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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
This review is for a new graphic novel interpretation of the novel 'A Bag Of Marbles' by Joseph Joffo. It tells the story of how his Jewish family survived and escaped from occupied France during World War II.
When Nazis threaten Maurice and Jo, their father has a plan. He's already migrated from Russia to Paris to escape other problems, so he is used to running. And he's sent Jo's 2 older brothers on ahead. The boys have to make their way south through the border of occupied France without papers and only their ingenuity to get them by. There are narrow escapes, clever plans, heart-warming reunions and tragedy.
The art by Vincent Bailly is great, keeping the art light and then ominous then light as the story changes tones. It's a rough subject, but it's a good story and is accessible to middle grade children. The original novel has been translated into 18 languages, and after reading this, I can see why the story has endured.
When Nazis threaten Maurice and Jo, their father has a plan. He's already migrated from Russia to Paris to escape other problems, so he is used to running. And he's sent Jo's 2 older brothers on ahead. The boys have to make their way south through the border of occupied France without papers and only their ingenuity to get them by. There are narrow escapes, clever plans, heart-warming reunions and tragedy.
The art by Vincent Bailly is great, keeping the art light and then ominous then light as the story changes tones. It's a rough subject, but it's a good story and is accessible to middle grade children. The original novel has been translated into 18 languages, and after reading this, I can see why the story has endured.
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
With so many WWII & Holocaust memoirs published, this graphic biography stands out as an important addition. I particularly liked the map of Jo's journey and the beautiful illustrations, which greatly supported the narrative. I'd love to see this version paired with Joffo's biography, and I could see offering this as an independent reading option during a Humanities study of this era.
maryehavens's review against another edition
2.0
Like, 2.75 stars?? I was confused a lot in this graphic novel. The scenes seemed to shift abruptly and I didn't understand exactly where Jo and Maurice were. The illustrations were gorgeous and made it difficult to rate it just "o.k." when I felt transported to Nice! It hardly seemed like a war was going on, honestly.
I also became confused if Maurice and Jo were actually Jewish, which sounds weird since clearly their grandfather left Russia due to the pogroms and his business was marked as a Jewish business. Maybe the boys were that good at hiding their Jewish heritage.
This book was adapted into a graphic novel from a memoir. I think I would have enjoyed the memoir. This adaptation needed some help, in my opinion, at least to clarify what was going on.
I also became confused if Maurice and Jo were actually Jewish, which sounds weird since clearly their grandfather left Russia due to the pogroms and his business was marked as a Jewish business. Maybe the boys were that good at hiding their Jewish heritage.
This book was adapted into a graphic novel from a memoir. I think I would have enjoyed the memoir. This adaptation needed some help, in my opinion, at least to clarify what was going on.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
This book totally impressed me. It surpassed my expectations. But then again, maybe I had the bar pretty low.
I don't typically gravitate to holocaust stories (due to high exposure at a young age), and I'm always suspicious of adaptations and translated works - I fear dilution, what can I say. Ok, that's a grand generalization, but whatevs.
Anyway, this was awesome. It's a different angle of World War II than I've read before, and the story is told really really well. Although the illustration style is not my normal jam, the color makes it pop off the page, and I found myself feeling for this little kid as he was forced to lie his way across France. The adapter chooses moments which show rather than tell the story, and youthful vocabulary is translated well.
Although this may not attract kids who are not already interested in stories of Europe during World War II, anyone would be wise to pick it up. Definitely recommended.
I don't typically gravitate to holocaust stories (due to high exposure at a young age), and I'm always suspicious of adaptations and translated works - I fear dilution, what can I say. Ok, that's a grand generalization, but whatevs.
Anyway, this was awesome. It's a different angle of World War II than I've read before, and the story is told really really well. Although the illustration style is not my normal jam, the color makes it pop off the page, and I found myself feeling for this little kid as he was forced to lie his way across France. The adapter chooses moments which show rather than tell the story, and youthful vocabulary is translated well.
Although this may not attract kids who are not already interested in stories of Europe during World War II, anyone would be wise to pick it up. Definitely recommended.
kstring's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful illustration and moving story, and I was thinking "this should be turned into a movie" before I saw that it already was back in 1975.
froggylibrarian1's review against another edition
3.0
This graphic novel was based on a memoir by Joseph Joffo. It was about the experiences of Joseph and his brother during World War II. The brothers were able to stay ahead of the Germans by escaping into the free zone of France and staying on the run. In addition their older brothers and mother ran and hid during the war.
The book was okay. I am not huge fan of graphic novels and had a hard time following the action at times. I would probably like the original memoir better. There was some language and a bit of sexual innuendo that made the book inappropriate for my students.
The book was okay. I am not huge fan of graphic novels and had a hard time following the action at times. I would probably like the original memoir better. There was some language and a bit of sexual innuendo that made the book inappropriate for my students.
supernumeraryemily's review against another edition
3.0
Solid graphic novel for younger readers. Based on a memoir of a Holocaust survivor who fled Nazi rule as a child. I found the panels engaging and the book full of movement and emotion. At times the messy nature of the drawings made it difficult for me to identify characters. I wasn’t able to completely follow the action of the story. I liked best the moments of reflection by the speaker/protagonist, but these were few and far between given the fast-paced nature of the story.