Member Reviews

I would like to express my gratitude for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book, generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

"Irena: Book 2" by Jean-David Morvan and Séverine Tréfouël is a powerful continuation of the true and inspiring story of Irena Sendler, a courageous woman who saved the lives of thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust. Morvan and Tréfouël skillfully continue to weave together historical accuracy and compelling storytelling, bringing to life the heroic efforts of Irena and her collaborators.

The graphic novel's art is both evocative and poignant, capturing the gravity of the historical events while paying tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. The illustrations enhance the emotional impact of the narrative, creating a visual experience that complements the weighty subject matter.

"Irena: Book 2" stands as a testament to the importance of remembering and honouring those who risked everything to defy injustice. This graphic novel not only educates readers about a lesser-known hero of World War II but also serves as a poignant reminder of the strength found in compassion and resistance.

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This book picks up where Book one ended. Irena had been arrested but was saved from Execution and is now on a mission to reunite the families of the children she saved. These books are a good introduction to this heroic woman for younger readers. The story is simply told and the artwork is cartoonish rather than realistic. Children will reading this book and learning about a remarkable woman.

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'Irena: Book Two: Children of the Ghetto' by Jean-David Morvan with art by Severine Trefouel is the continuation of the story of real life hero Irena Sendlerowa, who rescued children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.

Book one ended with Irena being arrested and this book follows what happened next. Told with a framing story of one of the saved children telling her daughter about her life after being saved from Hitler. Meanwhile Irena faces torture in the camps and is eventually sentenced to death. She is saved by people in her organization and went on to try to reunite the children she saved with their parents.

The events of Irena's life are a bit murky, so the author admits to some creative license to fill in the gaps. I was more of a fan of the first half of this story, but I appreciate getting the whole story, and i like the historical notes that followed. The art is the same as the first book. It is a bit cartoonish, but I think that keeps the horrors of war from overwhelming the reader.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Magnetic Press, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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4.5 rounded up
I had not read the first book but I was able to follow this one. I did order the first one now because I enjoyed this one so much. Wonderful inspirational story of a woman who saved over 2500 kids. and In this part we hear about one of these kids stories. Being saved and then saved again.
Great artwork also
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Irena Book 2 is the continuing heroic work of the real life Irena Sendlerowa, this time taking place in the later half of WWII. Told in amazing graphic novel form, book 2 brought me to tears more than once. There are still so many stories to tell from WWII and the Holocaust that this novel not only tells Irena's life story, it also brings together those children she helped save and her attempts at reuniting them with their families. I found the pacing of the story and artwork both engaging and approachable. I was so drawn into Irena's life that I look forward to the final installments.

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I cant read it as it got achieved before I can even download it
Please look in this issue and send me a pdf version if possible

Look into this issue please

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Irena, book two is about Irena Sendlerow who saved 2,500 Jewish children from being killed during the war in the 1940s. Irena Sendlerow was a true, selfless hero who not only helped these children to escape capture by smuggling them in small numbers out of Germany, but who also helped these children to be reunited with their families or helped them be found new homes with people to care for them. She was captured and badly beaten and tortured but never gave up any information and was eventually helped to escape capture.

This book is told in comic book style as a graphic novel but even though it is told in this way it doesn't depict from the heartache, anguish, anger, sorrow and shocking horrors that occurred in this time period and to Irena and others around her.

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This book is about Irena who saved about 2500 Jewish children during Hitler's regime. The illustrations in the book are well-done. Since I did not read book1 I felt there were gaps in the narration. The story moves back and forth, from the present to the past and sometimes I felt that the connection was missing. The illustrations were heartfelt and revealed the seriousness of the situation by toning down the gory details. Also, the hard copy of the book would have done more justice to the story of Irena. I look forward to purchasing all the books and learn more about this remarkable woman.

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This is excellent. A really harrowing and heart breaking story told through pictures that manage to numb how horrific her story is. What a wonderful human being she is. A must read.

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I first heard of Irena Sendler about 10 years ago while reading an article about her with my middle school students. I was immediately drawn to this incredible woman who helped save the lives of thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust. I enjoyed this book even without having read Book 1.. This graphic novel takes the reader back and forth from the near-present to the 1940s when Irena was rescuing children from the Warsaw Ghetto. The illustrations and text work together to teach children about a real-life hero named Irena. There is a third volume of the story yet to come.

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The second installment of Jean-David Morvan and Séverine Tréfouël's <em>Irena: Children of the Ghetto</em>, a biographical graphic novel about Irena Sendlerowa, a woman who saved thousands of young Jewish lives by smuggling them away to safety is a hard read just as the first was. In a way, book two is almost more difficult to read at times due to how graphic the atrocities become. Stakes are higher in this novel as you wait for Irena to escape the prison she was tortured in by the climax of book one. But it would be hard to provide an accurate portrayal of this remarkable woman's life without also highlighting the many unjust hardships she faced as a result of her selfless acts of heroism.

<b> Right where we left off.</b>

Book two begins from the perspective of a woman recalling what her life was like when she realized she was one of the smuggled children. Having grown up in what basically equated to a foster family, one day this young girl meets a stranger and learns that her parents aren't really her parents and she has to be smuggled out of Poland in order to survive. She tells this story to her daughter, recounting the journey and how she ended up meeting the man who would be her husband along the way. And then the story comes full circle back to relate to the woman who made it all possible.

I really loved this aspect of storytelling, especially appreciating how everything would transition from present to past, and then back again over and over. It was honestly a great way to juxtapose the horror and despair of what people had to go through and a lighter, happy celebration of the woman who made survival possible for so many.

<b>A comment:</b>

I don't know how to feel about a brief moment in which Israel and Palestine are referred to as "our land." There's a lot of history there that I will readily admit I need to do more reading on, but the fact of the matter is that the conflict currently existing in that area directly as a result of this migration is one that has unreasonably villainized the Palestinians. This is not an area where I really feel I have the words to delve into why this was an issue for me, but I will admit that I did feel extremely uncomfortable with the way it was presented.

<b>Impact</b>

I think I'll always really appreciate these books as a whole. While they are definitely difficult reads, the series is one of the best introductions to a history I was aware of but did not know on a personal level. There's a certain connection that you can build with the story and the characters, especially knowing that the events truly happened.

Admittedly, I feel as though the odd moments in which ghosts appear kind of take away from the story as a whole. But, then I'll grant that this book is kind of meant as an introduction for younger readers. In that sense, I can make some concessions in my feelings on the matter.

All in all, this series is one that I deeply appreciate and I will keep a lookout for the third book when it comes.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

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My rating: 4.5*
I adored the first part of this trilogy and second one didn't disappoint. It sends a wonderful message and I'm happy to read about such an amazing women that I sadly didn't know even existed before I saw her story in Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
I found this part a bit lighter than the first one, even though it tackled horrifying themes such as torture and execution in prison but at the same time some parts like Warsaw ZOO felt like I was reading a children book.
My only complaint is that sometimes it was hard to know what part of Irena's life we were reading about cause it jumped from theme to theme and from period to period. Other than that, I loved it completely and read it in one sitting. Will definitely be reading the third part when it comes out.

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Another great installment about the life of Irena Sendlerowa, who rescued 2,500 children during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Her story is very inspirational and extraordinary and I love that there is a focus on the other brave men and women who helped her accomplish this incredible and dangerous task. Very inspirational but also very tragic and emotional. This book strikes the right balance of desperation and hope in times of crisis.

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graphic-novel, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, nazis, social-history, social-issues

Israel’s Yad Vashem honored her as “Righteous Among the Nations,” that is Irena Sendlerowa Sendler, a social worker in Poland during the Nazi regime. After being imprisoned and tortured herself, she spent the remaining years of the war rescuing Jewish children by giving them to Christians to disguise as their own. This is a fictionalized story of the danger and horrors of that time and place and one person who was driven to change the future. After the war she devoted her energies to helping those children find their lost parent where possible. She died in 2008 at the age of 98.
This beautifully illustrated graphic novel drives home the reality of it all and reinforces Never Again.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Magnetic Press via NetGalley. Thank you, but I will be buying a print copy soon.
Translated by Dan Christensen

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I got this comic as an ARC from Netgalley, it is very good and I look forward to reading comic one and then comic three when it comes out since they are all tied together.
As a teacher for mostly 4-8 I think they would be an amazing addition to class books to teach the subject of the Holocaust and expand upon it, to teach children that anyone could be an upstander.

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Another great part of Irena Sendler's phenomenal story. I adore her and the contributions she made to protecting so many people from evil. I can only hope that I would be driven to do the same in similar situations
Circumstances. We never know when our time to provide salvation and care will arise, nor how we would handle a situation like that.

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History, story, and imagery combine in this powerful and well-composed graphic novel. I would gladly recommend this book to other readers of this medium. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy, from which I offer this unbiased review.

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