WAITING FOR ANYA

The book is written by Michael Morpurgo and it is inspired by French

villagers who rescued Jewish children from the Nazis during the
Second World War. The French smuggled the children over the
mountains into Spain.
Waiting for Anya is a novel set in a mountain village, Lescun, in
France during World War II.
A young shepherd, named Jo, accidentally finds a man hiding in
Widow Horcarda's cow shed.
Jo learns, that Benjamin, is elderly Widow Horcarda's son-in-law and
they are involved in a dangerous plan to save the lives of local Jewish
children. Jo is determined to help. Once Jo spends time with
Benjamin, they instantly get on and Jo finds out about Benjamin's
deep sadness. He was separated from his little daughter, Anya, in
Paris because of the war.
Benjamin told her that if they parted they would reunite in the village
where Widow Horcarda and Jo live. So throughout the whole novel
Benjamin is waiting for his daughter to return so that they can become
a family again – this is how the novel gets its title.
Though Jo's father is away at war against the Nazis, Jo develops a
friendship with a German Corporal from the troop that patrols the
village and its mountains. The two share an interest in bird-watching
and although their two nations are at war, the Corporal and Jo bond.
Meanwhile one night, the villagers, bravely led by Jo, Benjamin,
Widow Horcarda, and Jo's Grandfather, secretively guide the children
through the forest into Spanish territory.
But when a scared girl refuses to leave Benjamin, the plan starts to
dramatically unravel and Jo finds that helping the children over the
mountain is harder than he ever imagined.
The book is a real trip into a historical moment of the real life during
the Second World War. It is very sad to find out details about the
difficult life of different characters and how they coped with life in
such terrible circumstances. For instance, the Corporal was a family
man who wasn't a bully or mean and enjoyed sharing stories about his
life (in a similar mountain village in Germany) with Jo.
While Jo is a laid-back boy that enjoys spending time with his dog,
his sheep and his friends. It was easy to believe in these characters –
they were likeable and Morpurgo depicted them in a realistic way.

The book showed to me the way in which a French boy understood

the war, compared to how a Jewish man understood the war.
It teaches children about the risks people take in life and for friends.
I'd recommend Waiting for Anya to children readers because it is
very interesting and realistic.