ALA Booklist (Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

This graphic-novel adaptation of Joffo's 1973 memoir of the same name succeeds in melding sensitive and accurate imagery with the original narrative flow of a young secular Jewish boy's experiences in occupied France. The story follows Jo, who could be brought to tears at the threat of losing his favorite marble, and his older brother Maurice as they are quickly ripped from childhood, thanks to the Nazi occupation of Paris, and head south alone, sent by their parents to relative safety in Free France with their two older brothers. Bailly's richly detailed watercolor art shows a wide variety of scenes om crowded train stations full of lurking German troops to the palm-lined seaside; from a Vichy camp to a Nazi interview room well as the dynamic expressions and postures of the characters. Among the increasing number of memoirs from aging Holocaust survivors, Joffo's story as it is adapted here is both accessible and thought-provoking for young readers who may be familiar only with Anne Frank's firsthand account of the loss of childhood to politics and war.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

In this graphic novel (adapted from Joffo's 1973 adult memoir), Jo and his brother Maurice stay one step ahead of the Nazis as they travel through southern France, hoping to reunite with their brothers near the Italian border. The book's relatively busy layout is balanced by Bailly's gorgeously detailed illustrations. A map of wartime France, a glossary, and an author's note are included.

Kirkus Reviews

One almost never hears the sentence, "I'm reading a Holocaust book for fun," but parts of this memoir of French Jews fleeing the Occupation read like an adventure story. No one would describe this book as a thriller, but it has false identities and escapes through the forest in the dark of night. Ten-year-old Joseph even looks a bit like Tintin, with his skinny frame and blond hair. For a brief portion of the war, he spends his days eating pastries and watching the same movie over and over again. (Bailly's pictures of the free zone in Marseille are gorgeous.) But the memoir is always a moment away from tragedy. In real life, Joseph Joffo's father died in a concentration camp, and the last image in the story highlights his framed, sepia-toned photo. A few scenes are deeply poignant. Early in the book, Joseph is told to deny his Jewish identity, and he asks, "What is…a Jew?" His father says, "Well, it's kind of embarrassing, but…I don't really know." At the time, Joffo probably didn't think he was living an adventure story. He had to flee from one zone of France to another, hoping he wouldn't be caught by the Nazis. For the 128 pages of this graphic novel, though, readers can pretend this is an awfully big adventure, and they'll keep flipping pages, hoping it doesn't turn into another story altogether. (Graphic memoir. 11-18)

School Library Journal (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 6-9 Ten years old at the start of the story, Joffo recalls his Jewish family planning their escape from Occupied France during World War II. Tension runs through the story as he and his brother set off on the long journey to the Free Zone, where they plan to meet up with their older brothers. Along the way the boys must hide their Jewish identity, evade train security, and find a passeur , or guide, to take them past guard posts and fences to safe territory. Readers are never allowed to forget the danger the boys are in as they encounter friends and foes and attempt to discern whom they can trust. Bailly's painterly artwork is well suited to the compelling, well-told narrative. Unfortunately, it is crowded on dense, dialogue-heavy and tightly packed pages, preventing readers to view more closely the detailed, layered artwork. This title will appeal to readers interested in memoirs about World War II and has enough action to hold their attention. It's a welcome addition to graphic-novel collections, but layout problems preclude it from being a must-have. Liz Zylstra, County of Prince Edward Public Library, Picton, Ontario