Freedom’s Game
Written by Rosanne Tolin
Illustrated by Vali Mintzi
Ages: 10-13 | 248 Pages
Publisher: Reycraft Books/Benchmark Education (2024) | ISBN: 978-1478876199
Publisher’s Book Summary: Twelve-year-old Ziggy Wirth, originally from Germany, doesn’t know what to expect when he arrives at the Annemasse orphanage in eastern France. It is 1942, and the Nazis have conquered the northern part of the country. Annemasse is supposed to be a secret haven for Jewish children separated from their families, but Ziggy can’t help feeling that the worst is about to happen. Any adult around him could easily be a Nazi spy. Ziggy befriends Elka, a girl his age who has lived at Annemasse for three years and dreams of when she will be reunited with her family in Dresden. Along with the excitement of this new friendship comes the intrigue surrounding the mysterious, blond-haired new gym teacher, Georges Loinger. Is Georges a friend who can lead all the children to safety in nearby Switzerland? Or is he a spy luring them towards the Nazis?
When any mistake could be deadly, Ziggy and Elka are never sure who to trust.
Available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rosanne Tolin was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the author of More Than Marmalade: Michael Bond and The Story of Paddington Bear, and Freedom’s Game. A respected journalist, her work has focused primarily on children’s publications. She was the creator of an ALA-notable website for kids, the managing editor of a children’s magazine, and a Hoosier State Press Award-winning feature writer. Rosanne lives in Chesterton, Indiana, with her husband. When not working, she can be found hiking with her dogs in the Indiana Dunes or Colorado’s Tenmile Range.
To learn more, visit https://www.rosannetolin.com, https://www.instagram.com/tolinrosanne/, https://www.facebook.com/rosanne.tolin/, https://x.com/RosanneGTolin.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Vali Mintzi, the cover artist, is an illustrator of children’s books, a graphic designer, and puppetry designer. She was born in Romania and she graduated from the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem where she lives and works.
https://www.instagram.com/vali_mintzi/
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Life Is What It's Called - How has your experience in journalism helped you to write this book?
Rosanne Tolin - As a journalist, I’m trained to seek out primary and secondary sources—an essential skill when writing historical fiction like Freedom’s Game. While the setting of the book is imagined, it’s based in fact—so accuracy is important for credibility’s sake. In my opinion, historical accuracy also draws in readers. Kids are savvy—they can spot inauthentic worlds or characters. Thus, every piece of the novel that wasn’t deliberately asking readers to suspend disbelief, needed to have a solid basis, with lots of research to back it up.
Life Is What It's Called - What will readers learn from reading Freedom’s Game?
Rosanne Tolin - Undoubtedly, readers will learn about some incredible true events that took place during the Holocaust (and probably a good deal about that terrible time in history, too). They’ll learn that Jewish refugee children were fearful much of the time—they missed their “normal” lives, and many were separated from their families, while others had parents who’d perished in concentration camps. Often, they had to give up their real identities, exchanging them for fake names and unfamiliar religions. And yet, they did incredibly brave things to counter their trauma.
For kids to dive deeper after the novel’s conclusion, I’ve included an Author’s Note in the book. It details my personal connections to the story, as well as more about the specific people and incidents that inspired it.
Life Is What It's Called - What inspired you to write this book?
Rosanne Tolin - My parents were huge inspirations. My father was a physician by trade, but he was also a Holocaust scholar. My mother’s family was from Germany, and I have extensive information about her side of the family, including a list of those who died in concentration camps. The list, which is pages and pages long, includes their names, birthdates, dates of death and where they perished—so it’s a very moving reference for me. And of course, reading about Georges Loinger’s acts of ingenuity and heroism during World War 2 compelled me to focus on his story specifically.
Life Is What It's Called - What was your favorite scene to write and why?
Rosanne Tolin - My favorite scene to write is probably a poignant moment that occurs between Ziggy and Elka after they’ve received bad news about the fate of a friend at the orphanage. Without giving too much away about the scene, after their interaction, the two main characters look at life’s difficult times in a fresh, uplifting way. I think the message of hope in the book really shines through in that moment.
Life Is What It's Called - How is Freedom’s Game different from other books on the market?
Rosanne Tolin - I think it’s different in several ways, but one of the main ones is the fact that it spotlights Jewish resistance. Many people are familiar with instances of Jewish rebellion during WW2 like the Warsaw Ghetto uprising—and while it’s significant, there’ve been lots of books, fiction and otherwise, that use that one event as a backdrop. But there were so many other true stories of Jewish heroism that are lesser known. This is one of them!
Life Is What It's Called - Why do you think it's important for young readers to be introduced to historical fiction?
Rosanne Tolin - By seeing the world through the eyes of characters living in unfamiliar times and places, I think young readers learn to empathize with others’ differences. I also think many kids today continue to be fascinated by historical events—like WW2, the Titanic, and the Dust Bowl, to name a few examples—and fiction can be such a wonderful segue for teachable moments about these period-specific events and experiences.
GIVEAWAY
Readers who follow the tour can enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a signed copy of Freedom’s Game and a brand-new official World Cup match ball! Don’t miss out on your chance!
Freedom's Game: Book Giveaway
