Thank you to NetGalley, First Second Books, First Second, and Maria van Lieshout for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

While this graphic novel is historical fiction, it is steeped in elements of history relating to Amsterdam during the Holocaust, portraying a vivid tale with an interesting blend of real photo images and simple artwork to tell the tale.

This graphic novel is from the perspective of a blackbird, a simple creature that merely observes, but doesn't experience the tangle of human affairs. The story alternates between 2011 and 1944-1945. In 2011, a teenage girl named Annick seeks a bone marrow donor to save her grandmother, as none of the blood family members are a match. In her efforts, she meets an artist who opens her eyes to the power of street art, and together they unravel the secrets of Annick's family history in hopes of finding someone who can save her grandmother.

In 1944-1945, the story follows a girl names Emma, who ends up working for the rebellion in a print shop. Her art is phenomenal, and she finds printing her art (among other things) to be a powerful way to rebel. These art prints are something Annick finds her grandmother has copies of, leading the present to tie into the past in an intertwined storytelling. Of course, Emma just has to avoid the SS and make it through the war....

I found this to be a phenomenal graphic novel with a unique dual-timeline storytelling process from the viewpoint of a little black bird, as well as the unique artwork combination. While fiction, the back of the book has some really great facts and photos to draw the line between fiction and actual history. This immersive graphic novel would pair very well with Night or any holocaust or WWII unit for a high school audience. A must-read!

Beautiful story and illustrations. The book isn't perfect, and there are some issues with continuity, but I found the themes and story as a whole to be well written and engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second Books for the digital arc.
Unique graphic novel offers a fictionalized account of actual events in WWII Amsterdam. During the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, the Resistance conducted operations to hide Jewish children from the Nazis. Unfortunately children were often separated for their siblings. Hanna and Sol were two of these siblings. In 2011Annick discovered that her grandmother, Oma, was not biologically related to her siblings, but was one of the children smuggled out of Amsterdam. With just a set of prints of Amsterdam buildings Annick begins to solve the mystery of Oma's background and along the way, she uncovers the incredible story of Emma Bergsma, an art student who joins the Dutch Resistance. Both timelines are told through the narration of the Blackbird . The Song of a Blackbird is a masterpiece in in storytelling. Engrossing and I highly recommend.

This is a graphic novel that switches between WWII Dutch resistance fighters and present day Annick who is trying to save her grandmother. These resistance fighters are fighting and saving Jewish children by smuggling them to other families to save them Nazis and the concentration camps. Annick’s grandmother finds out she was one of these children when she is told her siblings are not biologically related. We see this almost through the pov of the Blackbird on both timelines. This is a beautiful, heart wrenching story. It was a combination of drawings and actual photographs from WWII. The writer does state that this story is based on true events and people. I love how they give a full biography for all these pictures, people, and events she speaks of in the story. It’s definitely a beautiful story, that sheds light on the stories of those most don’t know about. Heroes that many do not know about, but heroes that fought for what they believe was right and some paid with their lives for what they believed in. Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for sharing this story with me.

4. This is great for classroom use. I will definitely want to read it again, on paper, so I can enjoy the art even more. It’s fascinating how the story is mixed with truth, the blending of historical photographs and drawings mirrors and strengthens the plot. .I love the bird as narrator, which allows the reader some distance from the intensity of events. Gives younger readers some space in which to think. Hanna and Sol’s story is the story of so many during the War. The book being centered around the Resistance is important, too. We need more stories about resistors. There’s a lot of connections for classroom use. I’ll be marking my copy with brainstorming for sure!

A graphic novel inspired by a true story, told from the unique perspective of a crow. The story follows Annick as she uncovers a family secret involving her grandmother and members of the Dutch Resistance during WWII. Though fictionalized, there is a great deal of research grounding the story, and it's quite moving to read the notes at the end about the real life inspiration for some of the characters. While the story provides hope and reflects on the strength of the human spirit, it doesn't shy away from more disturbing and tragic experiences throughout. The art is effective, featuring both fairly minimalist black and white illustrations, as well as panels that incorporate elements of historic photographs.

I really loved the unique printmaking style of this book and the way that tied into the plot. I knew about the resistance in Amsterdam during World War II, but I had no idea about the bank robbery or the way people smuggled children to safety. I think it is always important to remember not only the atrocities of the Holocaust, but also the great bravery people showed during that time to save lives. I loved the Make Art, Not Hate slogan.

It took me a while to get into the rhythm with this graphic novel as it skips around and incorporates a lot of different styles into the images. I did like the story and appreciated the historical notes about accuracy in the back.