Uprising

• Written by Jennifer A. Nielsen.

I absolutely loved the last book by Jennifer Nielson, it was called Lines of Courage and I recommended it to countless people and to this day it remains one of my favourite books ever. So I was delighted when this was delivered , the only problem was that I love this author so much that I knew I would binge read this book  and be gutted when I’d finished it.so I decided to save it for a few weeks. I’d been really busy over the school holidays so I’d decided I’d deserved  a treat, and so I started this one afternoon.

Of course It happened, I became so engrossed in it that before I knew what I’d done I was already ⅓ through the book. After I realised that I’d done it again I decided that I needed to carry on as I couldn’t leave Lidia.

Twelve-year-old Lidia is outside her grandfather’s house when planes fly overhead, bearing the Nazi cross on each wing. Before the bombs hit the ground, Lidia realises her life is about to change forever. Poland has fallen under German occupation, and her father makes the brave decision to join the Polish army to fight against the Nazis. Lidia wants to follow him into war, but she’s far too young, and she’s needed by her mother and brother. After her family returns to Warsaw, where life has changed irrevocably, Lidia continues to play the piano, finding comfort in Chopin, Bach, and Beethoven. But she also wants to aid the Jewish people held captive in the Warsaw Ghetto. With the help of a friend, Lidia begins to smuggle wheat and food into the ghetto. Still, she feels like she could be doing so much more. She wants to fight. After her brother joins the resistance, Lidia wants only to follow in his footsteps. Soon, she begins to work as a courier, smuggling weapons and messages for the resistance throughout the city. When the Warsaw city uprising begins―one year after the more well-known Warsaw Ghetto uprising by Polish Jews―with gunfire and bombs echoing throughout the streets, Lidia joins the Polish nationalists’ fight, too, and she and her peers fight with everything they’ve got. Life will continue to surprise Lidia, as she and the resistance fighters do their best to defeat the German soldiers. No matter the consequences, they’re willing to defend their freedom and their homes from the Nazi invaders―even with their lives.

Before we go any further I need to make it clear that Lidia Zakrzewski, was a real person, and all of the characters were real. Most of the events in this book actually happened. There are a few scenes that have been added to make the story but over 90% is true,

This is another angle of  WW2 that school children are unaware of, and should be taught in schools.Lidia Zakrzewski, code name: Cello, a teenager growing up in Warsaw, Poland during the invasion and occupation by German Nazis. Broken into parts, the story is told from the point of view of Lidia as she navigates life and the hardships of poverty and danger lurking around every corner in war-torn Warsaw, Poland.

The struggles of Lilia and her family are truly heartbreaking, having to leave the family home, the capture of her father, her mum having to go out to work amongst other events.

Ryszard, her brother, was my favourite character in the book and I was extremely sad when he died a hero. 

We get a look at Lidia’s life after the war and she carried on being an extraordinary person.

At the end of this book there are family photos of Lidia , her brother and her parents which is a lovely touch. This is definitely in my top 5 of 2024.