Anna And The Swallow Man

By (author) Savit Gavriel
Description

''A beautifully haunting and thought-provoking story of friendship that lingers long after the last page'' Ruta Sepetys, Author of Salt to the Sea

''A small wonder, and for once a book worthy of the hype'' The Times

''A chilling, stylishly written and utterly memorable story'' Guardian

''Savit''s story is aimed at anyone who will listen. A 10-year-old may identify with Anna. A teenage reader will absorb the deftness and sophistication of the telling. An adult will find their expectations challenged'' New York Times

Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning debut novel for readers aged ten to one hundred and ten that tells a new story of World War Two.
Kraków, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she''s alone.

Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna''s missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced.

Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous . . .

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A chilling, stylishly written and utterly memorable story
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A small wonder, and for once a book worthy of the hype
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The breakout WWII drama . . . is causing quite the stir amongst both adults and the pre-teens it''s aimed at
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Tense, moving, original and skilled, this phenomenal debut will seize sophisticated readers
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It sometimes seems there can be no stories left to tell about the anguish of Nazi-occupied countries in 1939-45 but the debut novel by Gavriel Savit makes the territory new
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A beautifully haunting and thought-provoking story of friendship that lingers long after the last page
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A bold first novel that promises more from the undoubtedly talented Savit
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A beautifully written debut
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This wonderfully original concept, enigmatic in style yet grounded in brutal reality, is written with deceptive power and grace
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A stark and beautifully written tale that will leave you feeling unsettled yet enthralled
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Savit''s young adult novel reveals the power and danger of language, the necessity for deceit when humanity is under siege and . . . the hope that we will all find a guardian when we most need it
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Savit brilliantly dramatizes the adventures of survival . . . this book has an enticing sense of fable
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Savit''s story is aimed at anyone who will listen. A 10-year-old may identify with Anna. A teenage reader will absorb the deftness and sophistication of the telling. An adult will find his or her expectations challenged
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There''s much for adults to love about Gavriel Savit''s beautiful tale
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The book that brings magic to the 20th century''s darkest hour
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Savit captures the moods, fears and delightful conversation of this odd couple on their implausible odyssey. It''s a touching tale, both sad and sweet
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An astonishingly accomplished debut about war, survival and humanity . . . this is very much in the territory of The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas with all the potential that such a compari