Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Balancing honesty and age-appropriateness, Cerrito crafts an authentic, moving portrait. Read Full Review
Publishers Weekly
Cerrito (The End of the Line) delivers a compassionate introduction to the atrocities of the Holocaust that pays homage to some of the real heroes, particularly social worker Irena Sendler, who risked their lives to save the young. Read Full Review
School Library Journal
The pace is quick enough to cover three years, but there's still room for plenty of dialogue and memorable metaphors. Anna's present-tense narrative voice is vivid, and readers will connect with her from the start. From the moment she recommends her VERDICT A suspenseful and informative choice for historical fiction fans.—Magdalena Teske, Naperville Public Library, ILs. Read Full Review
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Recommended. Anna, brave and serious, makes a compelling heroine; her narration shows her sadness, confusion, and fear in a way that reveals her strength of character. Full of feeling and insight, as well as fascinating detail, this novel is as much about the loss of identity as the loss of life. Give this to those history buffs ready for a powerful story less commonly told. Read Full Review
School Library Connection
Not only is this novel a good pick for reluctant readers—with its short chapters and first-person narrative—but also for teachers wanting to incorporate historical fiction into the classroom. Read Full Review
Jewish Journal
The text is historically accurate, and the scenes are appropriate for pre-teen and teen readers. What is particularly moving is the way the author imbues young Anna with the intense desire not to forget her Jewish heritage. Read Full Review
The Horn Book
In WWII Poland, at her parents' insistence, nine-year-old Anna Bauman reluctantly flees the Warsaw ghetto, leaving her family behind. Called Anna Karwolska, she is cared for by nuns, then by secret Resistance fighters. Anna's struggle to hide her identity while she yearns to remember her past is vividly wrought. The text is dense, but the story is compelling.
San Francisco Book Review
This is historical fiction at its very best and deserves readership far beyond its targeted middle-grade audience. Review by Rosi Hollinbeck.
Reformed Librarians Together
Highly recommended! This is a beautiful story that shows how quickly life can change in the face of war. . . . appropriate for a younger audience but would be very appealing to older students as well. Read Full Review
Youth Services Book Review
Very moving and thought-provoking, this book should spark some excellent family and/or classroom discussions. Public and school libraries should own this book. Read Full Review
Jewish Book World
Anna’s story is a suspenseful and deeply moving account of the sacrifices endured, the dangers faced, and the heroism demonstrated by courageous young victims, their parents and their saviors. Read Full Review
Southern Nebraska Register
I read this book from cover to cover at one sitting. I found the story compelling without being overwhelming. This is not an easy task, given the nature of the Holocaust. Cerrito does not give any easy answers in this book, but repeatedly shows the great love and courage of Anna and the people saving this child. Read Full Review
The Book Search
I read this one this morning. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I read this first chapter last night and when I woke up, I thought I should read a bit more. Until I finished it. It's called "The Safest Lie" by Angela Cerrito. I should also mention that I've hit a saturation point with books about World War 2 and so I don't choose to read them any more, but this one had such a compelling voice, that I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
Sonderbooks
I love that this book is a tribute to those who risked their lives to save others. Read Full Review
Kiss The Book
This in an incredible story of the devastation of the war and the amazing people who helped smuggle food, clothing and medicine into the Warsaw ghetto and smuggle children out. Cerrito is able to effectively draw the reader into the story and helps us to get a sense of how very difficult life was during this period of history. This exceptional book should be read by every youth and could be used in a unit on the Holocaust. EL. ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: SL. Read Full Review
Tween You & Me
For my older tweens, I think this will have some appeal due to the curriculum on WWII. I always get asked for books like The Diary of a Young Girl I think this might be a great fictional read alike book that might interest my kids & the character's name is even Anna! Or it might even be a great book for those younger siblings that want to learn about the Holocaust with their older siblings. Read Full Review
JB Warren
It’s difficult to imagine how a book about the Holocaust could ever be written for a Middle Grade audience, but Cerrito handles it gracefully. Written in the voice of Anna, all the ugliness of the war is seen and processed through the filter of nine-year-old eyes making the retelling of her story appropriate for a middle grade reader. The Safest Lie is written in the tradition of novels that not only entertain, but teach. Novels like Esperanza Rising. Novels that are an important addition to school and classroom libraries.
Reading, Writing and Ruminating
Angela Cerrito is a powerful writer who bears witness to the trials of these children and the many people who took great risks to save them. Read Full Review
KidsReads
THE SAFEST LIE is a moving story and one very much worth reading.
The Children's War
If you have ever wondered what happened to the children that Irena Sendler smuggled out of the Warsaw Ghetto, this is the book for you. Read Full Review
My Never Ending List
I felt a multitude of emotions as I read this novel. Read Full Review
Mrs. Yingling Reads
The details of the various places Anna lives are clearly well researched and add depth to the narrative. Read Full Review
Historical Novel Society
Read Full Review
Kirkus Reviews
Balancing honesty and age-appropriateness, Cerrito crafts an authentic, moving portrait. Read Full Review
Publishers Weekly
Cerrito (The End of the Line) delivers a compassionate introduction to the atrocities of the Holocaust that pays homage to some of the real heroes, particularly social worker Irena Sendler, who risked their lives to save the young. Read Full Review
School Library Journal
The pace is quick enough to cover three years, but there's still room for plenty of dialogue and memorable metaphors. Anna's present-tense narrative voice is vivid, and readers will connect with her from the start. From the moment she recommends her VERDICT A suspenseful and informative choice for historical fiction fans.—Magdalena Teske, Naperville Public Library, ILs. Read Full Review
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Recommended. Anna, brave and serious, makes a compelling heroine; her narration shows her sadness, confusion, and fear in a way that reveals her strength of character. Full of feeling and insight, as well as fascinating detail, this novel is as much about the loss of identity as the loss of life. Give this to those history buffs ready for a powerful story less commonly told. Read Full Review
School Library Connection
Not only is this novel a good pick for reluctant readers—with its short chapters and first-person narrative—but also for teachers wanting to incorporate historical fiction into the classroom. Read Full Review
Jewish Journal
The text is historically accurate, and the scenes are appropriate for pre-teen and teen readers. What is particularly moving is the way the author imbues young Anna with the intense desire not to forget her Jewish heritage. Read Full Review
The Horn Book
In WWII Poland, at her parents' insistence, nine-year-old Anna Bauman reluctantly flees the Warsaw ghetto, leaving her family behind. Called Anna Karwolska, she is cared for by nuns, then by secret Resistance fighters. Anna's struggle to hide her identity while she yearns to remember her past is vividly wrought. The text is dense, but the story is compelling.
San Francisco Book Review
This is historical fiction at its very best and deserves readership far beyond its targeted middle-grade audience. Review by Rosi Hollinbeck.
Reformed Librarians Together
Highly recommended! This is a beautiful story that shows how quickly life can change in the face of war. . . . appropriate for a younger audience but would be very appealing to older students as well. Read Full Review
Youth Services Book Review
Very moving and thought-provoking, this book should spark some excellent family and/or classroom discussions. Public and school libraries should own this book. Read Full Review
Jewish Book World
Anna’s story is a suspenseful and deeply moving account of the sacrifices endured, the dangers faced, and the heroism demonstrated by courageous young victims, their parents and their saviors. Read Full Review
Southern Nebraska Register
I read this book from cover to cover at one sitting. I found the story compelling without being overwhelming. This is not an easy task, given the nature of the Holocaust. Cerrito does not give any easy answers in this book, but repeatedly shows the great love and courage of Anna and the people saving this child. Read Full Review
The Book Search
I read this one this morning. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I read this first chapter last night and when I woke up, I thought I should read a bit more. Until I finished it. It's called "The Safest Lie" by Angela Cerrito. I should also mention that I've hit a saturation point with books about World War 2 and so I don't choose to read them any more, but this one had such a compelling voice, that I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
Sonderbooks
I love that this book is a tribute to those who risked their lives to save others. Read Full Review
Kiss The Book
This in an incredible story of the devastation of the war and the amazing people who helped smuggle food, clothing and medicine into the Warsaw ghetto and smuggle children out. Cerrito is able to effectively draw the reader into the story and helps us to get a sense of how very difficult life was during this period of history. This exceptional book should be read by every youth and could be used in a unit on the Holocaust. EL. ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: SL. Read Full Review
Tween You & Me
For my older tweens, I think this will have some appeal due to the curriculum on WWII. I always get asked for books like The Diary of a Young Girl I think this might be a great fictional read alike book that might interest my kids & the character's name is even Anna! Or it might even be a great book for those younger siblings that want to learn about the Holocaust with their older siblings. Read Full Review
JB Warren
It’s difficult to imagine how a book about the Holocaust could ever be written for a Middle Grade audience, but Cerrito handles it gracefully. Written in the voice of Anna, all the ugliness of the war is seen and processed through the filter of nine-year-old eyes making the retelling of her story appropriate for a middle grade reader. The Safest Lie is written in the tradition of novels that not only entertain, but teach. Novels like Esperanza Rising. Novels that are an important addition to school and classroom libraries.
Reading, Writing and Ruminating
Angela Cerrito is a powerful writer who bears witness to the trials of these children and the many people who took great risks to save them. Read Full Review
KidsReads
THE SAFEST LIE is a moving story and one very much worth reading.
The Children's War
If you have ever wondered what happened to the children that Irena Sendler smuggled out of the Warsaw Ghetto, this is the book for you. Read Full Review
My Never Ending List
I felt a multitude of emotions as I read this novel. Read Full Review
Mrs. Yingling Reads
The details of the various places Anna lives are clearly well researched and add depth to the narrative. Read Full Review
Historical Novel Society
Read Full Review