When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary
By: Alice Hoffman
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Dates Read: August 25, 2024
Format: ARC/ eBook

Based on extensive research and published in cooperation with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam Alice Hoffman weaves together a lyrical and heart-wrenching story that looks into the way the world changed for Anne Frank and her family before they went into hiding during WWII.

I’ve always been interested in Anne and her family since I first watched one of the movie adaptations as a kid. I didn’t read her diary though until a few years ago. Obviously we don’t 100% know what Anne thought of when living through the months/years leading up to the Frank family going into hiding, but I think Alice Hoffman did a wonderful job at imagining it.

The other thing I wanted to applaud Hoffman on is knowing her audience and how to talk about what was happening without being too graphic. I know we want to protect younger children from the horrors of the war – but you also have to think about the fact that children their age went through the war. Not everything needs to be described in detail but kids are smart and still deserve to know. I just remember thinking in certain parts that the writing was handled well.

I also really liked the dynamic between Anne and her mother. In her diaries she wrote about the difference in relationships she had between Pip and her mother and this story dives deeper into that and provides more layers.

Overall, I think this would be a good middle grade introduction into Anne Frank and her story. Have them read this first to open the door for discussion about Anne and her family. Then, more mature, or when they’re older, they can then read Anne Frank’s diary.

*Thank you Scholastic Press and NetGalley for  an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review