Boy, Resisting: Silent, Spy, Survivor?: A gripping, diary style, middle grade novel set in WW2 Occupied Paris - Hardcover

by J. H. Foster (Author), James Warwood (Author), James Warwood (Illustrator)

Silence was supposed to keep me - and my secrets - safe.

So I accidentally became a spy...

I was just supposed to stay hidden. Keep my head down. Don't get noticed by the Nazis. Simple, right?

Yeah... not so much.

Getting to Paris to stay safe was hard enough - then the Nazis came, and suddenly it wasn't safe there either. Turns out, when you're good at sneaking around and listening when you shouldn't, people start asking you to do things. Dangerous things. Like delivering secret messages. Hiding spy equipment that can't be found. Taking photos that could get you arrested - or worse. Oh, and I still have to go to school...

Now I'm part of the French Resistance. I know the hiding places. I know the codes. I know which soldiers to avoid. One wrong move means capture. Or worse. And every time I sneak through the city - even underground through the spooky Catacombs - I wonder: will this be the mission I don't come back from?

One mistake could mean none of us - me, Mama, or Kat - survive.

If you like danger, secret missions, close calls, and real history - this is my story. Just don't tell anyone you read it.

(If you're a grown-up, you might also want to know this book is part of the Rebels and Resistance series - stories to share about WW2 Occupied Paris. Apart from being illustrated to break up the text, 'Boy, Resisting' is also chock-full of history to bring the experiences of being a child during wartime Paris to life. From significant events like the fall of the Maginot line, to how the Resistance movement took back Paris at the end of the war, your middle-grader should also find some cross-over with learning about WW2 in their curriculum as well)

*** This book and its companion, an adult historical suspense, 'Sewing Resistance', can be read as a standalone books OR as a buddy read with your child. The duology offers the chance to compare different aspects of living under Occupation and WW2. Both books pack an emotional punch with high-stakes adventure, but in an age-appropriate way, so readers of all ages can enjoy reading together. With the same setting, crossover chapters and characters, and similar plots, the books unlock differing perspectives on the secretive world of espionage, rebellion and resistance in Occupied Paris. Both books are written in the 1st person POV, so the reader is immersed in that character's perspective. Join Hannah and Freddie on a journey of discovery and danger, to the uplifting redemption which comes with liberation.***