Freedom's Game

Tolin, Rosanne. Freedom's Game
October 8, 2024 by Reycraft Books

E ARC provided by the author
 

It's 1942, and Ziggy last saw his mother three years ago in Berlin, after the two spent time hiding in a neighbor's attic after his father was taken by the Nazis. He's not on his way with other Jewish orphans to Annemasse, France, near the border to Switzerland, since the German occupation of the south of the country has intensified. The group is accompanied by Georges Loinger, of whom Ziggy is highly suspicious. Once he arrives at the chateau, he is glad to be in a safe space, and likes his new teacher, Mademoiselle Bellegarde. This teacher is also a favorite of Elka, who has not seen her family for three years, ever since her father was taken and she fled, leaving her mother and sister Ruth behind in Dresden. Things aren't perfect at the school, and some students, like Jeannine, who's father, Captain Tremblay, is working with the Nazis, are not happy that the school is overcrowded with new students and she occasionally has to sit on the floor. The reasons for the new students usually center around things like the country air being prescribed for them to recuperate from conditions, and no one speaks about the fact that some may be Jewish, although it is always suspected. When Georges proposes a sports festival, Ziggy is excited at first, although he questions why resources are being funneled to this activity when the school has so many other needs. Ziggy enjoys playing soccer, even though one of his legs is weak because of a childhood bout with polio, so decides to play despite his reservations. Elka is the real surprise, as she tears up the field and is an excellent runner. Ziggy encourages her to train more and compete in the festival. She is leery of running, since that's what separated her from her sister, whom she was supposed to protect, but soon embraces it as a way to cope with her day to day challenges. Ziggy overhears Georges arranging a meeting, and follows him into town, where he eavesdrops on him and the mayor. He finds out that Georges IS a spy... but one working for the Resistance to the Germans. Georges is helping children escape, and is keeping a close eye on the children at the chateau; the festival is one way to encourage the children to remain in good physical condition in case they need to survive in the wilderness. During the field day, Elka races well, but at the end of the race overheats and hallucinates that she sees Ruth; Ziggy had made unkind but true remarks that it was unlikely she would see her sister again. It's a good reminder, however; not long after, officials knock on the door and ask the director for five students. The director pretends to read the names incorrectly and says he doesn't have any boys by those names; one of the names is actually Elka's. Knowing that the chateau is no longer safe, Georges comes up with an idea to smuggle the children out of France; there will be a soccer game, and a few of the children will leave and run into the woods, where they will be met with Marcel and taken across the border. When it's Ziggy and Elka's turn to go, Ziggy falls and hurts his ankle. Luckily, Elka helps him, and Marcel is able to carry him. A final chapter shows the two in 1945, after living with foster parents. The Germans have surrendered, and the ending is as happy as a book about the Holocaust can be. 

Strengths: This story is based on the actions of the real Georges Loinger, who saved over 300 children from the Nazis during World War II, and who worked with his cousin, the actor and mime Marcel Marceau, to do so! Tolin, who also penned More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington Bear, has clearly done her research and created a riveting story of survival, also incorporating some of her own family history into the characters. There have been many middle grade novels about children surviving in concentration camps over the years, but it's good to also see depictions of children who were hidden and who escaped to other countries. The idea that Georges encouraged the children to stay physically fit so that they could escape more easily is fascinating, and having a character who had had polio was not only interesting, but realistic as well. Including soccer and distance running makes any book better, and I appreciated that while both Ziggy and Elka suffered losses, there was a sense of hope at the end. I'll be interested to read whatever new books, fiction or nonfiction, that Tolin writes next. 
Weaknesses: I wasn't in France during WWII, but it seemed odd that Ziggy and Elka talked a bit openly about being Jewish. I would have thought that such conversations were frowned upon in order to keep children safe, but it does lead to a very sweet scene where Elka brings out a tallis that her tailor father was working on that was probably commissioned by Ziggy's father. Having the tallis also seemed like an unnecessary risk. 
What I really think:  This is a great fiction choice to go along with Greenfield's Hidden Children, and is an excellent addition to a collection of Holocaust books if that period of history is covered in your school's social studies curriculum along with Kessler's Codename Kingfisher, Skrypuch's The War Below, or Nielsen's Resistance.  The language arts teachers at my school used to have all of our 8th graders read Wiesel's Night and another similar fiction book in order to compare and contrast them, and this is the perfect choice for readers who would prefer sports books to history ones!