Sunday, May 22, 2011

How Huge the Night

I am quite excited about this new book, How Huge the Night, by Heather and Lydia Munn. It is set in France as it is falling to the Nazis and is based on a true story - the town of Le Chambon - the only French town honored by Israel for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust. This is a book geared at teens and helps them get excited about this time period AND also challenges them to think about the choices they make everyday based on some of the choices Julien and Nina have to make to survive. I appreciate the ethical challenges the authors portray in the novel - it really makes you think and question what you would have done.

Here is what the publisher says about the book:

Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens. Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father's dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair.

Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough-and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death.

This is a compelling read - I was glued from the first page and I know teens will be just as engrossed as I was! In fact - I am on my way to pass it along to my teen boys to read!

Here is a bit about the authors:

Heather Munn was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in southern France where her parents were missionaries like their parents before them. She has a BA in literature from Wheaton College and now lives in a Christian intentional community in rural Illinois, where she and her husband, Paul, host free spiritual retreats for the poor, especially those transitioning out of homelessness or addiction. When not writing or hosting, she works on the communal farm.

Lydia Munn, daughter of missionary parents, grew up in Brazil. She received a BA in literature from Wheaton College, and an MA in Bible from Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions. With her husband, Jim, she has worked in church planting and Bible teaching since 1983, notably in St. Etienne, near the small town in the central mountains of France which forms the background of How Huge the Night. The Munns now live in Grenoble, France.

Here's Some BIG NEWS!!!

Kregel Publications is sponsoring an $50 Amazon.com giveaway open to blog readers.

About the Giveaway!

To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using #litfuse) about How Huge the Night or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we'll capture your entry when you use the hashtag (#litfuse). If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (info@litfusegroup.com). Easy.



*I was provided a copy for review purposes by the publisher.

1 comment:

Heather Munn said...

Hi Becky,

Thanks so much for reading & reviewing How Huge the Night! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I sure hope your boys do too. I haven't heard much from teen boys yet on how they like Julien (b/c not many teen boys that I know have read it yet) and I'd be really curious to know, if you have a minute to drop in over at www.howhugethenight.com and let me know in the forum there. (I don't have a blog--I just can't come up with something every week or even every month! so that's my place to interact.)

Just if you have the time. And thanks again!

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