The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

by Estelle Nadel, Bethany Strout, Sammy Savos (Illustrator)

A heartrending graphic memoir about a young Jewish girl's fight for survival in Nazi occupied Poland, The Girl Who Sang illustrates the power of a brother's love, the kindness of strangers, and finding hope when facing the unimaginable.

Born to a Jewish family in a small Polish village, Estelle Nadel―then known as Enia Feld―was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Once a vibrant child with a song for every occasion, Estelle would eventually lose her voice as, over the next five years, she would survive the deaths of their mother, father, their eldest brother and sister, and countless others.

A child at the mercy of her neighbors during a terrifying time in history, The Girl Who Sang is an enthralling first-hand account of Estelle's fight for survival during World War II. She would weather loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun―all before the age of eleven. And once the war was over, Estelle would walk barefoot across European borders and find remnants of home in an Austrian displaced persons camp before finally crossing the Atlantic to arrive in New York City―a young woman carrying the unseen scars of war.

Beautifully rendered in bright hues with expressive, emotional characters, debut illustrator Sammy Savos masterfully brings Estelle story of survival during the Holocaust to a whole new generation of readers. The Girl Who Sang is perfect for fans of March , Maus , and Anne Frank's Diary .

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Memoir, Nonfiction, History, Holocaust, Comics

272 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2024

Reviews

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: An upper-middle-grade graphic memoir recounting a Polish-Jewish girl’s experiences during the WWII Holocaust. Excellent presentation of the characters and their struggles. Mixed feelings about the art. Intense scenes, not surprising given the theme. Not for sensitive children.

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Enia Feld, who later becomes ‘Estelle Nadel’, was born to a large Jewish family in a small Polish village named Borek. The youngest of five, with the closest sibling being seven years older than her, Enia is the baby of the family. She loves to spend her days singing in the fields, playing with her siblings, and helping her mother in whatever little ways she can. All this changes when the Nazis invade Poland in 1939. Over the next five years, five-year-old Enia goes from the girl who sang at every opportunity to the silenced child in hiding, living on the generosity of her Gentile neighbours. Is the end of the war enough to bring back normalcy when you have lost almost everyone and everything dear to you, when the values of those you knew and trusted changed because of political machinations? This memoir highlights both these points well.

The book begins with a portrait gallery of all the key characters. This is very helpful for a quick reference while reading the main content.

While there are many graphic memoirs and autobiographies about Jewish experiences during the Holocaust, a majority of them try to keep a balance between their personal narrative and broader political and historical content. In that sense, this book is slightly different, mainly because Enia was very young when her life was upturned. The focus in the book is restricted to what she experienced personally or what she heard from those around her.

Thanks to this approach, the story is faithful to its writer’s memories, but also somewhat lacking in terms of general information about the Holocaust. It would help to have some awareness of the history of that period to understand Enia’s experiences better.

The writing is never overly dramatic, even when the scenes are shocking. There is a certain subtlety to its storytelling. A part of this is because the book is written in Enia’s first-person perspective, so we see the events from a child’s innocent eyes. This doesn’t take away anything from the power of the narrative. It is still painful and upsetting to read.

Given that the tagline calls this a ‘story of hope and survival’ and that the memoir is written in flashback from Enia’s future life as Estelle, we obviously know that she is going to survive. But the hows and whens are still interesting to read.

The whole story is divided into sections based on years. It not only creates natural chapters in the story but also helps readers prepare for what’s next. I love that the story didn’t condense Enia’s pre-war story. It shows a beautiful picture of her family and the happy, busy life she had with them. The portrayal of Jewish traditions and procedures in the first section was amazing, making it feel like a genuine look at a Jewish family rather than one only in name. There are translations provided in footnotes wherever needed.

The title has a nice significance. I love how it depicted Enia’s passion for singing, her silenced voice during the war years, and the return of the song in her heart after freedom. The phrase ‘the day the music died’ from ‘American Pie’ feels like it would apply to this memoir as well.

It’s great that the book doesn’t stop with the end of the war but also depicts the struggles of the displaced in that tricky post-war period where they were free and yet constrained by their situation. It was somewhat strange to see Israel mentioned as a place of refuge, but it is historically accurate, so…

The epilogue is a little half-baked; I wish there had been more to that scene.

The parting note, on the other hand, were fabulous. It offers an insight about the fate of every single key character of the memoir. This is a great idea because there were many wonderful people in Enia’s life, and leaving their outcomes out of this book would have made it incomplete. There are also some actual photos at the end.

The illustrations left me with slightly mixed feelings. The graphics are really good, but they are also somewhat kiddish. This might be somewhat justified given that Enia was very young then. But her experiences weren’t that of a typical child. I wish there had been a bit more realism and maturity to the art. In its current style, most young adults and adults would dismiss it as a kids’ story.

Recommended to young adults and adults interested in reading a graphical Holocaust memoir.

3.75 stars.


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[Talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if I didn't give my grandma's book 5 stars...

I read the ARC version when I was home for the funeral, and it was really incredible and meaningful to get to read the final version now that it's published. It is so evocatively told, and I'm so grateful to Sammy for bringing her words to life the way she did. My grandma cared very deeply about people knowing the truth of what happened during the holocaust. I miss her so much but I'm so glad her story is out in the world to reach people and help ground their understanding and emphasize the true horrors of what occurred through a personal narrative, just like she hoped it would.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooof....

This is such a gut wrenching graphic memoir that is worthy of every accolade it has received. The Girl Who Sang reminds me of how important it is for today's youth and future youth to continue to learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust and their lingering impact. Now more than ever, we as a society, must understand where we've been so we don't continue to make the same mistakes. With so many states pushing back against teaching about the Holocaust, I'm so thankful that this book exists. I can't imagine what it must have taken for Estelle to continuously dive deep into herself to recount these traumatic experiences. Sammy Savos did such an excellent job with the artwork and captured the pure horror, confusion, stress, anxiety experienced by Estelle. I cannot begin to recommend this book enough. It's beyond impactful.

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
- This was so good that I finished it in one sitting. Such an important story and I love that the author included the historical notes at the end of the novel.
- This story did such a great job of balancing the pace of the story. Even though it was written in a graphic novel format, I literally wouldn’t change one thing about how the story was told and the pacing of how the story was told which can be tough to nail down for a graphic novel.
- Would recommend this book one million percent. Pick this book up asap!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a time when history seems to be irrelevant to many, this Holocaust memoir of hope and survival is a must read. The Girl Who Sang tells the story of Estelle and her family during the Holocaust and follows them afterwards as well. Estelle said that although many people know the stories of Anne Frank and others who helped Jews survive that it is still vitally important to continue to tell stories of the Holocaust so that all can be remembered and honored. I am excited to add this to our middle school collection.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Malia Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE BEAUTIFUL STARS for this graphic novel memoir! I read it all in one sitting and was flooded with all the emotions as I read the story of Enia and her family. The courage of her siblings and her neighbors made me tear up, especially Shia. Even as a child himself, he had to step up and take care of himself and his younger sister. Thank you to Estelle for sharing your story- it is one I will not forget soon.

I also am amazed that this is the illustrator's debut! Her art style reminds me of a Miyazaki film, very light and airy while pulling at emotion. Absolutely beautiful.

I will definitely be buying myself a physical copy of this and reccomending it to people!

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a moving middle-grade graphic novel about a Jewish girl living in Poland during WWII. It is set over a period of eight years, from shortly before Poland was invaded until Estelle was settled in America.
I'd recommend this to any middle-school aged student and up who wants to learn a bit more about the events of this era.

4 Stars

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a moving and heartrending story and I'm so glad that Estelle chose to tell it. One of the most important things we can do is bear witness to the horrors of the Holocaust, and that is why I think it's so important to read the books of survivors. This graphic novel was very well done. I read this whole book in a sitting and then I sat in a puddle of tears. I will always be amazed at the lengths people will go to survive and protect their loved ones. One of the things I enjoyed most about this story was that it focused not only on surviving the war years but also on what came after. I think it is important that people learn that the antisemitism that led to the Holocaust didn't just stop when the war ended. Poland and other European countries that had participated in the Holocaust were just as dangerous for Jews in the years after.

I also loved that this story shows us that not everyone was willing to turn on the Jews. There were still good people willing to do what was right. That brings me hope.

I was also a girl who sang - singing has always been the thing I can do to make myself feel better. I loved that she was able to use her gift to bring herself and others joy.

I recommend this book for children ages 10+

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This one packs a punch.
A memoir of a Holocaust survivor, Enia, who changed her name to Estelle after escaping to America as a teenager. The story of this woman’s life would be difficult to read about if done in novel format; the graphic novel depiction renders it absolutely heartbreaking. So many twists and turns, so many horrors that young Enia experienced, could have broken her. Thanks to many kind, brave people along her journey, who put their own lives at risk to help Jews, Enia survived to become Estelle Nadel. Her mission in life, along with raising her family, has been to tell her story to younger generations, in order that the Holocaust will not be forgotten.
This book needs to be in every classroom, everywhere.
Update:
Estelle Nadel passed away on November 28, 2023.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't return this graphic memoir right away because I wanted my freshman daughter to read it. She was glad I handed it to her. We liked how it was different from many other stories written about the Holocaust.

We really liked how she showed not only what life was like before the German occupation of Poland, but what her life was like after they were liberated. A lot of times we are just left with a sense of relief and thankfulness that someone survived (or sadness that they died) at the end of a story that is mainly focused on the horrors of the Holocaust; so it was striking to read about some of the difficulties and tragedies that Enia endured and overcame as a child after the war ended.

"What The Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper is another book that explores life after the war through the eyes of a teen Holocaust survivor; but I would recommend that to older teens, whereas "The Girl Who Sang" is appropriate for middle school readers.

The artwork is childlike in a way that is beautifully done and appropriate to the story that is being told.

[The History Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and heartbreaking graphic novel of a young Jewish girl hiding in Poland during the Nazi occupation. Told in a beautiful way that celebrates her family life and Jewish traditions before the war, Estelle’s story is sad yet hopeful. She survived the worst evil that humanity could thrust upon a young girl, finding a new home and family thousands of miles away.

I loved how this story is told by Estelle herself, a Holocaust survivor who speaks to school groups. We all need to hear these stories and remember the ones who lost their lives and their families. With antisemitism on the rise again, it is imperative that we all read and share these stories with our kids. I know I won’t forget Estelle’s story and will honor her and all of those who lived through such a horrific time. We must never forget.

Recommended for middle school and older. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely heartbreaking, but such an important read.

[T.J. Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

"The Girl Who Sang" is a very poignant graphic memoir about the life of Estelle Nadel (Enia Feld), focusing on her experiences hiding and surviving in rural Poland during WWII. Enia was the youngest in a Jewish family of five children; her father was a farmer, and her mother catered for events in the local village. Only Enia and her two closest brothers survived the Holocaust, hidden by neighbors in their attics.

This was a different view of the Holocaust than I have experienced before. Enia and her brothers were never sent to a ghetto or a concentration camp but managed to survive in their own community, secretly sheltered for more than two years. When their village was liberated by the Soviet army, Enia was so weak and her muscles were so atrophied from laying silently in the attic that she had to be carried out and taught to walk again.

I was grateful that the story didn't end there. The reader follows Enia and her brothers to a displaced persons camp in Austria and then eventually to the United States. There, Enia's brothers found a series of foster families for Enia; she was eventually adopted and moved with her new family to California, across the country from where her brothers lived in New York. Enia explains that she resented this and felt it was a kind of abandonment, although she eventually forgave them and recognized how loyal and protective they had been for so long. Enia's complicated relationship with her brothers was really moving.

"The Girl Who Sang" is labeled as a middle grade book, and one reason I read it was to make sure I would be prepared to talk about it with my 10yo daughter who wants to read it. While it is a graphic novel, it is not "graphic" in its depictions of death and cruelty; however, it is very straightforward about what happened to Enia's parents and older siblings, as it should be. Parents should be prepared for difficult conversations about prejudice, cruelty, and war.

I really enjoy the graphic memoir form, as the images make the person's life story feel so visceral and near. I am grateful Estelle (the Americanized name Enia chose after moving to the US) chose to share her life with young readers. Evidently, she passed away a few months before the book was published. Her bravery and resilience will always be remembered now.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful memoir, in graphic novel format, of a Holocaust survivor. Well done...recommend

[Michelle Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, I cried so many times. It’s absolutely tragic, the way Enid had to go from place to place, never truly being with her brothers the way she should. I loved the art, and the timelines and diagrams of people.

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very personal, and at time tragic, narrative of surviving the Holocaust.

I had to take this in little bits. It was not a comfortable book to read. I will be happy to have it in my collection. Fewer of my students seem to know these kinds of stories. This book does not shrink from the harshness of genicide, while still remaining safely middle-grade. The sweeping nature of the story allows for some deep healing breaths at the end.

[Erica G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The art work is great and of course the story is a real tear jerker. It amazes me how much hardship people can go through and still come out finding something positive. It was an aspiring read. Thanks for the recommendation Indie!!

[Bethany Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So grateful for yet another Holocaust survivor’s personal account. Loved the “Afterward” section that tells what happened to certain people and photographs.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estelle recounts the story of her childhood (when she was known as Enia) spent hiding from the Nazis By the age of 11, she had lost her parents and a brother and sister as well as many of her extended family. The 2 brothers closest in age to her survived and looked after her. As the youngest in a large family, you can sense how little she actually knew and understood of what was going on. She had clearer memories of her mother I suspect than her father. Her father kept wanting to hope that their village was too small to be affected by the Nazis and that God would save them, both of which were wrong. Her mother tried to keep the family together and alive by going out alone and begging for food from neighbors but was eventually caught. Estelle loved to sing and I suspect was a great trial to her family by them needing to continually hush her up for safety. As a married adult, she started singing in temples and eventually telling her story as an effort to help others understand the Holocaust happened. She apparently was a lovely warm person who rejoiced in life, viewing it as proof she won. The Nazis didn’t manage to murder her or her two brothers and all had descendants. While the artist of the book always wanted to meet her in person, they communicated via many video meetings. Unfortunately she died before an in person meeting could happen. The artist has tried to publicize the book as a way to keep Estelle’s memory alive, and that the Holocaust happened. The artist, Sammy Savos succeeded with this book winning the 2025 Sidney Taylor Award for middle graders and a 2025 Sibert Honor Award! Highly recommended!

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book quietly surprised me. I went into it not knowing exactly what to expect, and what I found was something soft and sorrowful, with just the right touch of magic. The writing is gorgeous—lyrical without being flowery—and there’s a steady, emotional undercurrent that really pulled me in. It’s the kind of story that unfolds slowly but purposefully, and I appreciated how patient it was with itself.

The main character’s journey was both heartbreaking and empowering. There’s something really moving about watching a character reclaim their voice, especially in such a symbolic and literal way. It resonated deeply. I also loved how the mystical elements were woven in—they didn’t overpower the story, but added just enough wonder to make the book feel unique.

That said, the pacing might not work for everyone. It’s not a page-turner in the traditional sense, and there were a few moments where it felt like the narrative hovered a little too long. But I never wanted to stop reading—I just had to settle into its rhythm.

Overall, this was a beautiful, emotionally rich read. Not flashy or loud, but memorable in its own quiet way. I'm really glad I picked it up.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how to rate this one. It's meant to be for younger audiences but I found it very difficult to read. I know we need to introduce young people to the horror of the past (now more than ever really) but equally I'm not sure that letting 8 year olds read about the depths of deprivation these innocent people had to endure is really going to do more than upset them. There are better books for this age range that aren't so hard hitting. I wonder if this story would have served itself better being drawn less cartoonish and more realistic and then aimed at a YA audience.

Because I feel it missed the mark with the illustrations aimed at a younger audience than I think the content was suited for (the nudity in the book alone would have been for an older reader) I'm only rating this 3 stars when it could have earned more.

[Rebecca Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Girl Who Sang" is a powerful and deeply moving graphic memoir that brings Estelle Nadel’s harrowing yet hopeful Holocaust survival story to life. The storytelling is gripping, and the illustrations by Sammy Savos add an emotional depth that makes the horrors and resilience of Estelle’s journey even more impactful. Graphic memoirs like this are often underrated, but they have a unique ability to immerse readers in history in a visceral, unforgettable way. I was completely invested in Estelle’s story—her pain, her survival, and ultimately, her hope.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novel - Memoir about a girl who stays in hiding for over a year when the Nazis occupied Poland - she could see her own house from the attic of the neighbor's barn where she and her brother hid. Her survival story continues through her eventual move to the US. Very emotional and beautifully done text and artwork.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this on Thanksgiving to remind myself of all for which I am grateful. Estelle’s story is devastating, as all Holocaust memoirs are. Being told in graphic novel format makes the story more accessible and forces the reader to confront the travesties occurring right before their eyes.

[Lisa Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork does an excellent job of adding to the mood and tension of the book. I like that this particular memoir explored what happened to people following liberation, and how liberation was far from the end of the story.

[Danielle Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful nonfiction graphic novel about a Holocaust survivor.

[Claire Banik · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give 6 stars I would. Beautiful book. Very touching.

[Lisa Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an important story that needs to be told. Definitely told on a surface level, but still, the horror comes through.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The survival story of Jewish girl who hid with various family members during WW2 and made it to America after the war.

[Lizzy Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I was not expecting a graphic novel to make me cry as much as The Girl Who Sang did. This book follows Estelle as her family sees the beginning of the Nazi occupation of Poland all the way through to her beginnings in the new world of the United States and how she deals with the trauma and grief that comes with surviving such a horrific trauma as the Holocaust. Estelle takes us through the real-life journey of hiding during the years of World War Two in Nazi occupied Poland and how she deals with the constant loss of love, innocence, and safety. Major content warnings for this book: violence, anti-semitism, murder, language, and the Holocaust.