Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

There are not enough stars for this story! And to know that it really happened is remarkable. I hadn’t heard about this until I came across this book on NetGalley.
It was such an emotional read but I would read this book over and over. It is that good. The writing and the people in the story are just amazing. Definitely a recommendation from me for readers!!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I can't begin to say how much I enjoyed this book. It was heartbreaking as it was educational. I have so much admiration and respect for Anna Essinger and what she did for all those children and for her bravery in attempting to do something so courageous. If she had been caught, I am sure she would have been put to death. She became some children's only sense of a parent. You had to suffer with the children as they went through the ordeal of losing everything they ever had -- some not knowing for year, if ever, what happened to their parents and other family members. I thought I had posted my thoughts sometime ago, but I can't find a record of it anywhere. Since I have read the book, I have recommended it several times to customers at our library and to my own friends.

This book is about more than a just school. It’s a book about Anna Essunger, known lovingly as Tante Anna. It’s a book about a country at war. It’s a book about children who experienced horrors beyond imagination and survived, even though many lost their homes and families along the way. It’s about a foundation in the form of a school, that brought hope and love and safety to children.

Cadbury does an incredible job telling this story. She gave relevant background knowledge on Anna her upbringing and her reasons for wanting to open a school in Germany. Cadbury then details Anna’s growing discomfort in Germany and her surety that she needed to leave and bring as many of her students with her as possible. Cadbury explains the type of school Bunce Court was and how the staff and students played a role in the upkeep of the school.

Throughout Anna’s narrative we learn of events happening in and around Germany through the experiences of children still living in Germany and the war torn countries controlled by Germany. We see the horrors of the Nazi’s through their experiences and all of the unimaginable suffering.

This was a just an extremely well written, heavily researched story about one woman’s courage and determination to build a safe haven. I highly recommend it.

It's amazing to learn about all the individuals who tried to save Jewish people by getting them out of Germany during WWII. Just single individuals deciding to take matters into their own hands when there were entire groups and governments ignoring or unaware of the dreadfully dire situation in Germany. without people like Tante Anna (Aunt Anna in German) so many more lives would have been lost. A beautiful, heart wrenching story that everyone needs to read and learn about.

I received this ebook for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 but rounded up because it was such a unique story that I had no idea existed.

In 1933, when Hitler came to power, schoolteacher Anna Essinger moved her school to England, careful to stay out of Nazi notice (mass emigration was prohibited), to save her school and its students from Nazi Germany. Throughout the next decade plus, she managed to continue to save more students, often orphans, from the Holocaust.

Although at times a little disorganized and unfocused, by the end of the book I found myself so invested in where certain students ended up in the epilogue, so rounding up from 3 to 4. I also learned about different events of the time that I had no previous knowledge of, such as the Kindertransports and British internment camps.

4.5/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This true story follows many European Jewish children and sometimes their families, before and during WWII. It starts before the war, in Germany, where one wise school headmistress realizes the trouble that the new Nazi party poses. This courageous woman had read Mein Kampf and she had many Jewish students. When asked to fly a swastika flag at her progressive school, she knew she had a tremendous challenge and that she had to move.

Known to all as Tante Anna, she and her staff began to secretly move students from Germany to England where they established a new school. There were many hardships to be dealt with: prejudism, illness, school inspections, language barriers, staffing issues, and students whose parents were unable to pay. All were overcome with her unending grace.

Tante Anna also became very involved with the kindertransports from many parts of Europe, opening up her school to many more students who needed the safety and security of a new loving home away from their former homes fraught with uncertainty. Even after the war, Tante Anna made room for more displaced children; those who had lived in Nazi occupied territory or who had survived concentration camps.

This story is very uplifting and heartening. It’s the story of how one person can dare to lead others in a positive manner for the good of many.

nonfiction, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, 1930s, Germany, Austria, England, education, refugees, escape, teacher, teaching, teamwork, Jewish, Jews, culture-of-fear, cultural-heritage, survivors, survival, PTSD*****

Before anyone in the Western world was aware (or cared to be) Hitler had begun his campaign to isolate and demean any group of people he didn't like. Including children in any sort of school, first in Germany then in each country his agents conquered. One such school was run by a woman affectionately known as Tante Anna who began to wisely fear how things were going in her country and for its children. With help from others, she migrated the entire population of her school to a derelict mano estate in England. She overcame a lot of problems there, including a student who contracted polio as well as meager funding. These children were the lucky ones, but they and many others have experienced unspeakable emotional trauma. After the war she was called on to help the new young survivors coming into England who had little or no English and little or no social skills.
The book is backed by solid research and even letters from those involved. Very moving.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from PublicAffairs/Hachette US via NetGalley. Thank you!
NEVER FORGET and LEARN FROM THE PAST

The School that Escaped the Nazis by Deborah Cadbury is a true story.

In 1933, Tante Anna saw the dangers of Nazi Germany. She takes the necessary steps required to save her school and the people who were in danger. It's a moving, emotional story of courage.

The School that Escaped the Nazis was an enjoyable read! Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys books on WW II, as well as historical fiction and nonfiction books.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Author Deborah Cadbury, and the Publisher for giving me a free digital copy to read and review!

In Germany in 1933, teacher Anna Essinger (known as Tante Anne by her students) foresaw that things were about to get dangerous. In an effort to save her school and students from being overtaken by the growing Nazi party, she devised a plan to secretly move her progressive school and her students to England. As war begins back in Germany and Jewish families start disappearing, Essinger works tirelessly to bring every refugee and war-orphan to the safety of her school. We follow Essinger and her students on a perilous journey that spans from 1933 until after the war ends. In spite of seemingly impossible obstacles, Essinger was able to provide a place of safety for her students and change the lives of everyone who passed through her school.

The amount of research that went into the creation of this book is remarkable. The author did personal interviews in addition to using oral histories, memoirs, diaries, and letters of Essinger’s former students and their families. The amount of time, dedication, and care put into crafting this story and doing justice to the incredible person that Anna Essinger was is evident. Her story is inspiring, and author Deborah Cadbury did a wonderful job of choosing just the right details to highlight. This is a piece of history I’d never heard before, and I was fascinated by everything about the school.

That being said, the beginning of the book was a bit slow for me. Despite being awed by the subject matter and the true stories imparted by the students, the writing didn’t quite bring the stories to life in a narrative sense. I felt several times that sections were repetitive, and it was about halfway through the book that I became fully invested in the characters.

It’s the story that carries this book more than the eloquence of the writing. It’s absolutely worth a read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in nonfiction, history, education, and World War II.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and PublicAffairs for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. I will start off by saying that this book was hard to read--not because author Deborah Cadbury didn't do a fine job of writing it--but because of the subject matter: children who survived the Holocaust. It is one thing to read about adults and their daring adventures during dangerous times, but when it is a child, it is heartbreaking to hear about the horrific conditions that these youngsters endured. At the same time, it is uplifting to read about people like Anna Essinger who ran a small, private school in Germany before World War II began. Tante Anna, as she was affectionately called by her students, was a beloved figurehead, mentor, and mother to her young charges. When Hitler came to power, she saw the writing on the wall and quietly moved her school to England taking as many children as she could with her. Life at Bunce Court, as Tante Anna christened her new school, was good. The children not only completed their lessons, but took on responsibilities such as gardening, cooking, and cleaning. They even built a small amphitheater where they could put on plays. When the atrocities began throughout Europe, Jewish parents became desperate to smuggle their children across the English Channel to safety. Tante Anna welcomed them all and advocated for them, raising money, collecting clothing, and seeing to it that their physical and psychological needs were met. By using first person accounts and written documentation from Tante Anna's pupils, Cadbury was able to recreate the incredible stories that these children lived to tell. This is an amazing book about a brave woman who defied the odds and I highly recommend it. Every child should have a Tante Anna in their lives to love and protect them. She is a shining example of one person making a huge difference during the darkest of times and she renewed my faith in humanity.

This is one of those books that I won’t soon forget. It was such a mesmerizing read I barely came up for air during the hours I poured over its passages.
Anna Essinger could see, long before most, what was happening in Germany in 1933. She moved her school and many of her students to England shortly after. She spent the next 15 years helping as many refugee children as possible. Not only does the book documents her efforts, but those on her staff and also the individual stories of many of her students.
What constantly amazed me were the stories of courage, wit, and tenacity, children as young as 6 had. I don’t think I could have survived, as an adult.
Don’t miss out on this book because it’s a gem.

This is the story of a school that ran away from the Nazis. Seriously. A progressive school in Germany saw the way the winds were blowing and moved students and teachers to England. The book is non fiction and very very detailed. I liked the stories about the hardships they all faced and how they worked together to help traumatized youth, but the book was a little boring. I think it could have been edited down a lot. I’m glad I read it because I read a lot of WWII books and yet this was a story that was completely new to me, but I sort of wish someone else had told it/written it.
I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

As Hitler rose to power, Anna Essinger made arrangements to smuggle her school from Germany to England. After convincing parents to send her children abroad, Anna established a school with little funding and resources. Determined to create a loving environment, the school avoided discipline and encouraged self determination. Interwoven is the story of the children who found a home and family at the school.

This was a well written and engaging book. It was a nice blend of historical facts and storytelling. I enjoyed the stories of the children, it really made the school come alive. Overall, well worth picking up.

Very good book that is aptly named, The School that Escaped the Nazis.

This book really gives you a different perspective from most books about WWII. The students and staff really did what they needed to do to make their world a better place.

It must have been terribly confusing to be a student and to be receiving cryptic messages from your family and then to never hear from them.

Definitely worth reading and I'm glad that NetGalley approved my request for the advance read copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author Deborah Cadbury and to the publisher PublicAffairs. Publication date is July 12, 2022.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book, my thoughts are my own.

It is always hard to review a book about a true story.
One because the touching moments in the novel are real, two because it is someone's life, real accounts and it is impossible to feel nothing but love and impossible to be left un-impressed by a life such as the one Anna Essinger or Tante Anna lived.

This book was moving, it was lovely to learn about the life of a women who fought for what is right in the mist of everything happening around her.
She's a teacher at heart, with the will to save all those who learned from her.
We learn how she opened a school in England in the middle of the war and the atrocities that were happening saving the life of hundred of children, many who were Jewish. Those children who left their parents behind during the escape she planned, the sacrifices all these people made to save their child or the children and how humanity can come together when someone is brave enough to do something.
When someone one has so much compassion as Anna did, she couldn't help but want to save them all, speak on their behalf, she was never hiding how she was against the rise of Hitler, publicly speaking about it and when she saw they would have to have the Nazi's flag in school she knew this was too big for her to change and planned to save all the children she could.
I really enjoyed this book, while not an easy read it is an important one in my opinion.
A story that will stay in my heart.
4/5 stars
Bookarina.

In 1926, Anna Essinger opened a boarding school in Ulm that was different from the usual German school. It was progressive, not rigidly authoritarian, and its students were mainly Jews. Essinger recognized as soon as the Nazis gained power in 1933 that her school and many of its students and teachers didn’t have a chance under the new regime. She came up with a daring plan. She and a dozen students and teachers made an advance party, traveling to England to make preparations. Just two weeks later, 65 others from the school split into three separate groups, pretended to be going on a school field trip, and all made it to England.

Essinger found a manor house in disrepair in Kent, rented it, and she and her teachers and students worked night and day to transform it into what they called the Bunce Court School. It was a tremendous challenge to get enough food and supplies, and just to get enough heat and light to survive. But such was the spirit of Essinger, her teachers and students, that their ambitions extended much further, adding more buildings to the grounds and even building an outdoor amphitheater, planting large vegetable gardens and raising livestock for food and profit. Essinger worked tirelessly to bring attention to the needs of refugee children, working with the Kindertransport sponsors as conditions for Jews in Germany deteriorated and more parents chose to send their children out of Germany. And within the school, she inspired everyone with her high standards, blended with kindness and understanding.

The school was challenged by its shoestring budget, the need to assimilate children traumatized by their experiences, local prejudices, the rigid attitudes of British school credentialing authorities, and the upheaval caused by the declaration of war in 1939. The Kent school was requisitioned by the military and with just a few days’ notice, the staff and students had to find a new property and move to what became the Trench Hall school in Shropshire.

Cadbury’s description of the school is inspiring, as is her portrayal of the charismatic, empathetic and determined Essinger. Cadbury also depicts the horrors that several students went through before making it to the school. Though these experiences won’t be new to those readers familiar with the Nazi era, it is especially painful to read about how the Nazi persecution affected these children.

The Bunce Court School closed in 1948, after Essinger retired from active service with the school, but its alumni visited often before the closure and got together for many years thereafter. Many of these refugee children went on to distinguished careers in all sorts of fields. One of its last students, who survived harrowing wartime conditions in Poland, became a tenured professor with a special study subject of altruism.

The mixture of accounts of the children’s persecution by the Nazis with the story of the school makes for a sometimes clunky narrative. Especially in the second half of the book, it feels like Essinger and the school take a back seat. I was left wishing for more detail about her and the school. Still, this is a well-researched and illuminating history of a lesser-known aspect of the Nazi era.

I stayed up half the night since this book compelled me to finish it, and it WAS worth my bleary eyes this morning. What one woman dreamed of affected hundreds of others in one of the worst time's in this world's history, prior to and after WWII. She had a dream and moved heaven and earth---literally--to start a school in England in the 30's, filling it with Jewish students from the school she had operated in Germany, and seeing the horrors emerging in her country after Hitler came to power and started his insane vision of persecuting Jews and any others who didn't conform to his vision of Germany. This teacher, who started a school in a foreign country with very little money or resources, but infinite wisdom, empathy, and sheer guts, saved the children she brought with her, escaping from Germany with them at great personal risk, and built a place that would not only shelter them, but teach, inspire, and offer them hope that the whole world was not like Germany in the 30's and 40's. This teacher was short-sighted to the point of blindness after the war, worked her wonders, and though she never married and had children of her own, the boys and girls in her school WERE hers.

What she accomplished was not accomplished completely on her own, as she had a "family" of dedicated teachers and staff who shared her dream, but she was the glue that held them together, and altogether, an inspiring woman who proved that one person CAN make a difference.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley, but the opinions expressed are my own.

The School that Escaped the Nazis is the truly remarkable story of Anna Essinger, the founder and headmistress of a unique boarding school in southern Germany. When she read Mein Kampf during Hitler's rise to power and the rise of Naziism, she immediately knew that his world view was dangerous and hateful and that many of her pupils would be in grave danger. She decided to move her school and her pupils out of harm's way and establish a safe haven from the erupting violence and hate and finds a a location in Kent, England, As the years up to World War 2 pass, more and more children come from all over Europe to find a safe haven with Anna - many of them Jewish. The tale of this remarkable woman is told from first person accounts of the experiences of children that escaped to her unique school and the experiences and reflections they shared in the wake of such a traumatic time.

It took me a lot longer than usual to read this book. The content was so heavy and emotional that I couldn't read it for long periods of time, But it really was a wonderful story that I feel that many more people need to know. Anna's story is one of hard work, ingenuity, and most importantly, of hope. I knew little of the Kindertransports before reading this book and nothing of the woman who nearly single-handedly organized them. Miss Anna really is a one-of-a-kind human and the world was really a much better place with her in it and humanity suffered a huge loss with her passing. Mankind needs more people like Anna. Learning of her extraordinary life through the stories of her pupils and the people she helped save was another high point in reading this book. Learning of their individual stories just enriched the reading experience. Even though there was much loss and heartache and pain, the perseverance and love and kindness leave the heart aching, but full.

Thank you to NetGalley and Public Affairs Publishing for providing me with a digital copy for review. The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the author or publisher.

Deborah Cadbury's, The School that Escaped the Nazis is a powerful work which does not unfold the way you think it would. Within the first couple of chapters, Anna Essinger, the head of the school, has already escaped with numerous pupils before the Nazis enact most of their terrible plans. I was actually thrown off because I expected the exodus from Nazi Germany to be a much larger portion of the book. It turns out, it was just the first of many daring feats of administrative genius by Anna Essinger.

The rest of the book follows the life of the school, some of its pupils, and some children still trapped on the European continent. Admittedly, the chapters which focus on the children who stay on the continent can seem almost like a diversion from the main story of the school. However, as I kept reading, I began to realize how it all came together and how vital every story was to understand the full scope of Anna Essinger's school. I won't write too much to avoid spoiling anything, but rest assured it is all connected.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book even though any work tackling the Holocaust will inevitably make you feel more than just sad.

(This book was provided to my by Netgalley and PublicAffairs. The full review will be posted on HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 5/10/2022.)