Het hele verhaal speelt zich af tussen 1937 en 1945 en eindigt met een sprong naar 2021. Alles, met op de achtergrond en na een tijd de voorgrond, de tweede Wereldoorlog of de start daarvan. This book is completely engaging and will engross young (and older) readers . . . it will prove to be very important, and widely read and recommended -- Linda Newbery Our story opens in Vienna, Austria in 1936 and it is Leo's 9th birthday and he and his 2 best friends, Max and Elsa, are riding the Ferris wheel in the town's center and then headed home to enjoy Leo's mom's famous Sachertorte. While riding the Riesenrad, Leo's father takes a photo of the 3 children, and it's a moment burned into each of their collective memories through the horrors of the next several years to come and the harrowing twists and turns their stories, lives, and friendship takes. Leo must rely on the kindness of strangers to escape the rising threat to the Jewish people. Elsa, like Leo, is hated simply for being who she is. To be safe, she must run. While Max suddenly finds that he is the danger his friends are trying so desperately to escape as his father rises through the Nazi ranks.

This stunning book is going to make you rage, and cry, and yelp with joy, then cry and rage again. A genuine tour de force from Liz Kessler. I couldn't put it down except to wipe away tears -- Joanna Nadin In When the World Was Ours, we follow three children, Leo, Elsa, and Max, throughout the course of the war. The story opens when they are 9 years old, celebrating one of their birthdays with a magical day on the town. The three are best friends, inseparable. But Leo and Elsa are Jewish, and as Europe falls under Hitler's sway, the three take different paths. This striking Holocaust story was a real passion project for Liz Kessler and it shows. Begins in Vienna in the 1930s, following the fortunes of three friends over the following years. Inevitable ugly crying at the end -- Karen McCombie Max’s family, on the other hand, moves into a furnished penthouse apartment in Munich that seems to have belonged to a wealthy Jewish family who were forced out. In 1943, Max’s family moves again, to a home near Auschwitz. Max’s dad has been appointed to a top position there, and he gets Max a job there too. By gaining access to each character’s perspective, this novel allows young readers to understand this period of history in a comprehendible way, while making sense of the motives behind people’s actions. Max, in particular, is a character who explores how so many ordinary people could have become a part of such a brutal regime.

About the Book and Author

This book was amazing, I loved everything about it. The characters, the plot, the historical accuracy-it was perfection! You could tell that a lot of effort and research was put into the making of such a wonderful book. I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” J.R. Tolkien

Very moved by the new Liz Kessler novel . . . the story and the story behind it. I wish I was a Costa judge next year as well' John McLay Seeing Max being raised as a Nazi broke my heart, I hated seeing his father force an innocent child from a young age to have these preposterous mentalities, but I guess this was the harsh reality of the time. Auf dieses Hörbuch bin ich zufälligerweise im Zuge der Netgalley Lesechallenge gestossen und obwohl ich eigentlich nicht (mehr) so gern Bücher lese, die als Zielgruppe "Middle Grade", also jüngere Leser:innen, haben, hat mich hier die Inhaltsangabe so angesprochen, dass mir die Geschichte anhören wollte.Inspired by a true story, WHEN THE WORLD WAS OURS is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, and shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times. Author Liz Kessler has written over twenty books for children and young adults. Most of these are middle-grade books featuring mermaids, fairies, time travel, and superpowers. However, When the World Was Ours hits closer to home. It’s a way for Kessler to honour her past, her ancestors, and her heritage. Leo, for example, is inspired by her father’s story, while her family’s history has influenced many other aspects of the novel. We recommend this book for readers aged 14+.