Good read

I wanted to like this book. But really only liked it till about halfway. The ending is predictable and falls flat. I was disappointed how the author ended Sarah's portion of the story and felt the character had so much more to share. Her ending made me feel cheated.

Sarah’s Key by De Rosnay, Tatiana, is a two perspective story. The first perspective is in July of 1942. A ten year old girl named Sarah who was arrested with her family in the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup, an act of the French in collaboration with the Nazis. However before the French take her and her family, she locks her younger brother, Michel, in their hiding place, a cupboard. She keeps the key thinking she will come back to get him a few hours later. The second perspective is in May of 2002. An American journalist named Julia Jarmond who is asked to write an article about the Vel d’Hiv. She feels ignorant and later finds herself retracing Sarah’s journey. This book was very interesting primarily for its historical genre. I most enjoy reading about historical stories because it gives me more knowledge and understanding of the world. The novel is most intriguing because of its two perspectives. I would rate this novel a 9 out of 10! @YoumnaLovesBooks of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

Books on WW2 Recommended by Cory, Tongue in Cheek:
All the Light You cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
Sarah's Keys, by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Lost Letters, by Jillian Cantor

Not a book that I would recommend. The early parts of the book shift back and forth so quickly that I felt like my brain had whiplash. The relationship between wife and husband in the current day was unrealistic. The historic character's first hand account disappears mid way through the book. The ending was odd. There are so many WWII novels out there. You can skip this one.

A truly unforgettable story. Couldn't put it down. Loved it!

Sarah's Key was one of the best novel I have read in a long time where the suspense was thrilling, exciting, tantalizing and which made me cry at times. This is one must read books.

Set in occupied France, the Vel d’Hiv occurred in July 1942 – a Nazi decree to roundup the Jewish population and send them to concentration camps. A young girl locks her brother in a hidden cupboard and promises to return for him. The story is told both from the young girl’s perspective, as well as 60 years later from the perspective of a reporter doing a story about what happened. The two stories collide in present day, with heartache, tragedy, and even a little karma. A read for pleasure and education about a little known piece of the Holocaust puzzle. (submitted by JB)

Story about the round up of Jews in Paris in 1942 by the Paris Police, under the Nazi's instructions. A sad chapter in French history. Well written story.

In 1942, when the French police are rounding up Jews in Paris, Sarah hides her little brother in a locked cupboard. Little does Sarah know that she will never return.