Papa looked up. His eyes twinkled like they always did when he had an idea. “You know what?” he said. “Yes! Let’s go around again. What do you think, kids?” Many thanks to Aladdin Books / Simon & Schuster and Goodreads for the opportunity to read this gripping book in advance of its May 18, 2021 publication. Inspired by a true story, When The World Was Ours is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, and shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times.

Sachertorte!’ I replied without hesitating. Mama made the best Sachertorte in Vienna. She had a secret recipe, passed down from Omama, my grandma. Max is able to bury deep inside himself, the memories of that wonderful day in Vienna. When he hears things that he knows to be lies, he stops registering that this might be wrong. But when Max looks at the photograph of that wonderful day so long ago in Vienna he realizes what his current life in the Hitler Youth truly is. "In an instant, nothing of his current life was real. He saw it for what it was: a vain, superficial attempt to fit in. To be loved. To be praised by his father, by his leaders, by Hitler. None of it was a fraction as real as his friendships with Leo and Elsa had been. The only two people who had ever really loved him for himself, with no expectations or demands." But when he destroys the photograph and the letters from Leo that his father has hidden, Max shuts his heart against these thoughts. A pivotal event takes place at the beginning of the story when, for Leo’s ninth birthday, his father treats the three friends to an outing. The day’s highlight is a Ferris wheel ride featuring large enclosed cars in which the riders can move about. Utterly, utterly gut-churningly brilliant. It's a superb piece of writing. It should win everything going -- Tanya Landman Very moved by the new Liz Kessler novel . . . the story and the story behind it. I wish I was a Costa judge next year as well' John McLayLiz Kessler’s writing is excellent and her depiction of the slow, steady descent in the behaviour of those in society who discriminate and ill-treat others is chilling. These changes as seen through the children’s eyes are subtle at first, their parents whispering and worried, Max’s father no longer allowing him to play with his friends, the gradual introduction of restrictions for the Jewish community, the harsh separation in school and the humiliation and horror that will eventually follow this. Throughout the entire story, we know that this is true to the facts and that we must learn from history to ensure that the worst events in our past are never repeated. The parallels and relevance in our world today make this an even more important read. Given their youth, the friends don’t always understand, at least to begin with, the full import or implications of the things they see or hear their parents discussing. Only gradually do the youngsters become aware of the consequences of Leo and Elsa’s Jewish faith when anti-Jewish sentiment becomes more widespread and is followed by legal restrictions, and worse. It results in the three friends being separated, unsure if they will ever see one another again.

A powerful and heart-breaking novel about three childhood friends living during the Second World War whose fates are closely intertwined, even when their lives take very different courses. Inspired by a true story, this is the perfect read for fans of The Book Thief and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Welcome to the Taller Books blog. Please take a moment to read our community rules before you post a comment. But the part that made me cry the hardest was the final chapter, the one that took place in our day. It just hurts so badly to know that there are still people dying and losing everything they love and care about all over again. It hurts to know that we still need to talk about this, that we still need reminders to try and make it never happen again. It hurts that everything is still broken. And the ending, the ending!!! I had to re-read it several times because my vision was being too blurred with all the tears. When The World Was Ours is the most wonderful, terrible, powerful, important book I have read in years and years. It is so good, so real, so unflinching' Cathy Cassidy

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Inspired by a true story, this is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking. Through the bonds of love, family, and friendship, this story shows how glimmers of hope can flourish, even in the most hopeless of times. It contributes to current conversations about social justice, and offers young readers the opportunity to think about the informed decisions they make, and the part they want to play in the world of tomorrow. I said NO smiling!” Papa said again. By this time, everyone in the carriage was laughing, not just the three of us. You know what it’s like – you’re walking along, and suddenly you find yourself in a bookstore. Can you make it out without buying a new book? Will you discover a wonderful new author? Will you still be browsing at closing time?

Inspired by true events in Liz Kessler's family history, this is a heartbreaking and honest portrayal of the Holocaust for younger readers, but handled with such compassion and tenderness. We follow Max, Elsa, and Leo, from their favorite memory together, straight through their teen years/WWII. Elsa and Leo are Jewish, and as such, obviously in great peril during the war. Max, on the other hand, has a father who is not only unsympathetic toward his friends, he's a straight up Nazi. The book does an unbelievably great job of illustrating how frighteningly fast and unfortunately, easy, it is for some people to end up on the wrong side. As a child, I had a friend whose mother had numbers tattooed on her arm. Over the years, I had other friends who’d lost relatives in the Holocaust. And I once had a girlfriend whose dad, as a child, had been active in the Hitler Youth movement. These days, I have a connection to a nonagenarian who, as a teenager, jumped from a death camp-bound cattle car, escaping as the Nazi guards shot at her with rifles. I couldn’t even speak. I was too afraid that if I opened my mouth some of the joy inside me might slip out, and I didn’t want to lose a single bit of it.Your papa will take you to the fairground,” she told me. “I’ll stay home and prepare a wonderful birthday meal for you. What cake would you like?” You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.”

Because a picture paints a thousand words,” I replied, pretending to yawn. Papa said the same thing every time he took a photo. Waving both hands in front of her, she said, in broken German this time, “It okay. Nothing. No mind.” I didn’t understand exactly what she meant, but her words were accompanied with such a big smile that I knew I was off the hook. “We are English,” she added. “Not speak good German.” But now at last my birthday was here and the Riesenrad ride was even better than I’d imagined it would be. It was a cold October day, but bright and sunny and we could see for miles and miles.YA Review: The Final Rising (Tomorrow's Ancestors #4) - Taller Books on YA Review: The Fourth Species (Tomorrow’s Ancestors #3) When The World Was Ours is Liz's masterpiece . . . an instant classic' Anthony McGowan, winner of the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal Kessler schrijft het verhaal zodanig dat de emoties van het blad spatten. Een voorbeeld hiervan is: Hij hield zichzelf voor wat hij ook maar wilde horen, ook al wist hij diep in zijn hart dat het allemaal gelogen was. Ze slaagt erin met één zin de emotionele toestand van het personage te schetsen. De achtergrond waarop alles gebeurt wordt ook mooi omschreven . Bv Een bruine sjaal die zo harig is dat ik eerst dacht dat hij leefde. Zonder al teveel in detail te treden over de gruwelen in een concentratiekamp slaagt ze er toch in om de ernst van de situatie te laten doordringen.