Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kiely bases her debut novel on the true story of her mother’s escape from Communist-era Czechoslovakia. Eleven-year-old Anna, a Czech girl, lives happily with her family. They thought that once the Nazi occupation was over, everything would go back to normal, but now they worry about the new Communist government. People are being sent to prison camps, and no one knows whom to trust. One night in 1948, Anna is whisked away to Prague, where she, her mother, and her older sister begin a secret escape to Germany—and, they hope, Anna’s father. The plot is straightforward and fast-paced, and though the stakes are high, there’s never any doubt that things will turn out all right for Anna and her family. They know there are untrustworthy people in the world, but they learn to put their faith in the people they meet along their way. There are plenty of anecdotes that clearly come straight from Anna herself, adding a sense of familiarity and veracity to the story. Readers will easily imagine themselves there with Anna, playing cards with the boys at the refugee camp or eating the unappetizing food. A particularly fascinating detail is the secret code involving gloves and Wuthering Heights that Anna’s mother uses to identify herself to people who will help her escape. All characters appear to be white. A warm story about trust during hardship. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-13) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kiely bases her debut novel on the true story of her mothers escape from Communist-era Czechoslovakia. Eleven-year-old Anna, a Czech girl, lives happily with her family. They thought that once the Nazi occupation was over, everything would go back to normal, but now they worry about the new Communist government. People are being sent to prison camps, and no one knows whom to trust. One night in 1948, Anna is whisked away to Prague, where she, her mother, and her older sister begin a secret escape to Germanyand, they hope, Annas father. The plot is straightforward and fast-paced, and though the stakes are high, theres never any doubt that things will turn out all right for Anna and her family. They know there are untrustworthy people in the world, but they learn to put their faith in the people they meet along their way. There are plenty of anecdotes that clearly come straight from Anna herself, adding a sense of familiarity and veracity to the story. Readers will easily imagine themselves there with Anna, playing cards with the boys at the refugee camp or eating the unappetizing food. A particularly fascinating detail is the secret code involving gloves and Wuthering Heights that Annas mother uses to identify herself to people who will help her escape. All characters appear to be white.A warm story about trust during hardship. (authors note) (Historical fiction. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Communists have recently taken power in post-WWII 1948 Czechoslovakia, and narrator Anna's father, an outspoken critic of the new regime and an active member of the pre-war democratic government, has left the country for his safety. Eleven-year-old Anna, her older sister Ruzena, and their mother flee their village of Roven. They travel through Prague and navigate the no-man's land along the German border, finally arriving in Regensburg, Austria, to find the girls' father and start a new life. Kiely's gripping novel, based on her mother's life story, features a steady voice, strong pacing, and rich historical details. Anna's journey takes place over just a few days, and her first-person narration pulls readers along through the tumult and intensity of emotions and events. The relationship between the sisters is particularly effective. Ruzena lords her experience and knowledge over her little sister but is herself feeling the pain of leaving home; over the course of the journey, Anna sees her sister more clearly and resents her less. Kiely skillfully provides the cultural details and historical context to help readers become fully immersed in the story, creating a strong sense of time and place ("Remember when the war was finally over and the Nazis were gone and the Russian soldiers drove their trucks and tanks down the main street?...I thought they were good guys"). (c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.