Waiting for Anya by Michael Morpurgo

The setting for this book is the village in Lescun in France. This is a small town located near the Spanish border. The location is so important because from here one man, with the help of a network, is smuggling Jewish children across the border to safety. No one in the village knows about this until Jo stumbles on the remote farm house where he finds a small shoe and sees two little eyes peeking out at him from behind a haystack in the barn.

Jo is charged by Widow Horcada to keep this vital secret but then the German soldiers arrive in the village and the danger escalates.

"Jo was so occupied with this thoughts as he made his way home that he took no notice at all of the empty, silent streets; but as he reached the Square his thoughts were rudely interrupted. The whole village was standing hushed and unmoving like mourners at a funeral. ... An armoured truck stood in the centre of the Square with four soldiers in black uniforms and shining helmets sitting erect in the back of it."

This book was first published in 1990 but it is still available. I picked up a copy at a recent charity book sale. Right up until page 160 of the 170 pages I was ready to list this book for Middle Grade readers then the story events took a terrible turn and I can see why this book was listed as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. I vividly remember the first "children's book" I read where a loved character was killed. Spoiler alert - the final scenes when young Hubert is shot could be very distressing for some students and even worse Benjamin and little Leah are captured and later we learn they perish in Auschwitz. This book is so short that you might think it is a junior book about WWII but recommend mature readers aged 11+. Here is the web site for Michael Morpurgo. Listen to an audio sample here. You can read a generous text extract here. Michael Morpurgo has written many other books with a WWII setting. 

I included lots of covers above because I do think it is interesting to discuss cover designs with students. Waiting for Anya was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Fiction award.

While harrowing journeys like these have become familiar, this particular story achieves special resonance in its depiction of the innocent and guilty living side by side, settling into uneasy alliances and learning the lessons of war that leave none untouched. Kirkus

In 2020 this book was made into a movie.

Companion books for middle grade readers:

Belle and Sebastien

The Little Riders

What about Me?

Beyond Belief