When We Were Shadows

Walter knows that changes are coming, but for a six year old boy - he is not really sure what is going on. All he knows is that his family is quiet, and they must be prepared to run at any time. The reason? His family is Jewish, and the German Army is moving closer to their location. Hearing what is happening to other Jewish families, they prepare to move as many times as they need to, leaving everything behind.
Walter's father owns a shop, and as they get ready to leave, the butcher who works close to them comes with a proposition. He will work the shop and keep it open while they are gone, and send the money as he can until they can get back. Walter father's hesitates briefly, before signing over his shop to the kindly butcher.
As they move from place to place, learning to live in quiet and in secret, Walter shares his story through letters he writes to his grandmother. These letters are very vague, but they show the terror and fear that each person felt as they waited.
The war drags on, and the family is separated for a time. While they wait to be reunited, Walter keeps writing, recording his thoughts and daily activities in his notebooks and letters.

This book was an amazing read. Told from the perspective of a young boy growing up amid the terror or WWII, the struggles, fears and survival are plain to see as we move through this book. This is one that I am looking forward to reading with my boys. The ingenuity and those who risked their own lives to help many of the European Jews hide from the incoming German soldiers was astounding. These brave people risked everything, sharing their food, supplies and any information they could glean from listening to those around them. Some were captured and executed, but many survived.

This book is a must read!