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Toen we wegvlogen: Een verhaal over Anne Frank voordat ze haar dagboek schreef
Ontroerend en meeslepend fictief verhaal rondom het leven van Anne Frank voordat ze haar dagboek schreef.
Te midden van onmogelijk gevaar ontdekt Anne, gedurfd, creatief en onbevreesd, wie ze werkelijk is. Met een wijsheid die haar jaren ver te boven gaat, wordt ze een schrijfster die de wereld zoals wij die kennen zal veranderen.
De veelgeprezen auteur Alice Hoffman weeft een hartverscheurend verhaal over de manier waarop de wereld de familie Frank nadert vanaf het moment dat de nazi's Nederland binnenvallen totdat ze gedwongen worden onder te duiken.
Gebaseerd op uitgebreid onderzoek en gepubliceerd in samenwerking met de Anne Frank Stichting in Amsterdam, is Toen we wegvlogen een buitengewoon en ontroerend verhaal.
Te midden van onmogelijk gevaar ontdekt Anne, gedurfd, creatief en onbevreesd, wie ze werkelijk is. Met een wijsheid die haar jaren ver te boven gaat, wordt ze een schrijfster die de wereld zoals wij die kennen zal veranderen.
De veelgeprezen auteur Alice Hoffman weeft een hartverscheurend verhaal over de manier waarop de wereld de familie Frank nadert vanaf het moment dat de nazi's Nederland binnenvallen totdat ze gedwongen worden onder te duiken.
Gebaseerd op uitgebreid onderzoek en gepubliceerd in samenwerking met de Anne Frank Stichting in Amsterdam, is Toen we wegvlogen een buitengewoon en ontroerend verhaal.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2024
721 people are currently reading
23016 people want to read
About the author
Alice Hoffman
117 books25.1k followersAlice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew; The Marriage of Opposites; The Red Garden; The Museum of Extraordinary Things; The Dovekeepers; Here on Earth, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and the Practical Magic series, including Practical
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 976 reviews
June 3, 2024
A poignant glimpse into the life of Anne Frank prior to the historical turning point, this shares the life of Anne and her sister Margot, how the changes that occurred affected their family, as well as the impact it had on each family member separately. This begins, more or less, with the invasion of the Netherlands by the Nazis, and how little by little, their lives were changed in the early years.
’Let us grow up to be who we want to be,she thought. Let us go out and find everything. Let us see stars and planets and countries that are far away. Let us be women, let us be sisters, let us always celebrate.’
Most of us are aware of the life of Anne Frank, but this shares a brief period of time before her world was changed, as the family is celebrating her 13th birthday. A brief moment in time that is both lovely and heartbreaking, knowing that their lives would all drastically change. I appreciated this lovely glimpse into what her life in the ‘before’ was like.
Aimed at Middle Grade readers, this is a wonderful read for all ages.
Pub Date: 17 Sep 2024
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scholastic l Scholastic Press
October 16, 2024
Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors, and, like everyone else who read The Diary of Anne Frank, that became a beloved book as well. This is Hoffman's imagining of the years leading up to the family going into hiding in Amsterdam, backed up by historical documents and facts. What was it like for Anne and her sister Margot to realize they were considered less than human because they were Jews?
"You cannot reason with people who are unreasonable. You cannot expect the Nazi's to act like normal people. Evil people tell themselves a story they come to believe. They tell themselves they are good, and everyone else is inhuman. They tell themselves what heaven would will them to do."
To me, that eerily echoes some of the things we see on the news everyday, all over the world.
Don't let the fact that this is classed as YA keep you from reading it. Sometimes the greatest truths are couched in simple language. It's beautiful and moving and heart-rending.
"You cannot reason with people who are unreasonable. You cannot expect the Nazi's to act like normal people. Evil people tell themselves a story they come to believe. They tell themselves they are good, and everyone else is inhuman. They tell themselves what heaven would will them to do."
To me, that eerily echoes some of the things we see on the news everyday, all over the world.
Don't let the fact that this is classed as YA keep you from reading it. Sometimes the greatest truths are couched in simple language. It's beautiful and moving and heart-rending.
February 17, 2025
[I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.]
When Scholastic announced the publication of When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman was announced earlier this year, I was both excited and tentative.
I do think that a historical fiction novel about Anne Frank aimed at younger readers (on their website, Scholastic suggests this book for 8-12 year olds) may be a way for a new generation of readers to become interested in Anne's story before they are ready to read her diary.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with this book and I have trouble imagining most student-age children wanting to read it or feeling engaged with it.
The book is incredibly lyrical and fanciful, and almost the entire story (what little there is of an actual story, due to said lyrical and fancifulness often taking pages and pages simply to muse on subjects rather than propel any narrative) is written in a passive "tell, not show" style that quickly becomes wearisome.
Very rarely do any of the characters in the story feel like real people that you might read about in any other historical fiction. This is primarily because Hoffman writes in a lyrical third person omniscient style, we are constantly told how characters act and feel.
We are told Anne is this way, we are told the grandmother feels that way; very rarely do we get any information through character action or dialogue. On the rare occasions when we do, this is often immediately followed up by yet another barrage of explanatory, lyrical sentences that tell us everything without allowing the story to show.
If anyone in the family happens to behave in a way that might seem unpleasant, Hoffman is quick to reassure us that actually, they only behaved that way because of some specific explanation. Then we get metaphorical sentences for at least a paragraph or two before moving on.
The omniscient style extends into the future as well, as throughout the book we learn about events that are yet to come, such as the deaths of certain percentages of Jewish people from a certain city, and the fate of Jewish people in Europe in general.
If the story had been written from the perspective of some otherworldly narrator (like "Death" in The Book Thief) then perhaps this would have felt fitting.
As it is, it only works to further detach When We Flew Away from the realm of historical fiction that seeks to present real people and events and closer into a heavy metaphorical narrative non-fiction.
Due to this style, it is only rarely that anyone in the book feels like a person with real thoughts or behaviors. Everyone almost feels like an exalted metaphorical figure, already knowing their fates and behaving like whimsical metaphors. Anne in this book does not feel like Anne from her diary or the Anne recounted by those who knew her.
There are a few stand out moments where the characters feel real--a moment when Anne is accosted by a Nazi after she stands too long near an ice rink; her father's excitement when he thinks they have finally made progress in seeking refuge in America--but these are vastly outnumbered by the constant metaphors and lyrical prose.
While Hoffman does occasionally allow a little of character to show in Anne, it quickly jumps back to presenting Anne as this sort of vague, whimsical, adult-in-a-child's body character who constantly sees metaphorical black moths encroaching on her world.
Hoffman's writing is not bad. There are some beautiful passages in here. The trouble is that the entire book is written in this fanciful omniscient passive style that feels catered more towards adults who read middle grade than actual middle grade readers who might be looking for an engaging historical fiction story.
When reading the novel, I couldn't help but think about recent social media posts discussing this very issue: how middle grade books are more and more catering to adults who buy them for kids, and not the children themselves.
This might be a perfect read for someone looking for an evocative, lyrical book. Unfortunately, it wasn't right for me.
When Scholastic announced the publication of When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman was announced earlier this year, I was both excited and tentative.
I do think that a historical fiction novel about Anne Frank aimed at younger readers (on their website, Scholastic suggests this book for 8-12 year olds) may be a way for a new generation of readers to become interested in Anne's story before they are ready to read her diary.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with this book and I have trouble imagining most student-age children wanting to read it or feeling engaged with it.
The book is incredibly lyrical and fanciful, and almost the entire story (what little there is of an actual story, due to said lyrical and fancifulness often taking pages and pages simply to muse on subjects rather than propel any narrative) is written in a passive "tell, not show" style that quickly becomes wearisome.
Very rarely do any of the characters in the story feel like real people that you might read about in any other historical fiction. This is primarily because Hoffman writes in a lyrical third person omniscient style, we are constantly told how characters act and feel.
We are told Anne is this way, we are told the grandmother feels that way; very rarely do we get any information through character action or dialogue. On the rare occasions when we do, this is often immediately followed up by yet another barrage of explanatory, lyrical sentences that tell us everything without allowing the story to show.
If anyone in the family happens to behave in a way that might seem unpleasant, Hoffman is quick to reassure us that actually, they only behaved that way because of some specific explanation. Then we get metaphorical sentences for at least a paragraph or two before moving on.
The omniscient style extends into the future as well, as throughout the book we learn about events that are yet to come, such as the deaths of certain percentages of Jewish people from a certain city, and the fate of Jewish people in Europe in general.
If the story had been written from the perspective of some otherworldly narrator (like "Death" in The Book Thief) then perhaps this would have felt fitting.
As it is, it only works to further detach When We Flew Away from the realm of historical fiction that seeks to present real people and events and closer into a heavy metaphorical narrative non-fiction.
Due to this style, it is only rarely that anyone in the book feels like a person with real thoughts or behaviors. Everyone almost feels like an exalted metaphorical figure, already knowing their fates and behaving like whimsical metaphors. Anne in this book does not feel like Anne from her diary or the Anne recounted by those who knew her.
There are a few stand out moments where the characters feel real--a moment when Anne is accosted by a Nazi after she stands too long near an ice rink; her father's excitement when he thinks they have finally made progress in seeking refuge in America--but these are vastly outnumbered by the constant metaphors and lyrical prose.
While Hoffman does occasionally allow a little of character to show in Anne, it quickly jumps back to presenting Anne as this sort of vague, whimsical, adult-in-a-child's body character who constantly sees metaphorical black moths encroaching on her world.
Hoffman's writing is not bad. There are some beautiful passages in here. The trouble is that the entire book is written in this fanciful omniscient passive style that feels catered more towards adults who read middle grade than actual middle grade readers who might be looking for an engaging historical fiction story.
When reading the novel, I couldn't help but think about recent social media posts discussing this very issue: how middle grade books are more and more catering to adults who buy them for kids, and not the children themselves.
This might be a perfect read for someone looking for an evocative, lyrical book. Unfortunately, it wasn't right for me.
June 8, 2024
I read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank for the first time a couple of months ago. That book is such a beautifully tragic piece of literature. I am grateful I read it before When We Flew Away because it helped me truly FEEL the story Alice Hoffman created for Anne. This fictional life “before” the Frank’s went into hiding was touching, devastating, hopeful, and it felt so accurate. I have been deeply affected by Anne’s diary and now this beautiful story from Hoffman. I know this book is considered Middle Grade, but everyone should read it.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Publishing for the eARC.
**Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Publishing for the eARC.
August 12, 2024
Anne and Margot walk home from school, not realizing that Nazi occupation is coming and their lives will never be the same.
This book starts a few years before Anne Frank's well-known diary, when Anne is eleven. It follows daily life as Amsterdam is overcome by the Nazis and life for Jews gets increasingly dangerous. Anne is in regular conflict with her mother, who criticizes Anne for dreaming of being an actress, but Anne's grandmother is her special friend.
This book sacrifices a lot in order to be lyrical and pretty. Namely, not much happens. In chapter one, we get an info dump as the girls do nothing while walking home from school. In chapter two, the girls listen while their parents argue about Anne's dreaminess. Yet this somehow takes up 43 pages. And I won't say that it isn't lovely prose that's full of interesting facts. But I also can't say I know who this book is for. It's labeled as middle grade, but none of my students would be captivated by it. I was ready to quit within the first 10 pages because I was bored, and I don't know if I could recommend this to anyone who's under the age of fourteen and isn't extremely interested in the minutiae of how life slowly changed as Hitler conquered Amsterdam. I also was puzzled by the characters. I was informed that this book is extremely well-researched, but Hoffman's Anne reminded me more of Anne of Green Gables than the girl I met in Anne Frank's Diary, and I found this disconcerting. The narration often used telling techniques to show Anne's character, which rendered her rather flat and not very interesting. While there's certainly character development and some interesting scenes sprinkled here and there amid the backstory and description, I struggled to reach the end of this book and often found myself skimming large chunks to stave off sleepiness.
If you have read any of Alice Hoffman's other works and liked their lyrical style, and if you have an interest in WWII, I suggest you give this book a try. It definitely has Hoffman's distinct flair for poetic prose and cryptic symbolism, and it's obvious that Hoffman put in the work to be able to authentically describe life in that time and place.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book starts a few years before Anne Frank's well-known diary, when Anne is eleven. It follows daily life as Amsterdam is overcome by the Nazis and life for Jews gets increasingly dangerous. Anne is in regular conflict with her mother, who criticizes Anne for dreaming of being an actress, but Anne's grandmother is her special friend.
This book sacrifices a lot in order to be lyrical and pretty. Namely, not much happens. In chapter one, we get an info dump as the girls do nothing while walking home from school. In chapter two, the girls listen while their parents argue about Anne's dreaminess. Yet this somehow takes up 43 pages. And I won't say that it isn't lovely prose that's full of interesting facts. But I also can't say I know who this book is for. It's labeled as middle grade, but none of my students would be captivated by it. I was ready to quit within the first 10 pages because I was bored, and I don't know if I could recommend this to anyone who's under the age of fourteen and isn't extremely interested in the minutiae of how life slowly changed as Hitler conquered Amsterdam. I also was puzzled by the characters. I was informed that this book is extremely well-researched, but Hoffman's Anne reminded me more of Anne of Green Gables than the girl I met in Anne Frank's Diary, and I found this disconcerting. The narration often used telling techniques to show Anne's character, which rendered her rather flat and not very interesting. While there's certainly character development and some interesting scenes sprinkled here and there amid the backstory and description, I struggled to reach the end of this book and often found myself skimming large chunks to stave off sleepiness.
If you have read any of Alice Hoffman's other works and liked their lyrical style, and if you have an interest in WWII, I suggest you give this book a try. It definitely has Hoffman's distinct flair for poetic prose and cryptic symbolism, and it's obvious that Hoffman put in the work to be able to authentically describe life in that time and place.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
January 26, 2025
A very good historical fiction novel. I just felt sad throughout since you know how this ends.
"When We Flew Away" is a take on Anne Frank's life before she and her family went into hiding and she started documenting everything that was happening in her diary. The book starts off with Anne celebrating her birthday, but also dealing with the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands.
I did love what Hoffman did here, but it's missing her typical "Hoffmaness"--is that a word-- there's no magical realism to be found here. There also seems to be less lyrical writing in this book, except in a few cases. Those are things that I find myself always seeing in her works. That's not a criticism, just wanted to let readers know who have read her before to not go in with different expectations.
You can tell Hoffman did her research on this one, so this is as close I think as a historical fiction book you can get about Anne Frank.
I think with everything happening in the world right now, books like this are very necessary. The audience for this is young adults, but I enjoyed it, even though I am not one.
"When We Flew Away" is a take on Anne Frank's life before she and her family went into hiding and she started documenting everything that was happening in her diary. The book starts off with Anne celebrating her birthday, but also dealing with the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands.
I did love what Hoffman did here, but it's missing her typical "Hoffmaness"--is that a word-- there's no magical realism to be found here. There also seems to be less lyrical writing in this book, except in a few cases. Those are things that I find myself always seeing in her works. That's not a criticism, just wanted to let readers know who have read her before to not go in with different expectations.
You can tell Hoffman did her research on this one, so this is as close I think as a historical fiction book you can get about Anne Frank.
I think with everything happening in the world right now, books like this are very necessary. The audience for this is young adults, but I enjoyed it, even though I am not one.
August 20, 2024
I am a huge fan of Alice Hoffman’s novels. This one is her fictional imaginings of what Anne Frank’s life was like before the “Diary.” It is heartfelt and eye-opening and makes me want to read “The Diary of a Young Girl” again through a much more mature state of being rather than something I “had to read” in school.
March 3, 2025
What an interesting middle grade historical fiction! I haven't read any of Alice Hoffman's adult titles, but this was an interesting exploration of what Anne's life could have been like before she went into hiding. CW: antisemitism, descriptions of war
What Worked: I remember reading The Diary of a Young Girl in high school and becoming drawn into the devastating implications of Hitler's rise to power. Though I've read many books about WWII and the Holocaust since then, I still often reflect on my experience reading that novel for the first time. When We Flew Away brought some of those memories back. Though the contents of this book are not completely factual (its a reimagining of what Anne's life could have been like before she went into hiding), I think that it provides some great insight to the environment of Amsterdam during WWII and how quickly the community turned against the Jewish community. The particular incidents/details about Anne's life may not be real; however, Hoffman's descriptions of the political climate of Amsterdam/the world, Otto Franks attempts to get them into the US, the fall of Eastern Europe to Hitler, etc are historical accurate. As a result, I would highly recommend utilizing this as a supplemental text for middle grade students learning about WWII or for those who have more of an interest in Anne Frank. Hoffman gives a voice and characterization to Anne that was thoughtful and realistic. Her struggles with her identity as a young tween, her comparisons of herself to her sister, her experiences with first love/romance, questioning the love of her mother and their relationship are all things that middle grade readers will find connections to.
What Didn't Work: Hoffman wrote the intermingling of the present and future in an interesting way that didn't always work for me. I would experience Anne and her family through a present day lens (present for their time period) and then Hoffman would hint at what would come in the future (based on historical documentation) and it would completely take me out of the story. This is primarily a me thing, but it is something worth noting.
Overall, this was a good novel and I'm definitely looking forward to checking out of Hoffman's kidlit works.
What Worked: I remember reading The Diary of a Young Girl in high school and becoming drawn into the devastating implications of Hitler's rise to power. Though I've read many books about WWII and the Holocaust since then, I still often reflect on my experience reading that novel for the first time. When We Flew Away brought some of those memories back. Though the contents of this book are not completely factual (its a reimagining of what Anne's life could have been like before she went into hiding), I think that it provides some great insight to the environment of Amsterdam during WWII and how quickly the community turned against the Jewish community. The particular incidents/details about Anne's life may not be real; however, Hoffman's descriptions of the political climate of Amsterdam/the world, Otto Franks attempts to get them into the US, the fall of Eastern Europe to Hitler, etc are historical accurate. As a result, I would highly recommend utilizing this as a supplemental text for middle grade students learning about WWII or for those who have more of an interest in Anne Frank. Hoffman gives a voice and characterization to Anne that was thoughtful and realistic. Her struggles with her identity as a young tween, her comparisons of herself to her sister, her experiences with first love/romance, questioning the love of her mother and their relationship are all things that middle grade readers will find connections to.
What Didn't Work: Hoffman wrote the intermingling of the present and future in an interesting way that didn't always work for me. I would experience Anne and her family through a present day lens (present for their time period) and then Hoffman would hint at what would come in the future (based on historical documentation) and it would completely take me out of the story. This is primarily a me thing, but it is something worth noting.
Overall, this was a good novel and I'm definitely looking forward to checking out of Hoffman's kidlit works.
October 9, 2024
I wanted to love this, but really couldn’t. Love the IDEA; really did not like the way it was done.
June 7, 2025
Well-researched look into the life of Anne Frank and her family, before they went into hiding.
October 10, 2024
I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn’t hang with it. The narration changed multiple POV in a single page which made it hard to follow, and it was very repetitious discussing how “special” Anne was (which we’re all aware of) and how much her father and Oma adored her. Very, very slow pace.
Read
September 24, 2024DNF, I think I’m just too attached to the original Diary of Anne Frank, and also the pacing of this is atrocious
August 19, 2025
"Hatred was contagious, it spread from one household to the next, a slow infection of the spirit and the soul."
Most everyone knows the story and the ending. I feel what Hoffman has tried to do is to show what Anne was like before the madness took over. Before the world went crazy. Before a Jewish family had to hide to try to escape death. The author's Afterword and Acknowledgments sections were very informative, and I understand the power of her lyrical prose in this particular book. As Hoffman says, "Fiction is meant to make sense of a world that is so unbelievably cruel that sometimes we can only begin to understand the past and the present in the language of fairy tales and myths."
"Love is everything, love is everywhere, it's the one thing they can never take away from you."
Most everyone knows the story and the ending. I feel what Hoffman has tried to do is to show what Anne was like before the madness took over. Before the world went crazy. Before a Jewish family had to hide to try to escape death. The author's Afterword and Acknowledgments sections were very informative, and I understand the power of her lyrical prose in this particular book. As Hoffman says, "Fiction is meant to make sense of a world that is so unbelievably cruel that sometimes we can only begin to understand the past and the present in the language of fairy tales and myths."
"Love is everything, love is everywhere, it's the one thing they can never take away from you."
September 18, 2024
I picked up When We Flew Away with the expectation of a heartfelt exploration of Anne Frank's early life, but I found it to be a disappointing experience. Although marketed to middle schoolers, the book felt like a poorly executed attempt at appealing to adults, lacking the depth and connection needed to engage younger readers.
Hoffman's writing is undeniably lyrical and mystical, but it often overshadows the characters and story. The Anne in this novel is not the spirited girl from her diary; instead, she seems to possess adult thoughts that don’t align with her age. This portrayal, along with her family’s apparent awareness of their tragic fate, made it difficult to immerse myself in their emotional journey. Rather than allowing readers to interpret feelings, the narrative feels heavy-handed, outlining thoughts and emotions instead of letting them unfold naturally.
Moreover, the story lacks a strong historical foundation. While it draws on the little we know about Anne Frank, it often feels more like a collection of feelings than a cohesive narrative. The historical context is minimal, which detracts from the authenticity one might expect in historical fiction. The book might have worked better as an original story, rather than trying to create a new version of such well-known figures.
In the end, When We Flew Away left me wanting more connection and authenticity. It didn’t resonate with me, and I doubt my middle school kids would find it engaging either. While Hoffman’s poetic style has its merits, it ultimately misses the mark for a meaningful portrayal of Anne Frank.
Hoffman's writing is undeniably lyrical and mystical, but it often overshadows the characters and story. The Anne in this novel is not the spirited girl from her diary; instead, she seems to possess adult thoughts that don’t align with her age. This portrayal, along with her family’s apparent awareness of their tragic fate, made it difficult to immerse myself in their emotional journey. Rather than allowing readers to interpret feelings, the narrative feels heavy-handed, outlining thoughts and emotions instead of letting them unfold naturally.
Moreover, the story lacks a strong historical foundation. While it draws on the little we know about Anne Frank, it often feels more like a collection of feelings than a cohesive narrative. The historical context is minimal, which detracts from the authenticity one might expect in historical fiction. The book might have worked better as an original story, rather than trying to create a new version of such well-known figures.
In the end, When We Flew Away left me wanting more connection and authenticity. It didn’t resonate with me, and I doubt my middle school kids would find it engaging either. While Hoffman’s poetic style has its merits, it ultimately misses the mark for a meaningful portrayal of Anne Frank.
November 20, 2024
A poignant imagining of what Anne’s life might have been like in the couple of years before the family went into hiding. Anne’s wish at the end of this book: Remember us. Remember me.
October 20, 2024
This book was wonderful on many levels. So beautifully written that some memorable quotes will best serve as a review.
Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.61)-“In Germany, before 1933, some Jews didn’t see what was happening at first…The Germans put on a play, a pantomime of what was to come, separation for the good of the nation. Then the curtain dropped, and people saw what was before them. There it was, the evil that had been there all along was revealed to one and all.”
(Pg.210)-“And yet they burn books. They throw them into metal trash cans and light a fire and then all the words that had been written fly away.
“What happens to the words then?”
“They’re remembered by everyone who ever read them.”
(Pg.270)-“The last moment of anything is one you never forget.”
I totally agree with the author’s statement in the Afterword section: “Remember us, the diary tells us, in every single line, which is why it should be required reading for every child in America and throughout the world.”-Alice Hoffman
Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.61)-“In Germany, before 1933, some Jews didn’t see what was happening at first…The Germans put on a play, a pantomime of what was to come, separation for the good of the nation. Then the curtain dropped, and people saw what was before them. There it was, the evil that had been there all along was revealed to one and all.”
(Pg.210)-“And yet they burn books. They throw them into metal trash cans and light a fire and then all the words that had been written fly away.
“What happens to the words then?”
“They’re remembered by everyone who ever read them.”
(Pg.270)-“The last moment of anything is one you never forget.”
I totally agree with the author’s statement in the Afterword section: “Remember us, the diary tells us, in every single line, which is why it should be required reading for every child in America and throughout the world.”-Alice Hoffman
September 8, 2024
A view into the life of Anne Frank + the Frank family from just before the Netherlands are invaded by Nazi, Germany right up until she goes into hiding during World War II. Although fictional, it’s based on extensive research and published cooperation with the Anne Frank House.
It’s an absolutely heart-wrenching story of how a country goes from peaceful and welcoming to refugees, to one filled with prejudice, terror and violence. And amid the terror, a glimpse into the life of a girl and a family that remained filled with love, hope and dreams for life after the brutality of war. An important reminder for us to appreciate the simple joys of life— and what happened once, can happen again.
It’s an absolutely heart-wrenching story of how a country goes from peaceful and welcoming to refugees, to one filled with prejudice, terror and violence. And amid the terror, a glimpse into the life of a girl and a family that remained filled with love, hope and dreams for life after the brutality of war. An important reminder for us to appreciate the simple joys of life— and what happened once, can happen again.
May 23, 2024
When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman is a great middle-grade historical fiction that I loved.
Yes, I know that I am an adult, however I am so glad I read this for teo reasons:
1. I have always loved, and been drawn to, Anne Frank after reading her diary in 3rd grade. I cherish that novel, and love to read anything that does her justice.
2. My son is now 9 and has been reading chapter books for two years now. I am always looking for quality novels that he can enjoy (but can learn from in the process).
This book meets both of those qualifications. Adding to its positives…author Alice Hoffman is one of my true favorites, and how wonderfully depicted the Frank family is portrayed within this novel. It is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
Wonderful book and a must read for all.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Scholastic | Scholastic Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/17/24.
Yes, I know that I am an adult, however I am so glad I read this for teo reasons:
1. I have always loved, and been drawn to, Anne Frank after reading her diary in 3rd grade. I cherish that novel, and love to read anything that does her justice.
2. My son is now 9 and has been reading chapter books for two years now. I am always looking for quality novels that he can enjoy (but can learn from in the process).
This book meets both of those qualifications. Adding to its positives…author Alice Hoffman is one of my true favorites, and how wonderfully depicted the Frank family is portrayed within this novel. It is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
Wonderful book and a must read for all.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Scholastic | Scholastic Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/17/24.
November 20, 2024
Heartbreaking feeling after finishing this of the “what could have been” for Anne, her family and an astronomically high number of innocent lives that were lost during WW2. Reading historical fiction is not my go to but I would highly recommend this book to all. Remembering history is an important part of our present and future.
December 28, 2024
This book imagines Anne’s life in the years before she went into hiding. It captures the voice that everyone knows from her diary and describes the family’s feelings and decisions as more and more restrictions are placed on them.
June 4, 2025
I listened to the audiobook of this amazing novel of Anne Frank’s life in Holland prior to going into hiding. It’s fabulous.
July 3, 2024
"When you write it down, they cannot pretend it never happened."
- When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary
This enchanting novel by Alice Hoffman, my first by this author but certainly not my last, brought Anne Frank to life in a way that transcends the confines of her famous diary. We meet a vibrant young girl, brimming with curiosity and a fierce spirit, long before the Secret Annex became her world.
Hoffman's poignant storytelling humanizes Anne in a way that resonates deeply. Witnessing her bond with her beloved Oma, the blossoming friendships, and the simple joys of childhood creates a powerful contrast to the darkness that looms. The celebration of birthdays, the carefree walks, the youthful skating adventures - these seemingly ordinary moments become achingly precious as we witness their gradual erosion.
This book isn't just about the looming threat; it's about Anne's full personality. We see her love for learning, the sting of prejudice, the tentative steps towards romance, and the complex relationship with her sister that evolves throughout the story. Hoffman masterfully weaves historical details into the narrative, painting a chilling picture of a nation slowly succumbing to Nazi control.
The evolving dynamic between Anne and her mother adds another layer of depth. We witness the initial friction, the yearning for connection, and the gradual transformation as Anne finds her voice. This thread of their relationship adds a poignant dimension to the story.
Whether you've read Anne's diary or not, "When We Flew Away" tugs at your heartstrings. It allows you to appreciate the full spectrum of Anne's life, from the vibrant "before" to the courage she would soon demonstrate in hiding. This is a powerful reminder of the importance of cherishing the simple joys of life and the enduring power of the human spirit.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this lovely read!
- When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary
This enchanting novel by Alice Hoffman, my first by this author but certainly not my last, brought Anne Frank to life in a way that transcends the confines of her famous diary. We meet a vibrant young girl, brimming with curiosity and a fierce spirit, long before the Secret Annex became her world.
Hoffman's poignant storytelling humanizes Anne in a way that resonates deeply. Witnessing her bond with her beloved Oma, the blossoming friendships, and the simple joys of childhood creates a powerful contrast to the darkness that looms. The celebration of birthdays, the carefree walks, the youthful skating adventures - these seemingly ordinary moments become achingly precious as we witness their gradual erosion.
This book isn't just about the looming threat; it's about Anne's full personality. We see her love for learning, the sting of prejudice, the tentative steps towards romance, and the complex relationship with her sister that evolves throughout the story. Hoffman masterfully weaves historical details into the narrative, painting a chilling picture of a nation slowly succumbing to Nazi control.
The evolving dynamic between Anne and her mother adds another layer of depth. We witness the initial friction, the yearning for connection, and the gradual transformation as Anne finds her voice. This thread of their relationship adds a poignant dimension to the story.
Whether you've read Anne's diary or not, "When We Flew Away" tugs at your heartstrings. It allows you to appreciate the full spectrum of Anne's life, from the vibrant "before" to the courage she would soon demonstrate in hiding. This is a powerful reminder of the importance of cherishing the simple joys of life and the enduring power of the human spirit.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this lovely read!
September 12, 2024
I think this is not only one of the best books I’ve ever read, but also one of the most important. The writing is lyrical and filled with the type of magic Alice Hoffman is known for. It’s beautiful, haunting and just wonderful. This is not an easy book to read. A novel of Anne Frank’s somewhat imagined life before she and her family went into hiding from the Nazis, it’s impossible to not feel foreboding and dread as the events unfold. We know what terrible things happened to Anne and her family and millions of other Jews. I cried many times as I read Anne’s dreams, hopes and aspirations, knowing how many of them would never come true. And yet, with Hoffman’s writing, there is a sense of hope. Hope that there’s still good in the world, despite the many evils faced. Hope that love will triumph over hate. One of my favorite things about this book was seeing Anne as just a young girl with the same feelings most of us young girls have had. I loved seeing her relationships with her mother, father, sister and grandmother. I loved seeing her wrestle with feeling like she was too much and yet not enough. At the end of the day, she was a young girl who lived and died through true horror and yet, she was also just a young girl who wanted to feel special and be loved. Alice Hoffman brought Anne (and all the other characters) to life and amid all the horrible things we know are coming, I still felt hope.
CW: antisemitism, racism, violence, war, animal death, genocide
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
CW: antisemitism, racism, violence, war, animal death, genocide
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 27, 2024
This is supposed to be YA but it's more for middle grade readers. I don't think either age group would find this book compelling. They should just read Anne Frank's diary!
Hoffman's book has no clear POV and is all about telling you, not showing you. There's not much of a plot and not much to the characters. Paragraphs go in sometimes for a whole page and do nothing to advance the narrative. Yes, there's lyrical writing, but for me, it makes it seem like Hoffman is trying way too hard. I just can't imagine any young reader getting caught up in this book.
Hoffman's book has no clear POV and is all about telling you, not showing you. There's not much of a plot and not much to the characters. Paragraphs go in sometimes for a whole page and do nothing to advance the narrative. Yes, there's lyrical writing, but for me, it makes it seem like Hoffman is trying way too hard. I just can't imagine any young reader getting caught up in this book.
October 10, 2024
This is a work of fiction written by Anne Hoffman about the years leading up to Anne Frank and her family being taken to concentration camps. It talks about where they live, and how they were discriminated against. You learn about her family, her grandmother and her friends. It is a very sad book, but written well for young children to read. You can’t say you enjoyed the book, but it did give you a lot of insight to the Nazi mistreatment of the Jews.
October 14, 2024
I am a huge Alice Hoffman fan, however this book fell flat to me. The dialogue was stilted. Anne never came to life. Perhaps because we all know the horrible fate of the characters, it played a role in my feelings about the book. It was also a lot of internal musings, which I felt tried to mimic a diary and that didn’t sit well with me for some reason. I am trying to figure out the audience for this. I don’t see a young reader being interested in this.
February 16, 2025
Ms. Hoffman is a prolific and wonderful novelist. I have read about twenty of her books and except for one everyone was exceptionally good and a few, such as "The Dovekeepers" and "The World That We Knew," were simply great.
"When WE Flew Away/ A Novel of Anne Frank Before The Diary," I would add, without hesitantly, to the simply great list. It is a fictional/ historical novel about the previous 3 years, when the Frank family was living in the Netherlands after escaping from Germany, before they were forced to go into hiding after the Germans had conquered the Netherlands and as part of "The Final Solution," killed 75 percent of the Jewish population of the Netherlands.
The novel gives us a more complete picture of Anne between the ages of eleven and thirteen, and of her older sister, Margot, her father, mother, and grandmother.
Anne is portrayed as an active, curious, and intelligent young girl who loves to read, especially fairytales and as she reaches the age of thirteen she starts to think about love and intimacy
Throughout the book, the idea of "Remember us and Remember me," is continually mentioned as her grandmother reminds her throughout the novel the one way to be always remembered is by writing...they can take everything from you except the written word.
Hemingway once famously wrote, "That the only thing a person takes with them when they die is what they left behind," and in the case of Anne Frank she left behind a diary as important a piece of writing as the most famous novels, poems, short stories, etc.
Anne and her sister Margot were two of the millions of young Jewish children killed by the Nazis. Like so many other children, the promise of a full and promising life was cut short by a brutal and unforgiving regime whose soldiers showed no mercy and whose consciences were devoid of any morals.
Just recently Elon Musk, just before Holocaust Remembrance Day, told a group of far right Germans that they should get over "past guilt."
Thanks to Anne Frank that is going to be a lot harder to do than the so-called genius thinks.
Yet the rise of anti-semitism in the United States and many other countries is unbelievably disturbing. It amazes me how the Jewish population of the world, that totals 0.002 percent of the entire population, could be responsible for so many dastardly crimes. And what is even more disturbing is that this hatred comes in no small part from Catholics and the tens of thousands of Christian Protestant denominations. You would think by now that they would have figured out that Jesus was Jewish.
Ms. Hoffman's novel is a perfect compliment to the actual diary. Yes, the novel is fictional but it is so, so real in the depiction of a young, promising life robbed of its full potential.
"When WE Flew Away/ A Novel of Anne Frank Before The Diary," I would add, without hesitantly, to the simply great list. It is a fictional/ historical novel about the previous 3 years, when the Frank family was living in the Netherlands after escaping from Germany, before they were forced to go into hiding after the Germans had conquered the Netherlands and as part of "The Final Solution," killed 75 percent of the Jewish population of the Netherlands.
The novel gives us a more complete picture of Anne between the ages of eleven and thirteen, and of her older sister, Margot, her father, mother, and grandmother.
Anne is portrayed as an active, curious, and intelligent young girl who loves to read, especially fairytales and as she reaches the age of thirteen she starts to think about love and intimacy
Throughout the book, the idea of "Remember us and Remember me," is continually mentioned as her grandmother reminds her throughout the novel the one way to be always remembered is by writing...they can take everything from you except the written word.
Hemingway once famously wrote, "That the only thing a person takes with them when they die is what they left behind," and in the case of Anne Frank she left behind a diary as important a piece of writing as the most famous novels, poems, short stories, etc.
Anne and her sister Margot were two of the millions of young Jewish children killed by the Nazis. Like so many other children, the promise of a full and promising life was cut short by a brutal and unforgiving regime whose soldiers showed no mercy and whose consciences were devoid of any morals.
Just recently Elon Musk, just before Holocaust Remembrance Day, told a group of far right Germans that they should get over "past guilt."
Thanks to Anne Frank that is going to be a lot harder to do than the so-called genius thinks.
Yet the rise of anti-semitism in the United States and many other countries is unbelievably disturbing. It amazes me how the Jewish population of the world, that totals 0.002 percent of the entire population, could be responsible for so many dastardly crimes. And what is even more disturbing is that this hatred comes in no small part from Catholics and the tens of thousands of Christian Protestant denominations. You would think by now that they would have figured out that Jesus was Jewish.
Ms. Hoffman's novel is a perfect compliment to the actual diary. Yes, the novel is fictional but it is so, so real in the depiction of a young, promising life robbed of its full potential.
April 6, 2025
An excellent novel imagining Anne Frank’s life in Amsterdam prior to her and her family going into hiding. This should be required reading for middle grade and high school students.
July 11, 2025
A lovely prequel to the Ann Frank story. Very accurate and very hard to put down.
April 5, 2025
This is a poignant imagining of Anne Frank's life before her family was forced into hiding and before she started her famous diary. Tear-jerker for middle grade readers
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