled
Woman Magazine
This wonderfully original concept, enigmatic in style yet grounded in brutal reality, is written with deceptive power and grace
Daily Mail
A beautifully written debut
Sunday Express
A bold first novel that promises more from the undoubtedly talented Savit
Guardian
A beautifully haunting and thought-provoking story of friendship that lingers long after the last page
Ruta Sepetys
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
Tense, moving, original and skilled, this phenomenal debut will seize sophisticated readers
Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times - Children's Book of the Week
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 small wonder, and for once a book worthy of the hype
Alex O'Connell, The Times
A chilling, stylishly written and utterly memorable story
Guardian, Best New Children's Books 2016