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After the War: From Auschwitz to Amblesid
Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they've finally reached a place of safety and peace, where they can hopefully begin to recover.
But Yossi is haunted by thoughts of his missing father and disturbed by terrible nightmares. As he waits desperately for news from home, he fears that Mordecai and Leo - the closest thing to family he has left - will move on without him. Will life by the beautiful Lake Windermere be enough to bring hope back into all their lives?
But Yossi is haunted by thoughts of his missing father and disturbed by terrible nightmares. As he waits desperately for news from home, he fears that Mordecai and Leo - the closest thing to family he has left - will move on without him. Will life by the beautiful Lake Windermere be enough to bring hope back into all their lives?
208 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2020
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446 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
October 22, 2020
It's quite a skill to portray an important subject so tenderly and and with such compassion in only 118 pages. An incredible story of survival and loss, and of eventually finding a little peace and a sense of belonging. I found this book very moving and am so glad I came across it.
For adults, middle-grade children and just about everyone.
For adults, middle-grade children and just about everyone.
January 4, 2021
Really beautifully written book that moved me to tears on a number of occasions (though this isn’t difficult, I’m incredibly soft). I likened this in standard of writing to the Once, Then and Now series - really! Told from the perspective of a teenage boy, this was easier to read because it is set at the end of the war when we know Yossi and his close friends are safe at a beautiful hostel in The Lake District being cared for by kind people and community. There are multiple flashbacks which are not cheesily done but allow us brief windows into his dark journey and although still sanitised for child audiences, are nonetheless confronting. I found it interesting to have a look at the Lake District Holocaust Project website afterwards and to find the Colgarth Estate on Google Maps. I wish I’d known about this place before, so I’m grateful to Tom Palmer for bringing this episode to life in this wonderful account and will make a point of visiting next time I’m in that area, whenever that may be. An easyish read for age 10+.
March 16, 2022
Very cleverly written on such a challenging topic to write about for children. Palmer's writing handled it perfectly, the research shines through without feeling too fact based and less honest about the storytelling. The contrast between Yossi's immediate experiences in Ambleside versus his flashbacks to his experiences in Nazi-occupied Poland were well-balanced and the closing chapters brought a tear to my eye.
July 22, 2020
This is incredible. The friendship between the boys is a thread of love, pair this with some gentle kindness throughout from the people of the village and you’ve got a winner. I loved all of the characters - big or small, they added so much to the story. A real feeling of community and belonging. There are some scenes in this which are harrowing and thought provoking. I appreciate the care and research that went into this book
September 28, 2021
I thought that this book was quite a good book as it was about some children that came from the Concentration Camps and were waiting to be reunited with their family. The genre was History about the World War I. It also showed how war had such an impact on them as they kept on getting memories of their time at the camps. Also their experiences at the camp are told many times in the book. It is quite sad and happy as they are now safe away from the war as the war had ended.
I would recommend this book for mainly people above 11+ who would want to learn about war and how people in the war felt.
I would recommend this book for mainly people above 11+ who would want to learn about war and how people in the war felt.
April 17, 2021
This is a beautiful novel that focuses on the Windermere Children: Jewish child survivors of WWII who were freed from Nazi concentration camps. I liked how this book highlighted a lesser-known part of history (at least to me): What happened to the kids after they were liberated from concentration camps and before they were reunited with family? Where did they go? What did they go through? What was the transition like for them?
The author perfectly captured the thoughts and emotions of this group of children, such as how they remained afraid and uncertain even after being brought to England. Their amazement at essentials such as food, electricity, clothes and having their own beds to sleep in. Their fear that this was a trap that they were all too familiar with; being told that they were being brought to a 'better place', only to end up imprisoned.
Many things stuck out for me e.g. the kids hoarding and fighting over food despite assurance that there would be enough for everyone, how they hid their very minimal possessions under their pillows so that nobody would steal them, the loss of identity and not knowing where you belong or where home is. I also enjoyed the friendship between the three boys.
Truly illuminating.
The author perfectly captured the thoughts and emotions of this group of children, such as how they remained afraid and uncertain even after being brought to England. Their amazement at essentials such as food, electricity, clothes and having their own beds to sleep in. Their fear that this was a trap that they were all too familiar with; being told that they were being brought to a 'better place', only to end up imprisoned.
Many things stuck out for me e.g. the kids hoarding and fighting over food despite assurance that there would be enough for everyone, how they hid their very minimal possessions under their pillows so that nobody would steal them, the loss of identity and not knowing where you belong or where home is. I also enjoyed the friendship between the three boys.
Truly illuminating.
February 5, 2021
Not much to the book until the end, doesn’t find his Dad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2021
4.5 stars
In 1945, 300 Jewish children from liberated concentration camps were sent to the Lake District in England. These children had suffered immeasurable trauma and many had lost their entire family. Here, they can learn to trust again, live again, feel safe again.
This was such a beautiful book and is so powerful in so few pages. References to the Holocaust are short, but don't hold back. However, these are shown through memories and so you flit from the present to the past meaning that the horror isn't dwelled on for too long which is good for the age group it is aimed at.
The only thing I would improve on is the ending. It didn't really say how the boys were supported or if they ever did go where they decided.
In 1945, 300 Jewish children from liberated concentration camps were sent to the Lake District in England. These children had suffered immeasurable trauma and many had lost their entire family. Here, they can learn to trust again, live again, feel safe again.
This was such a beautiful book and is so powerful in so few pages. References to the Holocaust are short, but don't hold back. However, these are shown through memories and so you flit from the present to the past meaning that the horror isn't dwelled on for too long which is good for the age group it is aimed at.
The only thing I would improve on is the ending. It didn't really say how the boys were supported or if they ever did go where they decided.
July 5, 2023
One of the best children’s fiction books I have read about The Holocaust - will definitely be reading this to my class
July 23, 2024
The author skilfully handles a challenging topic whilst leaving no doubt about the hardships faced by those who suffered during the holocaust.
November 18, 2020
A touching portrait of the refugees welcomed to Ambleside after the Second World War.
October 23, 2021
Simply amazing. I read this book in one sitting with tears frequently running down my cheeks. It was such an emotional read but a lovely read too. A fine tribute to those who survived the Holocaust.
July 18, 2021
Absolutely wonderful book. This is a wonderful and hopeful story inspired by real events. Yossi and his friends Mordecai and Leo are among a group of children who arrive in the UK after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II. … This is quite a powerful novel and one which I think many children should read.
March 28, 2020
Tom Palmer's latest run of war-themed stories continues with 'After The War: From Auschwitz to Ambleside' - a story focusing in on three Polish teenagers who are brought to the safety of the Lake District for recuperation after Europe is liberated in 1945.
The story follows Yossi and his friends Mordecai and Leo as they arrive on the Calgarth Estate beside Lake Windemere and begin to attempt, with the help of a multitude of kind heroes, to rebuild their shattered lives. As they gain in strength and trust they have to make decisions about what to do and where to go next. Yossi lives in hope that the Red Cross will find his father yet life inevitably must move on whilst the search continues.
In this heartwarming tale of true and beautiful friendship, Tom Palmer communicates to a young audience with crystal-clear clarity the atrocities and the fall-out of war. As seen before in his books, he doesn't avoid the harsh realities, nor does he glorify them or play them down. Instead, he says just the right amount for the intended readership - a real skill. And, given the publisher Barrington Stoke's mission to provide credible, yet easy-to-read books for less confident readers, it is remarkable that a book written in a more simplistic style than others in its category has emotional depth beyond that of its peers.
In fact, perhaps the low use of complex language is all a technique to help us to understand Yossi. Here is a teenager who speaks no English, yet finds himself in the middle of the English countryside. Here is a teenager whose life has been devastated and dominated by cruelty beyond words. The narration of the story only serves to help us to know and love the character as he finds the meaning to life once more, as he learns to express himself to those around him and as he finds and understands himself once more.
With lots of World War Two references, particularly to warplanes, and the trademark sport references (I was pleased to read Yossi's celebration of the bicycle), this is exactly what I wanted from a new Tom Palmer novel. A tale of hope, friendship and altruism that is all too relevant in the current times we are living through.
The story follows Yossi and his friends Mordecai and Leo as they arrive on the Calgarth Estate beside Lake Windemere and begin to attempt, with the help of a multitude of kind heroes, to rebuild their shattered lives. As they gain in strength and trust they have to make decisions about what to do and where to go next. Yossi lives in hope that the Red Cross will find his father yet life inevitably must move on whilst the search continues.
In this heartwarming tale of true and beautiful friendship, Tom Palmer communicates to a young audience with crystal-clear clarity the atrocities and the fall-out of war. As seen before in his books, he doesn't avoid the harsh realities, nor does he glorify them or play them down. Instead, he says just the right amount for the intended readership - a real skill. And, given the publisher Barrington Stoke's mission to provide credible, yet easy-to-read books for less confident readers, it is remarkable that a book written in a more simplistic style than others in its category has emotional depth beyond that of its peers.
In fact, perhaps the low use of complex language is all a technique to help us to understand Yossi. Here is a teenager who speaks no English, yet finds himself in the middle of the English countryside. Here is a teenager whose life has been devastated and dominated by cruelty beyond words. The narration of the story only serves to help us to know and love the character as he finds the meaning to life once more, as he learns to express himself to those around him and as he finds and understands himself once more.
With lots of World War Two references, particularly to warplanes, and the trademark sport references (I was pleased to read Yossi's celebration of the bicycle), this is exactly what I wanted from a new Tom Palmer novel. A tale of hope, friendship and altruism that is all too relevant in the current times we are living through.
September 7, 2020
Moving, powerful, important story told with honesty, skill and compassion. The kindness and hope shown to the children arriving in the Lake District after seeing and suffering the worst of humanity, and the bravery of the children in surviving, rediscovering a semblance of normality, and slowly being able to try and look to the future, whilst carrying the awful memories of those they have lost. The strong bond of friendship between Yossi, Leo and Mordecai was portrayed so well. I was eager to read this book for many reasons and it is a memorable and rewarding historical read, and it will bring an insight into those events for a younger generation.
May 4, 2021
Tom Palmer used to write books for kids about sports like rugby and football (soccer), but more recently he has turned his storytelling skills to historical fiction. Last year, I read D-Day Dog, a story I found to be very informative, as does the present-day protagonist Jack. This year, I was intrigued to read After the War after hearing about it for an event on World Book Day, March 4, 2021 in connection with the Anne Frank Trust.
After the War is a fictionalized story based on true events that happened after the war ended. In 1945, 300 Jewish children who had survived life in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust were sent directly to the Lake District in England.
It's summer 1945 when 15-year-old Yossi, and his two friends Mordecai and Leo arrive in England in one of 10 planes, each carrying 30 young Holocaust survivors. They have been told they are safe now, that they will all have enough to eat and a room of their own with a bed and electricity, and most importantly, there will be no guards. But after six years in a concentration camp, could they really trust that?
Arriving at the Calgarth Estates on Lake Windmere, where they will live for the next few months, the children find it difficult to trust people and what they say, and to give up the survival habits that kept them alive in Auschwitz, especially when it comes to food. So despite there always being enough to eat, Yossi, Leo, and Mordedai stuff as much food as they can into their pockets to save for later - just in case there isn't enough food then.
Slowly, however, they begin to gain weight, becoming healthier and stronger. They even begin to develop trust again, thanks to the the kindness of the people of the Lake District and those in charge of them at Lake Windmere. Soon, they are back in school and learning English, and since their stay is only temporary, they also need to start thinking about the future and what they will do. The Red Cross arrives visits to obtain information about the children's families in order to try to reunite them with relatives who might have also survived. Yossi hopes that they will find his father, whom he wants to believe is still alive, even though they were separated on a death march towards the end of the war. Yossi watched as his younger sisters and mother went to the gas chambers the night they arrived in Auschwitz, but he and his father were selected to work.
Hoping against hope that the Red Cross will find his father, Yossi is unable to think about moving on. The three friends, who have become family to each other, want to stay together, but can't agree on how to do that. Mordecai, who is deeply religious, wants to join the Jewish community in Leeds after they reached out to the children at Lake Windmere, while Leo wants to go to Palestine, believing they would be safest there.
But recovery and recuperation aren't as easy as clean sheets and enough to eat. Yossi, who is the main protagonist, is haunted by his memories of the things he witnessed before the war in Poland after the Nazis invaded and life first in the ghetto and later in Auschwitz. These memories are seamlessly woven into the story as incidents in Yossi's present ignite flashbacks in his past. Sensitive and caring, Yossi has a minor breakdown one day when he seems to have given up and, not seeing any point to it, refuses to get out of bed. Laying there, he recalls his father's words "...if we let ourselves go, the Germans will think they are right, that we are not human." His father believed that getting up and washing every morning in Auschwitz was an act of defiance, of resistance to the Nazis, and Yossi determines it is still true. Will the memory of his father give Yossi what he needs to be able to get up and move on?
People sometimes forget that when a war ends, it isn't over, that there are always serious after effects. In this short, very readable novel, those after effects are clearly presented. Palmer depicts the children's survivor behavior in their present circumstances, relating it back to what happened in the concentration camps in the most heartbreakingly poignant way. And while he doesn't graphically describe the cruelty and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against Jewish men, women, and children, he gives enough detail that readers can get a clear picture of what happened then and the challenges the children now face.
After the War is a powerful book about courage, friendship, hope and resilience and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Be sure to visit Tom Palmer's After the War webpage for more information, including a link to read the first chapter, a link to hear about his researching and writing After the War and so much more.
Although After the War is fiction, you can find more information about the children who were brought to Lake Windmere at the The Lake District Holocaust Project (BTW, 10% of author royalites are donated to The Lake District Holocaust Project).
After the War is published by Barrington Stoke in a dyslexic friendly font, layout, spacing and page tint that makes it easier to read (and since I'm dyslexic, I can honestly say it does).
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was purchased for my personal library
After the War is a fictionalized story based on true events that happened after the war ended. In 1945, 300 Jewish children who had survived life in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust were sent directly to the Lake District in England.
It's summer 1945 when 15-year-old Yossi, and his two friends Mordecai and Leo arrive in England in one of 10 planes, each carrying 30 young Holocaust survivors. They have been told they are safe now, that they will all have enough to eat and a room of their own with a bed and electricity, and most importantly, there will be no guards. But after six years in a concentration camp, could they really trust that?
Arriving at the Calgarth Estates on Lake Windmere, where they will live for the next few months, the children find it difficult to trust people and what they say, and to give up the survival habits that kept them alive in Auschwitz, especially when it comes to food. So despite there always being enough to eat, Yossi, Leo, and Mordedai stuff as much food as they can into their pockets to save for later - just in case there isn't enough food then.
Slowly, however, they begin to gain weight, becoming healthier and stronger. They even begin to develop trust again, thanks to the the kindness of the people of the Lake District and those in charge of them at Lake Windmere. Soon, they are back in school and learning English, and since their stay is only temporary, they also need to start thinking about the future and what they will do. The Red Cross arrives visits to obtain information about the children's families in order to try to reunite them with relatives who might have also survived. Yossi hopes that they will find his father, whom he wants to believe is still alive, even though they were separated on a death march towards the end of the war. Yossi watched as his younger sisters and mother went to the gas chambers the night they arrived in Auschwitz, but he and his father were selected to work.
Hoping against hope that the Red Cross will find his father, Yossi is unable to think about moving on. The three friends, who have become family to each other, want to stay together, but can't agree on how to do that. Mordecai, who is deeply religious, wants to join the Jewish community in Leeds after they reached out to the children at Lake Windmere, while Leo wants to go to Palestine, believing they would be safest there.
But recovery and recuperation aren't as easy as clean sheets and enough to eat. Yossi, who is the main protagonist, is haunted by his memories of the things he witnessed before the war in Poland after the Nazis invaded and life first in the ghetto and later in Auschwitz. These memories are seamlessly woven into the story as incidents in Yossi's present ignite flashbacks in his past. Sensitive and caring, Yossi has a minor breakdown one day when he seems to have given up and, not seeing any point to it, refuses to get out of bed. Laying there, he recalls his father's words "...if we let ourselves go, the Germans will think they are right, that we are not human." His father believed that getting up and washing every morning in Auschwitz was an act of defiance, of resistance to the Nazis, and Yossi determines it is still true. Will the memory of his father give Yossi what he needs to be able to get up and move on?
People sometimes forget that when a war ends, it isn't over, that there are always serious after effects. In this short, very readable novel, those after effects are clearly presented. Palmer depicts the children's survivor behavior in their present circumstances, relating it back to what happened in the concentration camps in the most heartbreakingly poignant way. And while he doesn't graphically describe the cruelty and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against Jewish men, women, and children, he gives enough detail that readers can get a clear picture of what happened then and the challenges the children now face.
After the War is a powerful book about courage, friendship, hope and resilience and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Be sure to visit Tom Palmer's After the War webpage for more information, including a link to read the first chapter, a link to hear about his researching and writing After the War and so much more.
Although After the War is fiction, you can find more information about the children who were brought to Lake Windmere at the The Lake District Holocaust Project (BTW, 10% of author royalites are donated to The Lake District Holocaust Project).
After the War is published by Barrington Stoke in a dyslexic friendly font, layout, spacing and page tint that makes it easier to read (and since I'm dyslexic, I can honestly say it does).
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was purchased for my personal library
August 12, 2020
This is a wonderful and hopeful story inspired by real events. Yossi and his friends Mordecai and Leo are among a group of children who arrive in the UK after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II. Their stay is supposed to help them recover from the terrible life they had been experiencing, but while the children start to adjust to their new lives, Yossi is haunted by memories of what happened to his family.
This is quite a powerful novel and one which I think many children should read. The story is both a happy and sad one and shows just how difficult it was for children to adjust to normal living after being subjected to some horrific conditions by the Nazis. The book follows Yossi as he and the other children land on a plane in England and then are taken to a place called the Calgarth Estate near Lake Windermere in the summer of 1945. It is here that the children spend the next few months getting used to living a normal life, something which isn’t as easy as it first seems. Having been used to living in a concentration camps and Jewish ghettos the children’s reaction to simple things like meal times are drastic. Many of them do things like steal extra food from the table, worried that they won’t get another meal, though of course they do. Other simple things like seeing men in uniforms also upsets them and it’s these little things we wouldn’t even notice in our own lives that really show how difficult it was for these children to readjust to normal life, at the time.
As the story moves forward Yossi and his friends begin to adapt and get used to life in England, feeling less fear and worry every day. However Yossi is haunted by terrible memories of his past and it’s these very powerful and sad memories that really touched me as a reader and made me feel so much for Yossi’s character. Although this book is aimed at children, the dark things the Nazis did are not sugarcoated and there are moments that show beatings and other horrible things that so many people were subjected to. However, despite how dark or sad some of these moments are they are well written in a way that aren’t too shocking for children to read, although anything the Nazis did will probably shock children a bit, especially those who have no knowledge of this before reading.
The ending of the story is good and satisfying and while it doesn’t resolve one aspect of Yossi’s story which I had hoped it would, it does leave you with a feeling of hope for Yossi and his friends and makes you wonder what would happen to them in the future. There is a forward in the book as well as some author notes at the back which detail how this book is based on the real life ‘Widermere Boys’ who did come to the UK after suffering the horrors of the war. It’s worth reading the author’s notes to get a good sense of how real some of the events in the story are, and it might just make you more interested in learning more about the real Windermere Boys, like I now am.
At the start and end of the book are some photographs of the real boys in 1945. Throughout the book every page has a lovely illustration running along the bottom of the three friends, Yossi, Mordecai and Leo. The text is also easy to read making this a great book for anyone who would usually feel a little reluctant or have difficulty in reading books.
It’s not easy for anyone to ever read about what happened with the holocaust but this book does a good job of introducing this terrible event to children and helping them to understand it, and while there are some truly sad and difficult moments to read, this story is one of hope and has a good and over all happy ending. I would recommend this book to everyone to read, whatever your age.
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy for review.
This is quite a powerful novel and one which I think many children should read. The story is both a happy and sad one and shows just how difficult it was for children to adjust to normal living after being subjected to some horrific conditions by the Nazis. The book follows Yossi as he and the other children land on a plane in England and then are taken to a place called the Calgarth Estate near Lake Windermere in the summer of 1945. It is here that the children spend the next few months getting used to living a normal life, something which isn’t as easy as it first seems. Having been used to living in a concentration camps and Jewish ghettos the children’s reaction to simple things like meal times are drastic. Many of them do things like steal extra food from the table, worried that they won’t get another meal, though of course they do. Other simple things like seeing men in uniforms also upsets them and it’s these little things we wouldn’t even notice in our own lives that really show how difficult it was for these children to readjust to normal life, at the time.
As the story moves forward Yossi and his friends begin to adapt and get used to life in England, feeling less fear and worry every day. However Yossi is haunted by terrible memories of his past and it’s these very powerful and sad memories that really touched me as a reader and made me feel so much for Yossi’s character. Although this book is aimed at children, the dark things the Nazis did are not sugarcoated and there are moments that show beatings and other horrible things that so many people were subjected to. However, despite how dark or sad some of these moments are they are well written in a way that aren’t too shocking for children to read, although anything the Nazis did will probably shock children a bit, especially those who have no knowledge of this before reading.
The ending of the story is good and satisfying and while it doesn’t resolve one aspect of Yossi’s story which I had hoped it would, it does leave you with a feeling of hope for Yossi and his friends and makes you wonder what would happen to them in the future. There is a forward in the book as well as some author notes at the back which detail how this book is based on the real life ‘Widermere Boys’ who did come to the UK after suffering the horrors of the war. It’s worth reading the author’s notes to get a good sense of how real some of the events in the story are, and it might just make you more interested in learning more about the real Windermere Boys, like I now am.
At the start and end of the book are some photographs of the real boys in 1945. Throughout the book every page has a lovely illustration running along the bottom of the three friends, Yossi, Mordecai and Leo. The text is also easy to read making this a great book for anyone who would usually feel a little reluctant or have difficulty in reading books.
It’s not easy for anyone to ever read about what happened with the holocaust but this book does a good job of introducing this terrible event to children and helping them to understand it, and while there are some truly sad and difficult moments to read, this story is one of hope and has a good and over all happy ending. I would recommend this book to everyone to read, whatever your age.
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy for review.
October 20, 2020
This was inspired by the incredible true story of the Windermere Boys. After surviving the Nazi Concentration Camps, 300 hundred child Holocaust Survivors were brought to stay in the wartime village of Calgarth Estate in 1945, near Windermere were they could start to recover from the horrible things they had experienced.
The story is set in the Summer of 1945, after the end of the Second World War. Three boys (Yossi, Leo and Mordecai) are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. They have been brought to a safe place where they will be looked after.
The main character Yossi is slowly regaining his health and strength but can not stop thinking about his missing father. Like most of the children, he has terrible nightmares and often has flashbacks about the awful things he witnessed during the war. With the help of the Red Cross who are searching for their families, the children are all hoping for news from home. His best friends Mordecai and Leo, have no family to go home to and Yossi is worried that he will lose them too when the time comes to leave the Estate.
They will never be able to change what has happened to them but they have to think about the future, whether they can be reunited with their families or be forced to start a new life.
This is a sad story especially when you know that it it based on real events and the stories of the actual Windermere children. Yossi, Leo and Mordecai were not actual people but their fictional story is based on a compilation of the accounts told by many of the real survivors. I shared reading this book with my Mum and there were quite a few times that we had to stop for a break while she dried her eyes but there are also happy moments too that made us smile. I don’t want to spoil the story for you by saying too much but I think you should really read this book yourself.
The story is set in the Summer of 1945, after the end of the Second World War. Three boys (Yossi, Leo and Mordecai) are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. They have been brought to a safe place where they will be looked after.
The main character Yossi is slowly regaining his health and strength but can not stop thinking about his missing father. Like most of the children, he has terrible nightmares and often has flashbacks about the awful things he witnessed during the war. With the help of the Red Cross who are searching for their families, the children are all hoping for news from home. His best friends Mordecai and Leo, have no family to go home to and Yossi is worried that he will lose them too when the time comes to leave the Estate.
They will never be able to change what has happened to them but they have to think about the future, whether they can be reunited with their families or be forced to start a new life.
This is a sad story especially when you know that it it based on real events and the stories of the actual Windermere children. Yossi, Leo and Mordecai were not actual people but their fictional story is based on a compilation of the accounts told by many of the real survivors. I shared reading this book with my Mum and there were quite a few times that we had to stop for a break while she dried her eyes but there are also happy moments too that made us smile. I don’t want to spoil the story for you by saying too much but I think you should really read this book yourself.
September 17, 2025
A short but powerful book about a story I'm ashamed to say I never really thought about a great deal: what happened to those rescued from the Nazi's concentration camps? For children separated or bereaved from their families, how would they reconnect with surviving family, if indeed there are any. For the very youngest, they might not even have known full names of their relatives or their addresses, or remembered them through the years of starvation and horror in the camps. In this story we learn of the attempts of the Red Cross to reunite families. It does not sugarcoat the difficulties of this. There is a scene where the children write down the details of family members they remember then draw a line through those they know are dead. There are few names left after that.
This particular book, based on real events, follows three friends as they arrive in the English Lake District to recuperate. It takes them time to adjust to there being enough food for everyone, to not need to fiercely guard their possessions nor to fear those in uniform.
This is a short book that I would say is aimed at upper primary aged children so it cannot go into the details in any great depth. At times I did feel the children's speech was a bit too basic. Perhaps it was to indicate that they were all now speaking in English, a language they are still learning. But it can feel a little simplistic for older readers.
What this book does do is make this hugely important and yet difficult topic accessible to young people. Especially as this is a Barrington Stoke book and so dyslexic-friendly.
This particular book, based on real events, follows three friends as they arrive in the English Lake District to recuperate. It takes them time to adjust to there being enough food for everyone, to not need to fiercely guard their possessions nor to fear those in uniform.
This is a short book that I would say is aimed at upper primary aged children so it cannot go into the details in any great depth. At times I did feel the children's speech was a bit too basic. Perhaps it was to indicate that they were all now speaking in English, a language they are still learning. But it can feel a little simplistic for older readers.
What this book does do is make this hugely important and yet difficult topic accessible to young people. Especially as this is a Barrington Stoke book and so dyslexic-friendly.
Read
February 17, 2022Stars for the kids: 3.75 stars
Stars for me: 3.5 stars
After The War:
× Death - mother & sisters (quite triggering)
× Historical
× Intrigue
× Religion
× PTSD
Man beaten; mother and sisters ashes floating - quite triggering
× Big spaces between lines - easier if you have trouble reading
× Flashbacks
× Violence
Ending slightly apprupt but thats more because I thought there were more pages to read
Kinda sad we never got to know if the dad was alive or not; kind of an open ending not too sure about
Liked the English soldier son coming home
Also another kind of bleak story
Because it was more character driven and less plot, I struggled staying focused while also working through the weeks.
Doesn't feel like much of a plot occurs; it's more of a collection of painful traumatic flashbacks and hopeful recovery in the present. But I believe Palmer was trying to show the atrocities Jews faced for children to read about and he did that well; kids may be taught further empathy from this
"Now Yossi knew now that aeroplanes could take off. However heavy they were and whatever there was trying to drag them down, they could leave the surface of the water or the ground and fly anywhere they wanted to" - nicely put
Stars for me: 3.5 stars
After The War:
× Death - mother & sisters (quite triggering)
× Historical
× Intrigue
× Religion
× PTSD
Man beaten; mother and sisters ashes floating - quite triggering
× Big spaces between lines - easier if you have trouble reading
× Flashbacks
× Violence
Ending slightly apprupt but thats more because I thought there were more pages to read
Kinda sad we never got to know if the dad was alive or not; kind of an open ending not too sure about
Liked the English soldier son coming home
Also another kind of bleak story
Because it was more character driven and less plot, I struggled staying focused while also working through the weeks.
Doesn't feel like much of a plot occurs; it's more of a collection of painful traumatic flashbacks and hopeful recovery in the present. But I believe Palmer was trying to show the atrocities Jews faced for children to read about and he did that well; kids may be taught further empathy from this
"Now Yossi knew now that aeroplanes could take off. However heavy they were and whatever there was trying to drag them down, they could leave the surface of the water or the ground and fly anywhere they wanted to" - nicely put
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2022
Very moving. Incredible details, weaving present and past. Based on a true story: the Windermere Boys (300). Bicycle illustration at the bottom of every page.
Mordecai: languages, religious; Leo: engineering, alert; Yossi: protagonist.
The dining hall: ‘They only had seconds to make the right choice about where to sit…If he got anything, what should he do with it? Eat a bit, hide the rest? Take it and eat it all now, so no one could steal it?…Yossi took the opportunity, in the confusion, to grab a handful of carrot peelings and stuff them into his clothes.’
‘He had lived in so many places over the last few years where there was no grass.’
“His father,” Mordecai croaked.
“You must leave me, she had said. “And you must live, Yossi.”
Gradually more violence and death, as Yossi’s story unfolds - the old woman in the square, the tutor, his grandfather, the man on the train, his mother and sisters, Leo’s brother.
The pillow fight
‘Washing his face and getting up, defiant, was his act of resistance. It had been then and it must be now.’
Getting fit after repetitive work and malnutrition
Mordecai: languages, religious; Leo: engineering, alert; Yossi: protagonist.
The dining hall: ‘They only had seconds to make the right choice about where to sit…If he got anything, what should he do with it? Eat a bit, hide the rest? Take it and eat it all now, so no one could steal it?…Yossi took the opportunity, in the confusion, to grab a handful of carrot peelings and stuff them into his clothes.’
‘He had lived in so many places over the last few years where there was no grass.’
“His father,” Mordecai croaked.
“You must leave me, she had said. “And you must live, Yossi.”
Gradually more violence and death, as Yossi’s story unfolds - the old woman in the square, the tutor, his grandfather, the man on the train, his mother and sisters, Leo’s brother.
The pillow fight
‘Washing his face and getting up, defiant, was his act of resistance. It had been then and it must be now.’
Getting fit after repetitive work and malnutrition
October 1, 2025
After the War: From Auschwitz to Ambleside by Tom Palmer is a moving and unforgettable work of historical fiction that captures both the trauma of survival and the fragile possibility of healing. Set in the summer of 1945, it follows Yossi, Leo, and Mordecai three of the hundreds of children brought to England after the Holocaust into the serene beauty of the Lake District, where they hope to rebuild their lives.
Palmer writes with clarity and compassion, balancing the horror of memory with the quiet power of hope. Yossi’s restless grief for his missing father, his haunting nightmares, and his fear of losing the only friends he has left offer a deeply personal lens into the long shadow of war. The contrast between the peace of Lake Windermere and the unimaginable violence of the camps creates a poignant emotional tension that makes every page resonate.
At once heartbreaking and uplifting, After the War is a testament to resilience, friendship, and the slow, difficult path to healing. It’s a story that honors history while reminding readers of the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.
Palmer writes with clarity and compassion, balancing the horror of memory with the quiet power of hope. Yossi’s restless grief for his missing father, his haunting nightmares, and his fear of losing the only friends he has left offer a deeply personal lens into the long shadow of war. The contrast between the peace of Lake Windermere and the unimaginable violence of the camps creates a poignant emotional tension that makes every page resonate.
At once heartbreaking and uplifting, After the War is a testament to resilience, friendship, and the slow, difficult path to healing. It’s a story that honors history while reminding readers of the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.
February 11, 2023
In the summer of 1945, the war is over. Yossi, Leo and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they've finally reached a place of safety and peace, where they can hopefully begin to recover.
This was an incredibly moving short story, based on real events of holocaust surviers arriving in Windermere after the war. The story is told through the eyes of Yossi, a young Jewish boy, and moves from present to past events of his life. The author has clearly done a lot of research into the history of this book, which reflected in its pages. This was a hard yet hopeful story about rebuilding and finding hope again after such harsh human tragedies. Being from the Lake District myself, I found it very moving thinking about this history (which I hadn't heard of before) happening in the place I live.
This was an incredibly moving short story, based on real events of holocaust surviers arriving in Windermere after the war. The story is told through the eyes of Yossi, a young Jewish boy, and moves from present to past events of his life. The author has clearly done a lot of research into the history of this book, which reflected in its pages. This was a hard yet hopeful story about rebuilding and finding hope again after such harsh human tragedies. Being from the Lake District myself, I found it very moving thinking about this history (which I hadn't heard of before) happening in the place I live.
May 6, 2023
Too often we read about what happened to children during the holocaust, but we don't often get a picture of what happened afterward. Drawing on actual events and people who lived in Ambleside, After the War shows displaced and rescued children from Auchwitz arriving in England and the way the war changed how they looked at life. We see the distrust of adults (particularly those in uniform) and the slow, burgeoning hope that comes with consistency, kindness, and hope.
Tom Palmer did an especially good job weaving the past memories into events today so that we're not just getting backstory but actually reliving those moments with Yossi.
My only (small) criticism is something that early middle-grade readers ASKED for (so I may be alone) is that nearly half the book is really during the war and before Ambleside.
Still, it's an important read and a very approachable book for such a difficult subject. Palmer didn't shy away from the ugliness, but he also shared it in a bearable way.
Tom Palmer did an especially good job weaving the past memories into events today so that we're not just getting backstory but actually reliving those moments with Yossi.
My only (small) criticism is something that early middle-grade readers ASKED for (so I may be alone) is that nearly half the book is really during the war and before Ambleside.
Still, it's an important read and a very approachable book for such a difficult subject. Palmer didn't shy away from the ugliness, but he also shared it in a bearable way.
August 5, 2020
This is one of the most thought provoking books I have read. At times it is an uncomfortable read, but good, the content of this book should never ever happen again.
The main protagonist is 15 year old Yossi who has arrived in Ambleside along with his friends Mordeci and Leo and the other children rescued from concentration camps including Auschwitz.
You as a reader relive true life events that Jewish people would have endured and witnessed through memory flash backs that Yossi has. Tom Palmer hasn’t sugar coated things that happened and as a grown adult there were many times my breath caught in my throat and tears came.
Not only do we find out more about all 3 boys but also how the war affected German Jews and English families. It is book of hope, fear, friendship, love as well as learning to trust again.
It is most definitely one I would recommend.
The main protagonist is 15 year old Yossi who has arrived in Ambleside along with his friends Mordeci and Leo and the other children rescued from concentration camps including Auschwitz.
You as a reader relive true life events that Jewish people would have endured and witnessed through memory flash backs that Yossi has. Tom Palmer hasn’t sugar coated things that happened and as a grown adult there were many times my breath caught in my throat and tears came.
Not only do we find out more about all 3 boys but also how the war affected German Jews and English families. It is book of hope, fear, friendship, love as well as learning to trust again.
It is most definitely one I would recommend.
December 31, 2021
It’s so important that books like this, continue to make their way into the world. This was a quick read about those who survived the atrocities that the Nazis committed. It looks at what happened next for a small group of boys, and their recovery as they experience what feeling safe means for them.
The friendship between the boys was lovely, and no doubt represents how many people would have felt about those that had managed to survive alongside. However, I felt like the story only really scratched the surface of that friendship, and as though something was missing to really bring the story to life.
I’ve read a few middle grade books recently that are set during the war, and enjoyed them a little more than this one. I think perhaps the somewhat matter of fact tone, didn’t really allow me to sink into the story as much as I wanted. Three stars for me.
The friendship between the boys was lovely, and no doubt represents how many people would have felt about those that had managed to survive alongside. However, I felt like the story only really scratched the surface of that friendship, and as though something was missing to really bring the story to life.
I’ve read a few middle grade books recently that are set during the war, and enjoyed them a little more than this one. I think perhaps the somewhat matter of fact tone, didn’t really allow me to sink into the story as much as I wanted. Three stars for me.
September 10, 2022
This is a perfect book for studying the Holocaust. The only issue is that I couldn't read it to a class as I would be crying for every chapter.
Every single chapter is filled with emotion and facts! You feel so much for the characters, and you feel so quickly! I had to put the book down a few times to take a bit of time to think about what had happened.
Raw emotion.
It's set after the war and follows a group of children that have been rescued and brought to England until they can find their families. Too often when we teach about war we don't look at the consequences - I never thought about what happened and how families were reunited. How children processed their trauma and fear.
An amazing book and it should replace other popular texts!
Every single chapter is filled with emotion and facts! You feel so much for the characters, and you feel so quickly! I had to put the book down a few times to take a bit of time to think about what had happened.
Raw emotion.
It's set after the war and follows a group of children that have been rescued and brought to England until they can find their families. Too often when we teach about war we don't look at the consequences - I never thought about what happened and how families were reunited. How children processed their trauma and fear.
An amazing book and it should replace other popular texts!
August 21, 2020
I read this thoughtful and compassionate book in one sitting. It is clear the amount of research and care that went into this lovingly written story, inspired by the tragic real-life events.
I loved Yossi and his friends, the hope that they clung to as they adjusted to their new lives. We experience Yossi's flashbacks which are harrowing, leaving the reader with a very real lump in their throat, and the author shows the clear PTSD that is unsurprisingly suffered.
An emotive read, that is written in such a way that younger middle-grade readers will also understand. However, be prepared to answer questions and discuss - this is a book that should be talked about and read by all.
I loved Yossi and his friends, the hope that they clung to as they adjusted to their new lives. We experience Yossi's flashbacks which are harrowing, leaving the reader with a very real lump in their throat, and the author shows the clear PTSD that is unsurprisingly suffered.
An emotive read, that is written in such a way that younger middle-grade readers will also understand. However, be prepared to answer questions and discuss - this is a book that should be talked about and read by all.
November 8, 2020
Poignant, moving and very well told.
The subject of the Holocaust is never an easy one to read about and I can imagine it would have been even more difficult to write about. To be able to do this in a way that is clear, accessible and manageable for young readers is a great achievement and Tom Palmer does this with sincerity and true expertise. He has put his heart, mind and soul into this book, researching the truth behind the stories meticulously, respectfully and with admirable commitment. A terribly sad and unjust time in history which must be always remembered nonetheless – Tom Palmer achieves this whilst still championing hope and humanity for those who may feel despair.
The subject of the Holocaust is never an easy one to read about and I can imagine it would have been even more difficult to write about. To be able to do this in a way that is clear, accessible and manageable for young readers is a great achievement and Tom Palmer does this with sincerity and true expertise. He has put his heart, mind and soul into this book, researching the truth behind the stories meticulously, respectfully and with admirable commitment. A terribly sad and unjust time in history which must be always remembered nonetheless – Tom Palmer achieves this whilst still championing hope and humanity for those who may feel despair.
May 10, 2025
Hey Lucy, here's an improved version of your review for "After the War" by Tom Palmer:
Before teaching this book to my students, I read it myself and was deeply moved-far more than I anticipated. Palmer delicately crafts a narrative that portrays tragic events with profound authenticity and enlightenment. The story of three best friends-Mordecai, Leo, and Yossie-is a poignant exploration of life after World War I. It's a heart-wrenching yet genuine depiction of their struggles and resilience. Palmer's masterful storytelling succeeds in teaching young minds about the brutalities of war in a way that is both appropriate and impactful.
Before teaching this book to my students, I read it myself and was deeply moved-far more than I anticipated. Palmer delicately crafts a narrative that portrays tragic events with profound authenticity and enlightenment. The story of three best friends-Mordecai, Leo, and Yossie-is a poignant exploration of life after World War I. It's a heart-wrenching yet genuine depiction of their struggles and resilience. Palmer's masterful storytelling succeeds in teaching young minds about the brutalities of war in a way that is both appropriate and impactful.
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