Another heart-breaking holocaust novel in which the nazis wreak havoc, torture and kill civilians, destroying families and communities. And how thankfully there were some good people who helped hide, feed and move Jews to freedom.

In Pastel Orphans, Henrik doesn't give up searching for his younger sister Greta who is kidnapped by nazis from the family farm in Poland. He leqrns much from the partisans, and knows how to talk to people; he meets a 'good nazi' and does what he has to do to survive.

Excellent read.

A coming-of-age book centered around a young German boy and his little sister who had escaped with their mother to Poland during WW2 - The six year old girl was kidnapped by the Nazis as part of their plan to raise and breed blond haired, blue eyed children to "purify" the race, and the 11 year old boy walked to Krakow to find her - he struggled through years of harrowing experiences, became close to many loving, courageous people, risked his life many times, and eventually arrived at his destination.

The story was very engrossing and kept me engaged during car rides and walks - the writing flowed, and I was never bored. ( )

I won a copy of Pastel Orphans, by Gemma Liviero, through the First Reads giveaway program.

Pastel Orphans is a coming of age story set in Berlin and Poland during the Nazi Era. The story is predominately told though the eyes of the protagonist, Henrik whose sister is kidnapped by a SS General. Henrik’s family had to leave their ailing Jewish father behind in Berlin so live in his mother’s homeland, Poland. Pastel Orphans depicts the lesser-known practice of the “Germanization Program” where blond-haired and blue-eyed children are kidnapped and raised to purify the German race.

At the outset of the novel, Henrik’s perspective is very simple and his understanding is limited. He portrays events, such as Kristallnacht through a child’s eyes. However, he understands more as he matures and shares his understanding with the readers. The Polish resistance is also highlighted as he treks through Poland searching for his missing sister. Henrik meets Rebekah, who is part of the resistance, who later takes over as the narrator. The plot has many twists and turns and did not let me as the reader become too settled or complacent. ( )