For Freedom: The Story Of A French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Date of Publication: 2003 ISBN: 0440418313 Number of Pages: 181

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Average
GENRES: Historical Fiction, Realism
THEMES: Coming of Age, Good versus Evil, Life versus Death, Appearance versus Reality, Prejudice, Survival, Isolation, Responsibility

SUMMARY:
Suzanne David is a thirteen-year-old French girl when the war arrives almost literally at her doorstep. She witnesses a bombing on the beach at Cherbourg that leaves her best friend traumatized and a pregnant neighbour brutally murdered right in front of her eyes. Suzanne is strong however, and instead of making her fall apart, the incident strengthens her resolve to make a difference in the war.

As Suzanne grows into a young woman and trains to be an opera singer, the war rages on. Her family is forced out of their home, neighbours disappear, and rationing and bombings change her daily life. When her neighbour, Dr. Leclerc, inquires about her travelling and singing, Suzanne begins to suspect that he is part of the Resistance. This is verified when he asks her to become a spy, passing messages while she moves around the town and surrounding countryside. It is only as the messages increase and her fellow spies start disappearing that Suzanne realizes how risky her position has become. When she is betrayed by someone she trusts, and ends up captured by the Nazis, she is forced to prove just how brave and strong she really is

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...

• is interested in World War II
• likes spy stories
• likes stories based on fact
• likes biographies
• likes the opera and/or singing
• is into French history
• likes strong female heroines
• doesn’t mind violence if based in fact

WHAT ELSE?
This book is an IRA Teacher's Choice winner, a VOYA Top Shelf Fiction Selection, a NY Public Library Book of the Year, an ALA Amelia Bloomer Selection, a Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction Selection, and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. It has also received a myriad of starred reviews as well. The author has written other books for teens, including Halfway to the Sky, which is also a Just Read choice.

This novel is really a fictionalized biography of Suzanne David Hall, who is still alive and lives in Tennessee near the author. While the violence and incidents are shocking and, in two cases, perhaps more graphically described than some readers will want, they are in keeping with the accuracy of the experience and are not done gratuitously.

RELATED LINKS:
Author’s Website
Teacher’s Guide with Discussion Questions