Kristin Beck has written a powerful story of courage in the face of evil. Members of the Swiss Red Cross fought hard to beat the dangerous obstacles in aiding the older Jewish children to flee France during the war. Some will survive and some will not but it shows there resilience during these treacherous years. Based on real people makes this historical fiction come alive! #TheWinterOrphans #KrisitinBeck #NetGalley

I was lucky enough to win a digital ARC of THE WINTER ORPHANS by Kristin Beck from a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Have a safe and happy summer, and thanks for the early look!

What an interesting book! It's refreshing to enjoy a story and learn some history along the way. The children suffered so much during WWII and this is most likely an accurate description of their everyday life. They had to hide in the woods and march many miles across mountains in the winter to find safety. Some didn't make it and others will be affected by these hardships for the rest of their lives.

Wow, this was an incredible read! I am so thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

I have never read from Kristin Beck before, and she will likely now be an auto-buy author. This read like a book from a highly seasoned historical fiction author and I was immediately attached to the characters. Ella particularly was so easy to root for, but I loved the diversity of the main perspectives in terms of age!

I also happened to read this in Switzerland and France, which was perfect as those are the two main settings of the book.

Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about this book - it may make you cry, and it will be worth it.

The characters are well formed with emotions that bare your soul. Every step they take towards freedom is taught with a life or death struggle that is felt in your bones. Because of the descriptive writing you feel present throughout the entire story.

The Winter Orphans shares the experiences of Jewish children in France during World War II and the stories of the brave people who did all they could to save these children. Although this is a novel, it is based on true stories and true people.

I was given a copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I have read many books about World War II. This book was a look at a part of the war that I had not heard of before. It was very interesting to hear about the Swiss Red Cross workers and every effort they made to save innocent children in the face of evil. I was rooting for the characters to make it safely to the Swiss border.. I couldn't stop reading it. I liked the characters and the fact that it was base on real people. This book is a wonderful story of hope in the time of despair.

Based on the real life actions of Rosli Nef during the Nazi occupation of France, the reader is engaged from the beginning in Nef's never-ending quest to rescue as many children as possible from Nazi threat. Her goal---get them to the safety of Switzerland, Spain or Portugal. This monumental task is inhibited by lack of food and the constant threat of discovery by the Nazis or the French policy who do their bidding.

Readers will come to realize what a complicated and dangerous network of resistors are essential to the success of removing small numbers of children at a time. Again, writer Kristen Beck uses many real-life characters such as Germain Hommel and Maurice Dubois who worked throughout the war to rescue such young victims of Nazi cruelty.

In the midst of this most inhumane drama are many uplifting moments such as the descriptions of nature and terrain along with the overwhelming love that drives the desperate to live another day,

Spend time with these characters---real and imagined. They will ultimately bring you joy as they live on.