The Girl Who Said No to the Nazis

This is the incredible true story of Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans and their friends who, together, made up the White Rose resistance group in Germany during World War Two. I have read accounts of Sophie and Hans's life and work before so I knew what to expect and I was pleased that, while events haven't been sugarcoated, the book has been written in such a way that I would be comfortable recommending it to the children I work with (UKS2), despite the obviously harrowing content.

Another excellent addition to this series.

This book recounts the story about a young German woman named Sophie Scholl who stood up against the Nazi regime. I'd never heard the story before about Sophie, her brother Hans, and the several friends who were part of a group called The White Rose that actively fought against the Nazi movement and encouraged others to do the same by secretly distributing leaflets throughout the country. Although I should have seen where the story was going, I just didn't because I'd never learned about it. Haydn Kaye shares the story through the eyes of Sophie which makes it more immediate. It's an important read and I thank Haydn for writing this book for young readers. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.

This was another strong story in the True Adventures series, it uses the concept that I was hoping for and enjoyed the historical element to it. The characters felt like they were meant to be in this time-period and thought the story worked well overall. I enjoyed the way Haydn Kaye wrote this and am excited for more.

Thank you so much to Pushkin Press / Pushkin Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

This gripped me instantly, I honestly couldn’t stop reading and would honesty happily read it again as it was so incredible. There is so much history surrounding World War Two and I hadn’t known this piece, for some reason I hadn’t heard about it, I’m so glad I have now.

The white rose group a secret rebellion organisation within the walls of Germany, going against Hitler, in a very scary and dangerous time. These young college students were so very incredible and so brave doing everything they did to fight against the cruel, inhumane treatment of the people.

Sophie was such a force to be reckoned with, she was utterly fascinating to me, from the second you meet her you know she’s going to find her voice and it will be a strong one. I’m so glad reading this how much she fought, how much she wanted the true Germans to hear her, to see her actions and take action themselves.

It was inevitable what truly happened to them all, getting caught, being made an example of to the people. But they all, did the right thing, they stood up for everyone and made a huge change for the people, sharing hope during a dark time that need all the hope it could get.

I’m still shocked I didn’t know about this piece of history, I will now be finding out more as it was so fascinating and I was just gripped the whole time. If you love history this book is a complete recommend read, it’s so detailed, it doesn’t skirt around the truth, you’ll be hooked from the start.

I have never heard of Sophie Scholl before. Believe me, I would have remembered. What an amazing story of courage and faith against unspeakable evil. And although her life was short, she is still remembered as an inspiring figure today. This book is well written, not too long or short, and clear without getting into graphic details. There was also just the right number of illustrations, which all fit very well with the timeline and theme of this book. Sophie’s story should be required reading for all students. I would rate this for teens and up. Highly recommend!
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book courtesy of Pushkin Press through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.