A brilliant graphic novel about the German occupation of France from 10th May 1940, as told from the perspective of children who are trying to make sense of the occupation. The children are empowered to enact their own little symbols of resistance while wondering whether they are doing the right thing among adults who have differing opinions.

The illustrations are evocative of the era; through the colours used and the style. It actually reminds me a little of Tin Tin. Some wat based graphic novels and comics can be a bit cluttered but this is not and it is easy to follow.

An additional bonus is the historical context given in the final pages so that the book has additional educational value for young people.

I'm definitely buying a copy for my school library as my pupils will love it.

Children of the Resistance tells the story of Francois, a French boy aiding in the resistance movement against German-occupied France. The plot wasn't very interesting and the illustrations felt very childish (almost cartoonish). This graphic novel had the potential to be excellent with its prose but the ideas felt watered down and not very realistic. I wish I could've enjoyed this one more.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing a free ARC

Disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If you haven’t seen the series A French Village, you should check it out. The series focuses on the residents of a village in Nazi Occupied France. It was, in part, the reason I downloaded this title.
The graphic novel, at least in this first volume, follows three children who live in Occupied France. Two boys – Francois and Eusebe – who are friends, and a girl – Lisa – who is taken in by Francois’ family after she is left on the side of the road.
The story captures the conflicting emotions of the children as well as the adults in their world. Francois’ father was in the Verdun and has thoughts about the War. These thoughts are different than those of his brother (Francois’ uncle) who lives in Paris. Francois has to reconcile these views as well as the German soldiers who save people in a fire as opposed to those who terrorize people.
Francois and Eusebe decided to rebel, to resist, in the ways that children can. The ways that the children (eventually Lisa joins them) do resist are varied, but all are intelligent. In some cases, it is an active, physical form of a resistance, but there is also the use words and counter propaganda. The children succeed not only because they work together but because they use their intelligence.
The graphic novel ends with a fact section at the idea. It provides background as well as historical context because the plot of the work is based on true stories.

This was an interesting read and I would highly recommend to anyone interested in learning history through storytelling.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this before the release date.