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Please Look After This Girl: The True Story of a WWII Kindertransport Child
Not yet published
Expected 22 Dec 26Long before readers met Paddington Bear(TM), real children arrived in Britain with one suitcase and a tag around their necks.
In 1939, after witnessing Kristallnacht and enduring brutal harassment for being Jewish, fourteen-year-old Renate Bial clutches a small suitcase as she boards a train that will carry her away from her home-one of the last rescue missions before war engulfs Europe. She arrives in England as a refugee with a label hung around her neck and patiently sits at the railroad station waiting...
But safety proves elusive as Renate struggles with a new language, strange customs, and the shadow of fear that follows her. Meanwhile, her brother faces his own nightmare aboard the notorious HMT Dunera, where Jewish refugees are treated worse than prisoners of war during a harrowing eight-week voyage to Australian internment camps.
Throughout the London Blitz and years of uncertainty, Renate must find the strength to rebuild her shattered world while carrying the weight and memory of those who didn't survive.
Please Look After This Girl is the extraordinary true story of Renate, a German Jewish girl whose quick wit, courage, and fierce sense of justice help her survive the unimaginable.
Paddington Bear(TM), Paddington(TM), and PB(TM) are trademarks of Paddington and Company Limited. This book is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, authorised, sponsored, or endorsed by Paddington and Company Limited.
In 1939, after witnessing Kristallnacht and enduring brutal harassment for being Jewish, fourteen-year-old Renate Bial clutches a small suitcase as she boards a train that will carry her away from her home-one of the last rescue missions before war engulfs Europe. She arrives in England as a refugee with a label hung around her neck and patiently sits at the railroad station waiting...
But safety proves elusive as Renate struggles with a new language, strange customs, and the shadow of fear that follows her. Meanwhile, her brother faces his own nightmare aboard the notorious HMT Dunera, where Jewish refugees are treated worse than prisoners of war during a harrowing eight-week voyage to Australian internment camps.
Throughout the London Blitz and years of uncertainty, Renate must find the strength to rebuild her shattered world while carrying the weight and memory of those who didn't survive.
Please Look After This Girl is the extraordinary true story of Renate, a German Jewish girl whose quick wit, courage, and fierce sense of justice help her survive the unimaginable.
Paddington Bear(TM), Paddington(TM), and PB(TM) are trademarks of Paddington and Company Limited. This book is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, authorised, sponsored, or endorsed by Paddington and Company Limited.
- GenresNonfictionAdultHistory
288 pages, Paperback
Expected publication December 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Please Look After This Girl by Crystal Awadalla was a worthwhile, captivating read that I highly recommend. A mix of non-fiction (this is the author's mother's story) blended with fiction (the author took the liberty to tell the story through the viewpoint of her mother's experiences, from her younger years through adulthood, along with a slight dual timeline of her mother's viewpoint as a 91-year-old woman). This is not only a tale of a Jewish child's harrowing escape from Nazi Germany to England, then to Canada, but also enables the reader to relive the years of WWII through the perspective of Jews and non-Jews, offering a most enlightening but chilling lesson of a time that we all must know about so to proactively ensure that it does not happen again to any faith, race, or nationality.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A powerful and poignant account. Incredibly moving.
This well-researched and well-presented memoir is based on interviews, historical records, and the author's memories. Letters, photographs, newspaper articles, and a diary are all used in the book. Her mother's memoir, told by her daughter. Collected from experiences her mum told her about; stories she grew up listening to.
Renate had had to leave her family, and her own mother in Germany, and arrived at Liverpool Street Station, London, in 1939.
She perfectly captures the atmosphere and anguish of those times. I found her writing so powerful and moving.
Extensive photos from the author's collection are included. A nice touch are the little silhouettes of a girl carrying a suitcase between scenes.
It's well-constructed, and very easy to read, despite the difficult and harrowing circumstances. It was gripping and interesting, which sounds a bit strange when it's about sad and tragic times, but it's because of the way it's written.
Emotional, heartbreaking, and beautifully written.
This well-researched and well-presented memoir is based on interviews, historical records, and the author's memories. Letters, photographs, newspaper articles, and a diary are all used in the book. Her mother's memoir, told by her daughter. Collected from experiences her mum told her about; stories she grew up listening to.
Renate had had to leave her family, and her own mother in Germany, and arrived at Liverpool Street Station, London, in 1939.
She perfectly captures the atmosphere and anguish of those times. I found her writing so powerful and moving.
Extensive photos from the author's collection are included. A nice touch are the little silhouettes of a girl carrying a suitcase between scenes.
It's well-constructed, and very easy to read, despite the difficult and harrowing circumstances. It was gripping and interesting, which sounds a bit strange when it's about sad and tragic times, but it's because of the way it's written.
Emotional, heartbreaking, and beautifully written.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is informative of what went on with the kindertransport during WW2. The writing made it feel like you are a part of the action. The diary entries at the end were informative too and gave the perspective from the male refugee. Highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in WW2 history.
This book is informative of what went on with the kindertransport during WW2. The writing made it feel like you are a part of the action. The diary entries at the end were informative too and gave the perspective from the male refugee. Highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in WW2 history.
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October 10, 2026Please Look After This Girl, by Crystal Awadalla
“One last hug. A hug that pulls Mama into my heart.”
Tucked into the beginning paragraph of Awadalla’s historical novel, that sentence embodies the pain of Please Look After This Girl. The story portrays the horrors of the Holocaust from the point of view of a young girl, Renate, as she and her mother struggle to survive in Nazi Germany. Renate’s boots walk across the glass shattered on Kristallnacht as the pogrom against the Jewish people escalates, and the Nazi’s burn businesses, steal jewelry, and ship people away in cattle cars. Finally, Renate and her mother hug on the station’s platform and then the fifteen-year-old steps into the train, bound for England.
Because her older brother was attending a boarding school in England, her situation is different from the very young children sent to foster families. Yet, the ingrained fear radiating from Renate showed me how deeply the Nazi’s controlled a Jewish person’s mind. She is scared to enter a movie theater or sit on the bus. The sight of a police officer terrifies her. The Nazis justified their military tactics on the German people because they preached that England was preparing to invade them. But Renate only spies one soldier, wearing a kilt, and realizes that the Nazi lied.
Eventually, Renate’s mother escapes from Germany and arrives in England, and mother and daughter live with her uncle. Stories from other refugee families weave with Renate’s, from famous musicians and childhood friends who flee to England. Over the course of the novel, Renate grows into a mature young woman hoping for romance and stability in the midst of a World War. Because her brother is still a German citizen, he and hundreds of other Jewish men are sent to Australia on a vessel reminiscent of a slave ship. Awadalla inserted the first-person account of the horrifying journey recorded by a prisoner in his diary.
One particular theme appealed to me, Renate’s love of music, and how she found solace in it. Music showed that even in dark times, the arts can bring comfort and hope. And yet, Please Look After This Girl, remind readers that authoritarianism too often lurks in the dark, waiting to invade every day lives.
“One last hug. A hug that pulls Mama into my heart.”
Tucked into the beginning paragraph of Awadalla’s historical novel, that sentence embodies the pain of Please Look After This Girl. The story portrays the horrors of the Holocaust from the point of view of a young girl, Renate, as she and her mother struggle to survive in Nazi Germany. Renate’s boots walk across the glass shattered on Kristallnacht as the pogrom against the Jewish people escalates, and the Nazi’s burn businesses, steal jewelry, and ship people away in cattle cars. Finally, Renate and her mother hug on the station’s platform and then the fifteen-year-old steps into the train, bound for England.
Because her older brother was attending a boarding school in England, her situation is different from the very young children sent to foster families. Yet, the ingrained fear radiating from Renate showed me how deeply the Nazi’s controlled a Jewish person’s mind. She is scared to enter a movie theater or sit on the bus. The sight of a police officer terrifies her. The Nazis justified their military tactics on the German people because they preached that England was preparing to invade them. But Renate only spies one soldier, wearing a kilt, and realizes that the Nazi lied.
Eventually, Renate’s mother escapes from Germany and arrives in England, and mother and daughter live with her uncle. Stories from other refugee families weave with Renate’s, from famous musicians and childhood friends who flee to England. Over the course of the novel, Renate grows into a mature young woman hoping for romance and stability in the midst of a World War. Because her brother is still a German citizen, he and hundreds of other Jewish men are sent to Australia on a vessel reminiscent of a slave ship. Awadalla inserted the first-person account of the horrifying journey recorded by a prisoner in his diary.
One particular theme appealed to me, Renate’s love of music, and how she found solace in it. Music showed that even in dark times, the arts can bring comfort and hope. And yet, Please Look After This Girl, remind readers that authoritarianism too often lurks in the dark, waiting to invade every day lives.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Crucial Reminder of a Past not to be Forgotten
Please Look After This Girl is a story of suffering and courage, a Jewish mother’s tale of her life during and after the Nazi regime. Awadalla relates the story in the words of her mother, Renata Bial, just as they were told to her over the years—an oral history set to the page by a gifted biographer. Awadalla tells the stories in the form of a diary so that the book immediately engages the reader and holds their attention until the final page.
The autobiography begins in 1924 in Breslau, Germany, today Wroclaw, Poland, and follows the lives of Bial and her friends and relatives through the run up to the Second World War and continues through postwar London, as Bial seeks out long lost friends and learns the fates of those who perished in concentration camps. It chronicles her escape from Germany to refuge in England. There she was reunited with her older brother and an uncle before the two were sent to an internment camp in Australia under unthinkably inhumane conditions on the voyage of the infamous Dunera. Awadalla lends even more texture to the story by including the diary of Paul Fliess, one of the passengers who kept a detailed account of the depredations suffered during the voyage.
Bail was blessed (or cursed) with an eidetic memory so the detail is formidable. I almost felt like I was there, a fly on the wall experiencing the stories firsthand. The exhaustive footnoting and timeline of events reflect the extensive research Awadalla has done to document every aspect of the story. It’s a moving and poignant tribute to Bial, a fascinating saga of events that should never be relegated to the dustbin of forgotten history. Along with The Diary of Anne Frank, Shindler’s List, and so many others, it was important to preserve these stories, especially at a time when history is threatening to repeat itself.
— Bill Schweitzer, author of Doves in a Tempest
Please Look After This Girl is a story of suffering and courage, a Jewish mother’s tale of her life during and after the Nazi regime. Awadalla relates the story in the words of her mother, Renata Bial, just as they were told to her over the years—an oral history set to the page by a gifted biographer. Awadalla tells the stories in the form of a diary so that the book immediately engages the reader and holds their attention until the final page.
The autobiography begins in 1924 in Breslau, Germany, today Wroclaw, Poland, and follows the lives of Bial and her friends and relatives through the run up to the Second World War and continues through postwar London, as Bial seeks out long lost friends and learns the fates of those who perished in concentration camps. It chronicles her escape from Germany to refuge in England. There she was reunited with her older brother and an uncle before the two were sent to an internment camp in Australia under unthinkably inhumane conditions on the voyage of the infamous Dunera. Awadalla lends even more texture to the story by including the diary of Paul Fliess, one of the passengers who kept a detailed account of the depredations suffered during the voyage.
Bail was blessed (or cursed) with an eidetic memory so the detail is formidable. I almost felt like I was there, a fly on the wall experiencing the stories firsthand. The exhaustive footnoting and timeline of events reflect the extensive research Awadalla has done to document every aspect of the story. It’s a moving and poignant tribute to Bial, a fascinating saga of events that should never be relegated to the dustbin of forgotten history. Along with The Diary of Anne Frank, Shindler’s List, and so many others, it was important to preserve these stories, especially at a time when history is threatening to repeat itself.
— Bill Schweitzer, author of Doves in a Tempest
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October 3, 2026This dual time story starts in 2016 with the protagonist, Renate, remembering her life in Germany, her journey through the rise of Hitler and the impact it had on her and her Jewish family. Portrayed in the first person by Renate this memoir poignantly introduces her beautiful mother Lucie and challenging brother Bubi. Before hyperinflation hit Germany, and her father was alive, Renate lived a comfortable life with her parents who owning a brick factory. That comfort was uprooted as the 1930s moved along and Hitler’s power increased clamping down on Jewish citizens freedoms, and by 1938 with Anschluss and with Kristallnacht life became untenable for Jews in Germany. To protect her children, Lucie sent her son to England to finish school and transports Renate out on the Kindertransport. Much has been written about this dark time in history, but with each unique story, each true story comes a depth not portrayed in historical fiction. Such is the case with Awadalla’s portrayal of her mother’s life as told to her from her mother. Not only do Renate’s words resonate on the pages, but the author has brought in the dairy of Paul Fleiss which gives the reader a deep look at the tragic existence of the “Dunera” experience and internment after the war, when Germans were categorized and if not trustworthy were sent away. Even though we know Renate made it out, there is a heaviness for all those who didn’t, for all those who suffered and perished through no fault of their own. The author didn’t hold back in portraying scene after scene of the oppression, the cruelty, the fear that reigned a nation and continent. The writing is vividly detailed down to scenes about cake, chemistry experiments gone wrong, a selfish rich uncle, gold coins made into a necklace, bedmaking, and so much more. It is in the details that the human condition shines through, where the love of a mother warms the heart, and the resilience of the human resounds in Awadalla’s writings. A must read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It didn't take long after gaining power for the Nazi government in 1930s Germany to go about stripping its Jewish population of their rights and their property and to start building the concentration camps where the Jews, and other unwanted groups, were stripped of their freedom and finally their lives. Crystal Awadalla's mother Renate Bial was a child when this all started and a teenager when she finally escaped Germany on one of the Kindertransport trains in 1939. Having reached safety in Britain, she then had to face being classified as an enemy alien when war broke out a few months later. Throughout her adult life she was outspoken about what had happened to her and her family, and her daughter has written this book to share her experiences. The book is written in the first person from Renate's point of view, which gives it an intimacy and an emotional impact that a third-person account would lack.
Some of Renate's family members were transported to Australia from Britain on the HMT Dunera in 1940, an experience no less harrowing than much of what was going on in Nazi-controlled Europe. A detailed account of this nightmare was written by a friend of Renate's family and is included at the end of the book. Although the Nazis were well prepared for their persecution of their Jewish populations, the horrors of the Dunera voyage seemed spontaneous. Which just goes to show that when there's a despised and powerless out-group and an authority that believes it won't be held accountable, the impulse for unrestrained cruelty is very tempting - something that we should be mindful of these days.
The account of what Jews had to face under the Nazis doesn't make for an easy read, but the love and support among Renate's family and friends are beautifully described and very memorable.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC ebook.
Some of Renate's family members were transported to Australia from Britain on the HMT Dunera in 1940, an experience no less harrowing than much of what was going on in Nazi-controlled Europe. A detailed account of this nightmare was written by a friend of Renate's family and is included at the end of the book. Although the Nazis were well prepared for their persecution of their Jewish populations, the horrors of the Dunera voyage seemed spontaneous. Which just goes to show that when there's a despised and powerless out-group and an authority that believes it won't be held accountable, the impulse for unrestrained cruelty is very tempting - something that we should be mindful of these days.
The account of what Jews had to face under the Nazis doesn't make for an easy read, but the love and support among Renate's family and friends are beautifully described and very memorable.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC ebook.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Please Look After This Girl is a powerful and deeply personal account of Renate’s life as a
Jewish child growing up during World War II. Through Renate’s experiences, the book shows the
fear, isolation, and constant uncertainty that Jewish families faced under Nazi persecution.
Reading her story made the historical reality feel personal and human, not distant or abstract.
Crystal Awadalla’s writing style is what truly made this book stand out for me. She writes in a
way that feels intimate and honest, allowing the reader to emotionally invest in Renate’s life and
struggles. The storytelling is detailed without being overwhelming, and it draws you in slowly
until you realize how connected you feel to Renate as a person, not just a historical figure.
The photographs, documents, and visual elements included in the book added another layer of
depth. Seeing real images alongside Renate’s story helped me better understand her world and
made her experiences feel even more real.
This book is heartbreaking, meaningful, and important. It tells Renate’s story with care and
respect while also educating the reader about the broader struggles Jewish people faced during
this time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in World War II history,
Holocaust education, or personal stories of survival and resilience.
Jewish child growing up during World War II. Through Renate’s experiences, the book shows the
fear, isolation, and constant uncertainty that Jewish families faced under Nazi persecution.
Reading her story made the historical reality feel personal and human, not distant or abstract.
Crystal Awadalla’s writing style is what truly made this book stand out for me. She writes in a
way that feels intimate and honest, allowing the reader to emotionally invest in Renate’s life and
struggles. The storytelling is detailed without being overwhelming, and it draws you in slowly
until you realize how connected you feel to Renate as a person, not just a historical figure.
The photographs, documents, and visual elements included in the book added another layer of
depth. Seeing real images alongside Renate’s story helped me better understand her world and
made her experiences feel even more real.
This book is heartbreaking, meaningful, and important. It tells Renate’s story with care and
respect while also educating the reader about the broader struggles Jewish people faced during
this time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in World War II history,
Holocaust education, or personal stories of survival and resilience.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Author Crystal Awadalla’s debut novel Please Look After This Girl is a well-written and well-researched account of her mother’s Holocaust experience. What makes this story unique is its delivery. The author writes from the perspective of her mother, bringing the characters to life and pulling the reader into a volatile 1930s Europe, where Renate Bial must navigate daily life like a soldier choosing their steps in a minefield.
We are taken through the major events of World War II through Renate’s eyes, allowing the reader to feel the impact of these social injustices on many levels: self, family, community, and global. We process, problem solve, and persevere with Renate.
The author has also cleverly woven in the account of Paul Fliess’s journey on the HMT Dunera, voyaging from Liverpool to Australia. Including the diary adds yet another layer of authenticity, demonstrating how far the poisonous policies of the Third Reich could reach.
We are taken through the major events of World War II through Renate’s eyes, allowing the reader to feel the impact of these social injustices on many levels: self, family, community, and global. We process, problem solve, and persevere with Renate.
The author has also cleverly woven in the account of Paul Fliess’s journey on the HMT Dunera, voyaging from Liverpool to Australia. Including the diary adds yet another layer of authenticity, demonstrating how far the poisonous policies of the Third Reich could reach.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I started this book a few days ago and absolutely loved it! I could not put it down. The author captured Renate's voice and essence perfectly. I laughed with her, cried, and felt horror at other times. What an amazing woman! I've read so many WWII novels, but none that went into detail about the Kindertransport or living in England as a German during the war. Please Look After This Girl is a memoir of a young girl’s experience growing up in Nazi Germany, emigrating to England on the Kindertransport before the war started, and living in England during the war as an “enemy alien.”
Horrifying, thought-provoking, and ultimately inspiring, the reader is taken on a journey they will not soon forget, but also one that they wish wouldn’t end because the people will feel like family.
Perfect for fans of World War II novels, historical biographies, and memoirs.
Horrifying, thought-provoking, and ultimately inspiring, the reader is taken on a journey they will not soon forget, but also one that they wish wouldn’t end because the people will feel like family.
Perfect for fans of World War II novels, historical biographies, and memoirs.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Crystal Awadalla delivers a heart-wrenching debut! Please Look After This Girl tells one family’s war story with the honesty and weight it deserves. Awadalla lets her mother, Renate, speak for herself, and the result is a true tale of a childhood marked by fear, loss, and the kind of courage children shouldn’t have to summon. The author delivers the details of life in Germany, the Kindertransport, and wartime England plainly, which makes them land even harder.
What stays with the reader is Renate’s strength. Not the loud kind, but rather this quiet grit that carries her through bombings, the losses of those she holds dear, and the work of building a life from scratch. This memoir doesn’t attempt to embellish the past; it simply tells the truth. A powerful truth.
What stays with the reader is Renate’s strength. Not the loud kind, but rather this quiet grit that carries her through bombings, the losses of those she holds dear, and the work of building a life from scratch. This memoir doesn’t attempt to embellish the past; it simply tells the truth. A powerful truth.
October 16, 2026
A short and easy to read biography of the author’s mother, who was one of the lucky children taken to safety in England as part of the German Kindertransport of 1939. Renate and her own mother got out just in the nick of time!
This is written from the POV of Renate herself and has a few chapters from her 2016 perspective but the majority are during the war.
Her brother and uncle Kurt are both quite horrible creatures and I hate how financially beholden Renate and her mother, Lucie, were to Kurt because he was such a nasty and misogynistic piece of work! And her brother “Bubi” was so cruel at times. It was a shame their years spent interned in Australia didn’t change them for the better!
This is written from the POV of Renate herself and has a few chapters from her 2016 perspective but the majority are during the war.
Her brother and uncle Kurt are both quite horrible creatures and I hate how financially beholden Renate and her mother, Lucie, were to Kurt because he was such a nasty and misogynistic piece of work! And her brother “Bubi” was so cruel at times. It was a shame their years spent interned in Australia didn’t change them for the better!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It was a great memoir, covering one girl’s journey from Germany to the UK. Rebate’s story seemed somewhat unique from other kindertransport stories in that she went to relatives in England with her mother following shortly after. Her memoir details the experiences of her family versus a lone child.
Overall I thought it was well written and presented a unique view of the Kindertransport. My only dislike was the ending seemed so abrupt.
Overall I thought it was well written and presented a unique view of the Kindertransport. My only dislike was the ending seemed so abrupt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Every time I read a WWII memoir or historical fiction work, I learn something new about the horrors and heros of that tumultuous period of world history. This is no exception. The copious source material, including family photographs, add to the power of the narrative. Essentially a memoir filled out with imagined dialogue, we learn the story of one Jewish family's quest for survival. I was deeply moved and horrified by many of the events. A worthwhile read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
C. Awadalla's PLEASE LOOK AFTER THIS GIRL is a touching and well-drawn true story about a young girl's harrowing journey. She escapes the horrors of Nazi Germany only to face new challenges in unfamiliar circumstances and surroundings, not all of which are hospitable. A well-written, engaging, and atmospheric read, PLEASE LOOK AFTER THIS GIRL reminds us of the power of human resilience and the fact that, no matter how strong we are, sometimes our traumas follow us home.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This well-researched story tells of the trials of a Jewish family as they navigate through an escape from Nazi Germany to England during WWII and then Canada, told mostly through the eyes of the author’s mother. Authenticity is added as it taps into photographs, a diary and letters. The author’s writing style is unique, not embellishing but telling the truth as it happened, making it stand out. A thought-provoking and inspiring read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Touched my heart deeply. This well researched book should be required reading in school history classes.
An excellent read.
An excellent read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Crystal Awadalla delivers a heart-wrenching debut! Please Look After This Girl tells one family’s war story with the honesty and weight it deserves. Awadalla lets her mother, Renate, speak for herself, and the result is a true tale of a childhood marked by fear, loss, and the kind of courage children shouldn’t have to summon. The author delivers the details of life in Germany, the Kindertransport, and wartime England plainly, which makes them land even harder. What stays with the reader is Renate’s strength. Not the loud kind, but rather this quiet grit that carries her through bombings, the losses of those she holds dear, and the work of building a life from scratch. This memoir doesn’t attempt to embellish the past; it simply tells the truth. A powerful truth.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews