When the World Was Ours

Written by: Liz Kessler

Aladdin. 2021. Fiction

Three young friends, Leo, Elsa, and Max, spend a perfect day together in 1936 while the world around them begins to change as the beginnings of World War II start to creep into Europe. As the years go by the three friends drift apart and their lives take them all in different directions. They all remember their friends with fondness but as they grow older the experiences they each have because of the war makes them realize that the world is no longer theirs and friendship doesn't last forever.

This is a beautiful but heart wrenching story that was based on an experience the author's family had during the Holocaust. As you follow the characters through this difficult time period you feel the pain of their struggles as they loose their childlike innocence and experience the horrors of war. This is a story about love and friendship, hate and war and the effects war has even on small children. This is a story that brought tears to my eyes as I followed the stories of these three young friends growing up in a very difficult time in history. I would recommend this book for older middle-grade readers.

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