Very difficult not to feel part of the story when Magali is determined to save children from what becomes Nazi concentration camps. Although there are a lot of Holocaust stories available, I really feel like this deserves a spot of the shelf due to how well it describes the inhumane treatment that existed and the brave people who tried to do something about it. ( )

This book. I don't even know where to begin to discuss this book honestly. I've always been drawn to books surrounding the holocaust but this one was unlike anything I've ever read before.

Magali who is a young teen herself feels compelled to save children from the camps that later would become the nazi concentration camp with a family friend. These children were living in deplorable conditions many of them sick and severely undernourished. She risks her life continually to save the lives of these innocent children.

This story is tragic and heartbreaking but an important read and something that everyone should pick up and read. It brought me to tears on multiple occasions and really resonated with me.

I did receive this book complimentary from librarything early reviewers but am not being compensated monetarily and this review is a reflection of my honest opinion ( )

An absolutely incredible heart-warming book of hope and horror in early WWII

As a Canadian child born in 1940, this book had special meaning to me, not as a child participant, but as one whose father was at war while I was young, my brother even younger. In fact, whenever my brother was asked where his Daddy was he pointed to a picture on the wall.

I found this book more full of life with characters who had endured so little of family life than many books I've read in the past. It tells the story of the internment camps, later changed to prison camps, in the south of France, of the people, mostly women, who risked their lives to bring children out of the camps to safe homes. France was under the rule of the Vichy Government at this time. Though this is a book of fiction, it is only fictional as to locations and names. The two camps specifically mentioned, Rivesaltes and Gurs are real and can be visited as they are still there and the CIMADE is a real rescue group. The rest is based on real people, real homes, real situations. The internment camps were used to enclose behind strong fences with barbed wire, 'undesirables': refugees from the Spanish Civil War which had just ended, gypsies, and foreign Jews. At this time, French Jews were still free, although many were in the 'Occupied' zone of France. The story covers 1941 and early 1942, a time before the camps became deportation camps from which the internees were sent to the death camps in Germany.

Heather and Lydia Munn have done excellent research and the writing is amazing. I was drawn in so completely I couldn't stop reading. The story begins with young teens in a rationing line-up. Many of their friends, kids who are immigrants from the 'wrong' countries, have already been placed into internment camps. Magali is fifteen and has a very strong will, but a compassionate heart. She and her friend Rosa like to meet the train and happen to note a young woman with four children get off the train and immediately be questioned about why she is in Tanieux. The woman instantly appears to be in command, intimidating the mayor, at the same time asking for directions. This is how the two girls become acquainted with Paquerette as they help her with the suitcases and children. The woman appears to be completely exhausted. They soon learn about her job through CIMADE, a Christian care agency, of rescuing children from the camps.

This story is told in the first person by Magali. She urgently feels she should be involved in bringing the children out, even knowing it is dangerous, that she is probably too young and Paquerette leaves to get more children almost as soon as she arrives. But Paquerette wants to take her to share the load, if her parents will allow it, even if only once.

We follow her story through her thoughts and actions, her horror, devastation and self-deprecation when she places her friend and personal 'Joan of Arc', Paquerette, in mortal danger when she is arrested because of an action by Magali. The characters in this book are strong, compassionate, and selfless. There are some natural character flaws as the teens grow up in such a dangerous and secretive situation wrought with hardship, but as they mature they are as strong and faithful as any adult could be.

The running theme is passion, care, fear, heroism and danger. This goes for all involved: the mothers who give up their children to save them, the secrets that must be kept hidden at all costs, the necessity to be fearful in order to perform well, and the very real danger of being caught. This is a book I would definitely encourage people of most ages to read, from perhaps even 12 to any adult. Written as a Young Adult book, I think that is too limited. Much as I thought I knew, I learned a lot more in this book. ( )

Sharing the little known story of courageous French citizens determined to save the children caught in the brutality of the Nazi regime, the mother daughter writing team of Lydia and Heather Munn have created a deeply moving and very personal novel. The second book to focus on the Losier family, Defy The Night can be read as a stand alone novel. Perfect for a book discussion group or a mother/daughter read, I highly recommend Defy The Night.

Magali Losier is a young woman determined to make a difference in a world that seems to have gone crazy overnight. Although living in the free zone of France, Magali’s community is caught up in the realities of war following the German invasion of France. All around her, she senses the fear that grips her friends and family, but she wants to be a hero. When she begins traveling with Pacquerette, an aid worker who transports children from detention camps to safe homes, Magali believes she has found her calling. But the brash cleverness she sees as her greatest asset puts many in danger.

Defy The Night is told in the first person voice of Magali. She holds nothing back in her examination of friends and family. Her attitudes, of course, reflect on their character, but also expose the flaws in her own. The reader can see the danger that awaits Magali as she does most things in her own power without the healthy fear that Pacquerette says is necessary for their work. It is the evolution of Magali that keeps the reader engaged.

The historical importance of the story is also significant. The amazingly brave work that the town of Chambon (the real-life town the story is based on) did on behalf of Jews, especially children is one that all should know. The time of the story, 1941-1942, is described as a softer period in the course of WWII. The inhumane treatment of people during this time was just a taste of what was to come.

Gripping, moving, thought-provoking — all terms I would use to describe Defy The Night. The target audience is young adults, but I would recommend this book to anyone.

Highly Recommended.

(Thanks to Kregel for a review copy and to Heather for sharing the pictures. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

Title: Defy the Night
Author: Heather Munn & Lydia Munn
Pages: 312
Year: 2014
Publisher: Kregel
No matter what age a reader is, unless quite young, this historical fiction is one to take time to read and be reminded of those courageous people who helped save lives. In this writing based on fact, one young women desires to help save lives as she views the work of another aid worker bringing in children from Nazi camps. The point I believe of the novel is how one French girl, Magali, has a distorted view of how she can be a Joan of Arc, looking evil in the face. However, she doesn’t see how her impulsiveness places lives at great risk.
As readers progress through the novel, they will see how Magali realizes in time and through experience all she has yet to learn. Defy the Night is a heart-touching novel because the scenes were described so well it wasn’t hard to imagine the harsh conditions the Jews were forced to endure. As a mother to read how other mothers willingly gave up their children so that they may have a better life pulled my heartstrings. Some of the refugees lost all family and were taken to homes where they were cared for to either stay permanently or until a person was willing to adopt them.
What I learned was how many aid societies were allowed early in the war to come into the camps and take the children to new locations. Later on in the war though this was no longer allowed and an underground system was being worked on in order to hopefully save lives that would otherwise face certain death. The path the workers had to take, the lack of good food, loss of sleep and the constant risk of danger took its toll on many courageous people.
The delicate balance between the impulsiveness of youth with the wisdom from older people is shown quite vividly in the book. I believe that balance to really exist, and how Magali submits to her parents even when it isn’t her way is a great witness to youths even though it is very hard to do. I loved when Magali worked with one aid worker and this person took time to explain some things to Magali and others she knew they would have to be experience. The brokenness that comes from impulsiveness, causing someone else harm is evident in the book along with the restoration that brings hope anew.
My rating is 4 stars.
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