I found this book extremely moving. 'The Sky Over Rebecca' is set in Stockholm, with a time travel element that sees the main character Kara meet with two Jewish siblings, Rebecca and Samuel, who are hiding out on an island in the middle of a lake trying to escape the Nazis.
The book is about loss and hope and standing up to bullies, and I really went on an emotional rollercoaster as the story progressed. This is certainly a story that pulls at the heart strings and I think it would make a great book to be read by classes so that they can discuss many of the themes in this book. I would highly recommend!

The Sky Over Rebecca was an absorbing read. Set in an icy, snowy Stockholm, Kara is puzzled by snow angels which seemingly seem to have just appeared, without footprints leading to them. She encounters a teenager called Rebecca and there the reader realises that there seems to be two periods of time colliding at once - Kara’s world is the present day and Rebecca’s is during World War Two. Intriguingly, the story delves into Rebecca’s story and we soon realise she is a Jewish refugee and has a brother, Samuel. Kara is a strong, determined character who helps Rebecca and Samuel. This story helps the reader to think about the lives of refugees during the war and makes us stop and consider the choices we in the present day would make and can make. This is a powerful story written in a delicate way and it was a privilege to read it. I will certainly be recommending it to my Upper Key Stage 2 pupils.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely imaginative read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

The Sky Over Rebecca is a book quite unlike anything I’ve read in the past, and indeed unlike anything I’m likely to read in the future. I found it simply breathtaking and I sit, in tears, writing this review, feeling profoundly moved and utterly awestruck.

Matthew Fox is an exceptional talent: everything about this book is spellbinding. There’s simplicity within its complexity, there’s hope within its despair - it’s an incredible achievement as a piece of literature.

Following the story of ten-year-old Kara, this book interweaves two worlds, two times and two lives. It is a harrowing look at the adversity faced by Jews as part of World War 2, whilst also serving as a stark reminder of the importance of learning from the past in order to change the future:

I thought this book was incredible. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Having read this in the days after the Holocaust Memorial Day, it felt even more important and poignant. Kara lives in Stockholm with her mother and lives a rather lonely life. Her mum is loving but works long hours to provide for them. Her Grandad is getting older and though she sees him regularly, there is an undercurrent of awareness that he has little time left.

Noticing a snow angel with no footprints one evening and some footprints on the roof, Kara gets stuck into a mystery. One that will have far reaching consequences. Somehow time has been altered and Kara meets Rebecca and Samuel…Jewish refugees on the run from Germans who would rather see them dead than alive.

Drawn into their terrifying quest for survival, Kara gets a very real sense of the fear, hunger and uncertainty that Rebecca and Samuel were living through in 1944.

I was so captivated by the initial mystery and while it isn’t exactly a ghost story, there are elements of this.

It was an amazing tale of courage, kindness and helping wherever you are able. Kara finds her courage from watching Rebecca provide for her younger brother in dire circumstances. She uses this courage to fight off a bully and find a way forward for herself.

Sad, honest and incredible. Ideal for schools studying the Holocaust- it provides some opportunities for deep thinking and empathy.