Good Night, Maman

by Norma Fox Mazer

First published 1999

Karin Levi watches German soldiers march through Paris in the 1940s. The occupation transforms her world overnight. She and her brother Marc face an impossible choice: stay and risk capture, or abandon everything they know. The siblings decide to run. They leave behind their home, their friends, and their mother. The journey ahead offers no guarantees. Safe places exist somewhere beyond the city, but finding them means navigating a country torn apart by war. Karin must protect Marc while searching for refuge. Every stranger could be an ally or an enemy. Every decision carries the weight of survival. The war has stolen their childhood, but Karin refuses to let it take their lives. This story captures the courage required when home becomes dangerous and family means everything.

Genres: family, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war

Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family

Setting: Paris, France

Period: 1940s

185 pages · Hardcover · Harcourt Childrens Books

More by Norma Fox Mazer

Readers who liked Good Night, Maman also liked

View on Siftivo