Skip to main content

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit







Anna and the Swallow Man is a YA fiction novel by Gavriel Savit. It was on Publishers Weekly's list of top YA books for 2016. Set in Poland during World War II, this book tells the story of Anna and the stranger who takes her under his wing when she's left an orphan and homeless.

Sex: There's a scene near the end of the book where Anna is trying to get medicine for the Swallow Man and she's forced to undress in front of the pharmacist and "do what he asks."

Language: There's one instance of strong language.

Alcohol/Drug Use: Reb Hirschl likes to drink and is drunk as often as he can find alcohol.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There is a lot of death and many disturbing images. Anna and the Swallow Man are constantly on the move during the war and they see a lot of terrible things. This book contains the normal amount of war-related scenes you would typically see in a story set during this time period.

Final Note: Gavriel Savit himself calls this story a fairy tale. It's one of the more unique World War II books I've ever read. If you're the type that likes books to have a neat ending with all questions answered, this is definitely not the novel for you. The writing was beautiful and I feel like I'll be thinking about this story for weeks to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My 2020 5 Star Reads

I'm a few days late, but here it is! My top books from 2020! Because of quarantine, I was able to finish 321 books - 83,718 pages. I decided to organize my favorites by genres so they are easier to pick out for those who care! 😊   Middle Grade: -All the Greys on Greene Street by Laura Tucker -New Kid AND Class Act by Jerry Craft (graphic novels - 1st two books in the same series) -Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina -A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee -To Be a Slave by Julius Lester (Nonfiction) -Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds -Mistakes Were Made and We Meet Again by Stephan Pastis (Timmy Failure series) -Guitar Notes by Mary Amato -The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden -The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon -Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus AND Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (1st two books) -The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQUeen (Historical fiction) -My Year in the Midd...
Post a Comment
Read more

Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Purchase this book on Amazon!   Short is a junior fiction novel by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Julia has always been small. So when her mother encourages her to audition for the local play and she's cast as a munchkin, Julia is not surprised. What does surprise her, though, is how much she loves it. Sex: None. Julia talks about some of the older cast members dating and liking each other, but it's all pretty harmless. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: Champagne is mentioned once. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Julia is sad throughout the book because of the loss of a pet. Another character talks about how she lost her daughter. Final Note: This book was so cute! I couldn't help but absolutely adore Julia. Holly Goldberg Sloan really hit this one out of the park. I think kids in grades 4-7 will enjoy this novel!
Post a Comment
Read more

What is The Rapid Reader?

Hello fellow parents and friends! My name is Danielle. I had the idea for this blog a couple of years ago when I was working in my son's school library. It was a known fact that I was an avid reader of middle school and young adult literature and several parents would ask me about books before checking them out for their kids. (Or buying them at the book fair!) Because I read so much, I've never worried too much about what my kids might be reading. My oldest is only eight years old and anything he's read, I've read already! But what about parents who don't necessarily enjoy reading or have the time? I wanted to offer a resource that gave these parents the chance to make educated decisions about books their kids are reading. That's how this blog was born! Before we go any further, I want to point out that I am strongly opposed to book banning. I believe in freedom of speech and expression of art through literature. But I also feel strongly that kids should ...
1 comment
Read more