The Girl Who Sang is a Holocaust Memoir told through a graphic novel. This book tells the story of Estelle, a 7-year-old girl born to a Jewish family and her older brother. This book shows Estelle go through the holocaust and experience the deaths of so many people. This book shows how that affected her as a person and how she lived life after surviving.
This would be a great book for students to read to learn about the holocaust from a child's perspective in a visual way that also showcases how experiences we have as children can impact even our adult lives. This is a great read for anyone looking to hear another perspective on one of the saddest events in human history.
This book obviously has so much care put into it, from the illustrations to the way Estelle's story is recorded and shared. This is a great example of a nonfiction read as well as a graphic novel.

I loved this, I cried so many times. It’s absolutely tragic, the way Enid had to go from place to place, never truly being with her brothers the way she should. I loved the art, and the timelines and diagrams of people.

In The Girl Who Sang, Estelles' life in Poland before, during, and after the Holocaust is depicted in an inspiring graphic memoir. What a captivating, heart-wrenching memoir. It has me choked up. I have many graphic memoirs in my book collection, but none have moved me like this one.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. It is both gritty and hopeful! While on the outside it may look suitable for middle grade readers it is important to be aware of the violent content. This is a novel about the Holocaust and the main character faces many challenges including the violent loss of multiple family members. This is a must have for all young adult collections. The book is well written and the illustrations perfectly fit the story.

I'm a firm believer that books about events in the past that are significant, especially books which are accessible to all ages, should be available. When I saw that this was not only a memoir but a graphic memoir of a holocaust survivor, I definitely wanted to give it a read. Sadly we have reached a point in time where the number of people who lived through World War II are very few, so it's important that their stories are told and that people continue to learn about those events. Estells/Enia's story is both heartbreaking and uplifting, starting before the war and progressing through her loss. She lost most of her family as so many did, and had to survive through horrible and scary things, relying on people who could have turned on her at any moment. It's also the story of those who did help her and her brothers to survive, those who risked themselves to keep the children as safe as they could. The artwork is beautiful and informative, many details of specific places and customs woven into the story. Since it's a graphic memoir it is accessible and easily read, but full of Estelle's impactful story and should be shared and read for a personal view on the events of the holocaust.

The Girl Who Sang by Estelle Nadel, illustrated by Sammy Savos and Bethany Strout (Roaring Brook Press, January 2024) is a graphic memoir about a very young Jewish girl surviving World War II hiding in barn. I’m always amazed at what humankind can endure and how strong children can be during hard times. The Girl Who Sang emphasized the author’s resilience and the strength she found after she was once again freed from hiding and able to sing in her joy.


Enia (Estelle’s Polish name) was just a preschool child when the war began, and so she did not have the chance to attend school before life changed dramatically in her small town in Poland. She and her brothers end up the only ones from their family to survive the war, and it is only due to the kindness of neighbors who hide them in the attic barn, amazingly hiding their presence from the father of the house for more than a year before he discovers and supports them as well. Following the war, the book travels to New York and eventually to the author’s own adulthood, to show just how far she has come.

The illustrator wonderfully captured the events of the book in graphic novel format, with a clear sense of place that helped the reader recognize the community and the children’s place in it. Although the book dealt with difficult issues and there are bloody scenes depicting some of the events, in general, the color tone and narration remains child-friendly. The illustrator nicely captures Enia’s various emotions and brings the story to life. I loved how, after the war, as Enia (now Estelle) did things familiar to her like cooking the borscht, the outline of her mother smiled on her, an echo of her very early years with her dear mother.

It is hard to imagine being confined to an attic for years. Enia/Estelle’s story is amazing. That said, because life is not neat and tidy, the graphic memoir did lack a little bit of continuity. I felt there could have been more emphasis on Estelle’s singing after the war (as the end note says she did). It was disappointing that she never ends up living with her older brothers again, after there is so much emphasis on how they needed each other. Further, the recovery years after the war seemed rushed through in order to get to that great last story.

There was some resolution in The Girl Who Sang, but as with life, there were still many loose ends at the end. I can’t fault the book for that. That is, unfortunately, what happens when a childhood is spent in such a traumatic situation. People are never quite the same and it can’t be wrapped up with a bow in a true memoir. I’m just glad that even with her trauma, she could still become a girl who sang.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Enia Feld (later Estelle Nadel) was seven when Nazis invaded her hometown in Poland in 1939. Over the next five years, she would survive the losses of her parents, eldest brother, sister, numerous other people, and the Holocaust. This is Estelle's story of loss, betrayal, near death, and survival.

Estelle's story is heartbreaking and rarely does a graphic novel reduce me to tears, but this one did. More than once. While this graphic novel might be aimed more at the YA audience, advanced middle grade readers would also be an appropriate audience for this story.

Sammy Savos's debut as an illustrator was a perfect choice for this story. Savos's intentionally limited color palette and deceptively simple-seeming illustrations are highly effective in conveying Nadel's story. As the story is told from a child's perspective, the art just works perfectly.

I think this book would be an excellent addition to any collection.

FIVE BEAUTIFUL STARS for this graphic novel memoir! I read it all in one sitting and was flooded with all the emotions as I read the story of Enia and her family. The courage of her siblings and her neighbors made me tear up, especially Shia. Even as a child himself, he had to step up and take care of himself and his younger sister. Thank you to Estelle for sharing your story- it is one I will not forget soon.

I also am amazed that this is the illustrator's debut! Her art style reminds me of a Miyazaki film, very light and airy while pulling at emotion. Absolutely beautiful.

I will definitely be buying myself a physical copy of this and reccomending it to people!

This is a beautiful, heartbreaking graphic novel about the experiences of a young girl whose family experienced the Holocaust in Poland. The main character is so young and vulnerable and depends on people around her to care for her, but of course they were often unable to. So many people behaved well, and so many others were truly terrible.
One of the things that really got me was that she kept wanting to be with her family even after coming to the US, and she was adopted and taken across the country. That really broke my heart
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A beautiful memoir following the life of Estelle Nadel during and after the Holocaust. The Girl Who Sang is a look at life in Poland in the 1940s and the life of Jews who went into hiding. This memoir opens the readers eyes to often unheard struggles of those in hiding while also examining what life is like after bbn for those who have survived and are left behind. Five out of five stars would recommend reading it and using it in the classroom.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 5 ⭐️ Wow what a powerful graphic novel. Estelle’s story is simply amazing and told beautifully through the artwork. I loved that several times in the story the artwork could capture intensely charged emotions without the need for dialogue. This is why I love reading graphic novels so much and think they are such a powerful tool for young readers, especially when detailing true events. I loved the resources and information at the end of the story about all different characters in the book and the process of creating the book. I learned so much from that! I was very excited to see that the author lives near me, which was very emotional to learn when considering the aging of Holocaust survivors. Reader should be aware of content warnings prior to reading, and I would strongly advise this to be read by older middle grade readers as it can get graphic. Highly recommend this graphic novel and to readers who are new to graphic novels as well.

This is a very strong graphic memoir showcasing the personal side of the Holocaust, much as "Alias Anna" did in 2022. This one stands out in part for its moving afterword. There is no bibliography but the reader is directed to websites and recordings wherein the author has previously told her story.

This was a very beautiful but heartbreaking story about the author’s survival during World War II. The illustration is lovely and the story thoughtfully and intricately told. I really loved that we got to see some resolution later in the main character’s life. I think this is a great addition to the historical graphic novels that document the hardships and hopefulness during that era.

From tragedy to triumph, from fear to hope, Estelle Nadal beautifully tells her story of survival as a Jewish child during the Holocaust. While the world around Estelle was crumbling, she held hope that she would make it through safely and be reunited with family and friends. This is definitely a title to add to a middle school classroom library.

This graphic novel is based on a true story, and it is powerful and heart-wrenching. The art conveys the characters' emotions and surroundings in a way that feels immersive, and this can be a great way to introduce reluctant readers to Holocaust stories, since it's a fast read that visually pictures the historical setting.

This is marketed as YA because of the heavy themes, but the story comes from a child's perspective, and this can also be appropriate for middle-grade readers, as long as they can handle the tragedies, disturbing themes, and occasional on-page violence.

I appreciate that this story doesn't end with liberation, but also explores the aftermath of the war and the process of rebuilding a life. This is a really powerful story that I would recommend to kids who are old enough to handle it, teens, and adults.

In a time when history seems to be irrelevant to many, this Holocaust memoir of hope and survival is a must read. The Girl Who Sang tells the story of Estelle and her family during the Holocaust and follows them afterwards as well. Estelle said that although many people know the stories of Anne Frank and others who helped Jews survive that it is still vitally important to continue to tell stories of the Holocaust so that all can be remembered and honored. I am excited to add this to our middle school collection.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a Jew of Polish descent, I grew up hearing stories of the family we lost in the Holocaust and those who fled to the US and Canada, only speaking Yiddish. Estelle’s story was heartbreaking, honest, and so incredibly important and it really brought my heritage to life for me, including what my family member may have gone through. This story was devastating yet so beautifully written and depicted, everyone should read it.

This book was a beautiful portrayal of a tragic story. Infused with hope and the integrity of childhood, this story really pulled on my heartstrings. Despite all that she went through, the main character continued to persevere and find her joy in song. I'll never forget this story. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

Every time I read a book about the Holocaust, I am surprised by the well of emotions that spring up within me; this story was no different. Estelle's story was deeply sad but ultimately hopeful, her connection to her homeland and her brothers was so like the many stories from the Holocaust that we are still required, as Jews to tell.

The comic form lent itself so viscerally to the emotions of each of the characters. Art, in many ways, has helped Holocaust survivors and their descendants fully communicate the intense fear felt during the war. In a book meant specifically for children, there's a fine line between that fear being too dark, and that fear being ignored entirely. I think that The Girl Who Sang takes a thoughtful approach to character and story by using color and a child's voice to best convey how it felt to survive as a young Jew during this time. I also admired how it portrayed the deep personal struggles faced after the war, when Americanization felt so necessary but so uncomfortable at times.

Being able to see Estelle's original images and hearing directly from her was a great way to end the story and can help to orient kids in the real world again. I would have loved to have seen some discussion questions or prompts at the end to get readers thinking about their own experiences or about the knowledge of the Holocaust, because I think this story deserves to be more than just consumed and set aside. Overall, would recommend for kids, especially non-Jews, looking to understand how desperate it felt to be a young Jewish child during this time, with the caveat that this is about the Holocaust, and is not a tale that sugarcoats hatred and death.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.

Estelle Nadel, and illustrator Sammy Savos, have brought a story that should never be forgotten to reader's homes; the holocaust from a children's perspective written for a younger audience, although adults will benefit from reading as well.


"The Girl Who Sang" is a story of survival, frustration, and fear. I highly recommend this title for all ages and all audiences. Estelle shares her personal experience as a young girl when Nazi's invaded Poland and the slow harrowing changes that followed the invasion. Sammy Savos, shares all details in her illustrations, honoring Estelle's harrowing story while still being suitable for younger audiences.

A powerful story.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.