What a well-written book! While I still need to read Anne Frank’s diary, this middle grade novel was a perfect intro into Anne’s life. It takes place during WWII when her family had fled to the Netherlands. The persecution, terror and horror for the Jews during that time is something I’ll never be able to fathom. Hearing the author’s profound experience of reading Anne Frank’s diary and how it shaped her was powerful. She also talks about how important it is for us to remember and talk about the past, no matter how hard it is.

“When We Flew Away” by Alice Hoffman is a wonderful, tender, heartbreaking novel, imagining Anne Frank’s life leading up to the moment when the family went into hiding. Well done and important. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the early review copy. All opinions are my own.

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman is a fictionalized account of Anne Frank's time before her family went into hiding. Hoffman writes about what Anne's relationships with her sister, parents, grandmother, and friends may have been like. It was difficult to read about Anne living a happy, ordinary pre-teen life in late 1930s and early 1940s Amsterdam knowing how her life ended. This is a powerful book that is sure to build middle-grade readers' empathy along with their understanding of antisemitism and the Holocaust. This was a 5-star read for me.

Thank you to Scholastic and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Alice Hoffman is my favorite writer. I've read everything she's ever written and had the opportunity and pleasure of reviewing many of her recent works. This title, while relatively short, is one of her most important in terms of it's significance to world events both past and present. Although she has portrayed a fictionalized version of Anne Frank's life "before the diary", the story is underscored by some of the lesser known facts surrounding the spread of fascism and the holocaust especially pertaining to the events in the Netherlands. It's illuminating for adults who will find a new perspective on these terrible events, yet mild enough for young readers who may not be ready for the gruesome details of this blight on human history. One might call this historical fiction, but it is particularly relevant at this point in time. A must-read.

3.5 stars

This book felt so sad and foreboding since I already knew the ultimate outcome. I know this was fiction, but truth was mixed in, and Anne’s initial optimism felt like a punch in the gut. It was heartbreaking to get a Jewish child’s perspective of living during the time of Hitler. I did find it hard to get into a fictional book about Anne Frank after reading her beautiful bluntness of her journal. I absolutely agree with Hoffman that A diary of a Young Girl should be required reading in schools. Remembering helps prevent repeating our mistakes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review.

A very thoughtful and interesting perspective of Ann Frank. I loved the look into her life before the war. A wonderful look at what her normal life might have been like! A must read for Ann Frank fans!

I teach the diary of Anne Frank, so having this insight, even fictionalization is very compelling and well written.

I loved this story and the details of Anne's life. A great addition to any historical fiction section!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Alice Hoffman. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Geared toward middle grades but a must-read for any age, this is a look at Anne Frank's life before the events written about in her diary. Here, we get a glimpse into Anne's world and that of her family, as the impact of being a Jew in the Netherlands at this time hits them. We see Anne and her sister, Margot, go through so many forced changes, as their parents seek only to keep them safe. Anne's spunkiness and eternal optimism shine through as she continues to dream of a different life, but basically just to be able to grow up.

Knowing how the true story ends, this book can't be anything but heartbreaking, but it does shine a light into the "before." Hoffman is such a wonderful writer and this book is no exception. Highly recommended.

Anne Frank and her family's lives are changing as the Nazis come to power. They receive restriction after restriction due to being Jewish. Anne's father writes to consulate and applies for visas. Anne's sister Margot is then mandated to report to a labor camp., and the family must do something to ensure their safety. This title goes into what the family experienced before the annex, seeing how their lives changed.

As this book was approved by the Anne Frank Museum, I felt confident that this novel would be accurate. This novel did not disappoint. This is essentially a prequel to the Diary. It was nice seeing the family as individual people, with emotions and living life.

I jumped at the chance to read Hoffman's telling of what might have happened just prior to the hiding of the Frank family and the subsequent diary of which we're all familiar. Since this was approved by the Anne Frank Museum, I felt sure that the time period and known facts surrounding the family and the area would be well-portrayed. The prose and symbolism throughout (wolves, dark moths, etc.) made for a lovely story, yet one that also tackled complicated emotions and relationships present during this very difficult time in history.
I applaud any efforts to keep the stories and past alive for the Jewish people, as well as the world at large, so that lessons can be learned, rather than mistakes and tragedies repeated. I think this is also very timely considering the current political climate surrounding this group of people. I hope it will spark important conversations and further reflection.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

I saw this and jumped at being able to read it. Anne Frank's Diary has always been a book I can never forget and think about often. This book is beautifully written and I wanted to love it. I liked it alot but not sure many readers the book is targeted for will pick it up. I hope I'm wrong.

This book is an imagined prequel story to Anne Frank and her family before the events in her diary.

I am such a huge fan of Alice Hoffman’s (and Holocaust novels) that I immediately requested this book from @NetGalley when I saw it. But I was worried this book would be challenging for me to read in light of all the antisemitism in today’s society.

I won’t say it was an easy read, however it was so nice to read about Anne Frank as a real person, having a full life, and actually living — despite the horrors of the world around her. Hoffman is such a talented author she makes you inhabit the dreamlike wonder of Anne’s world, her fights with her mother, like all young girls are wont to do, and her perseverance in the face of people who look down on her. Anne imagines the Nazi’s evil as black moths tapping at the window trying to get in. Like all of Hoffman's books, the magical realism is so powerful, especially in such a delicate topic.

It’s such a wonderful read. I truly feel lucky to have Alice Hoffman’s writing in my life!

This was a really cool perspective on Anne Frank and helps to humanize her even more because it shows us who she is even before the Holocaust.

Even when there is evil in the world and it is impossible to hope…

…it is still possible to be brave. So writes author Alice Hoffman in this beautifully crafted novel that chronicles the life of Anne Frank in the years before she would write about life in hiding with her family in Amsterdam. How does a young girl become the person who can, through her private journal, become one of the leading voices about the Holocaust? I am writing this review with the assumption that most readers have either read The Diary of Anne Frank or know her story through other means, perhaps even through visiting the museum which honors her life in Amsterdam. When We Flew Away is most definitely a work of fiction, but the author has published this in cooperation with the Anne Frank House and the story weaves known facts into its fabric. The book opens on May 9, 1940, the day before Germany invaded the neutral country of Amsterdam, a country into which so many Jewish people like Anne and her family had immigrated as it was one of the few countries in the world who were willing to take them. So for one day, the reader sees Anne and her sister coming home from school as regular girls, one urging them to arrive home on time in order to do their homework and daily chores, the other wanting to stop at the ice cream parlor they would pass on their way or a bookstore inside which they might lose themselves for just a little while. The elder sister Margot, 14 years old, is the “good” daughter, pretty and pleasant and well-behaved; Anne is (nearly) 11, curious, headstrong, and prone to daydreaming. Her father Otto and grandmother Oma tell Anne that she is special, while Anne’s mother Edith worries that her inability to behave as expected and her insistence on speaking her mind and daring to dream of a bigger life will lead to heartache and problems. Each sister is envious of the other, although Anne doesn't become aware of Margot’s feelings until later. Anne wants to tell stories, live in California, appear in Hollywood movies….big dreams indeed for a young Jewish girl at the beginning of World War II. First bombs fall on Amsterdam on May 10, 1940, and between that date and July 6 two years later this story follows the hopes and fears, the determination to survive and the ever-shrinking world the Frank family must inhabit, all from the perspective of a young girl whose desire to be seen and heard, loved and kept safe, will die at the Bergen-Belsen camp before she reached her 16th birthday.
For anyone who has ever read The Diary of Anne Frank, or who knows at least a bit of her life story, When We Flew Away is an absolute must read. It is a book that only an author with the gifts of Alice Hoffman could write, and reintroduced me to a teenage girl whose diary I read more years ago than I care to admit but which still rests in a corner of my mind. Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for allowing me early access to this haunting and beautiful tale, which can be read and enjoyed by readers of all ages, including fans of Alice Hoffman, Harper Lee, Lois Lowry, and Katherine Paterson.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scholastic Press, and Alice Hoffman for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We’ve all heard stories about Anne Frank and her life during such a terrible wartime, but I wonder how many people thought about what her life was like before her days of hiding. I’m sure we all wonder how we would have reacted in the same situation, especially at age thirteen, an age when most teens are involved in many activities. Anne Frank was no exception, a girl with serious thoughts about the future, life, politics, and family. As she dreams of first love, traveling to America, and growing up free to live, the attic becomes her world. Will her family survive? Will they ever see the sky again? Luckily, the diary she wrote during hiding survived, and we were blessed with a glimpse of the life she had, as well as dreamed of having. I’ll always look at this family’s story with fresh, knowing eyes. A story that will live in my heart forever. Thank you, Alice Hoffman.

“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” ― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Alice Hoffman said in an interview with Simona Zaret­sky for Jewish Book Council that Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl was one of the reasons that she became a writer. So, it is only fitting that she wrote a book reimagining the life of Anne Frank, giving her wings and letting her fly. This is a very poignant book because readers know of Anne's life through her journal that her father published after her death. It is also a very timely and fitting read due to the rise of antisemitism during this time in history. If you have not read The Diary of a Young Girl, I highly encourage you to do so.

“I've found that there is always some beauty left -- in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.” ― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

This book follows Anne, her sister, Margot and her family after they moved to Amsterdam and the subsequent events that altered not only Anne's life but her family's life as well. Anne was a dreamer, a writer, a thinker, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter. and a deep feeling girl. She wanted to experience the world, she had dreams, aspirations, and hopes for her life as we all do. Her imagination soared as did her insight and positive viewpoint.

“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
― Anne Frank

I loved how Alice Hoffman brought Ann to life once again. This book is geared for Middle School readers, but it is a wonderful and poignant book for readers of all ages. Alice Hoffman's writing is beautiful as always. She provides a heartfelt and descriptive reimagining of Anne’s life. Hoffman stays true to history and what is known of Anne, her family, and her relationships.

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

Beautifully written, heartfelt, moving, When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary is a book for middle age readers and up!

This book was a great intro into Anne Franks's story. It shines a light on her experiences coming of age during such a tumultuous time. I think this is a great primer into Diary of a Young Girl since it leads right up to this.

P.S the author's note at the end made this book all worth it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic Press for a copy of this book. It is out today!!

Always love Alice Hoffman. Definitely a book for library purchase. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Anne Frank's diary begins on her 13th birthday, the day on which she received the diary as a gift. In this novel, the Alice Hoffman has written Anne's story as it might have happened - with as much historical accuracy as possible - up to the day when her family moved into hiding, covering slightly more than the year before. Poignantly sad, this volume shows the seemingly slow, and yet disturbingly rapid evolution of a society being led into exterminating a significant portion of its population, for the unforgiveable sin of being who they were born to be - not even for their actions or their thoughts, but simply for their genetic heritage. As with many stories about the Holocaust, it is a cautionary tale. This book, prequel as it is intended to be to the well-known Diary of Anne Frank, is particularly moving, because even knowing the story, the events are written in such a clear and engaging that they can still take the reader by surprise. This is a wonderful companion novel to the original Diary, and could be read before or after, at the reader's preference. Recommended for readers ages middle school to adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.