Good-bye Marianne: The Graphic Novel by Irena N. Watts

Watts, Irena N. (2008). Good-bye Marianne: The Graphic Novel. Illustrated by Kathryn E. Shoemaker. Tundra Books, Toronto, ON.

Reader’s annotation: Hitler’s Germany is no longer safe for Jews, and when Marianne gets the chance to leave her home, family, and life behind for England, she finds herself struggling to make a decision.

Evaluation: Based upon the novel by the same name, original author Irene N. Watts and illustrator Kathryn E. Shoemaker have created a poignant and touching graphic novel about young Marianne Kohn, a young Jewish girl living in Berlin in 1938.

Marianne’s world has quickly crumbled around her – her father has disappeared, she is kicked out of school, and the Gestapo makes unannounced raids in her apartment and on the street. Marianne and her mother live in fear and solitude, hoping for change and the endurance to survive Hitler’s regime. When Marianne is offered the chance to leave Germany on a kindertransport to England, she must choose between her home and freedom.

Kathryn E. Shoemaker’s pencil illustrations are simple yet evocative. The lack of color iterates the darkness of the time and the fear and unknown that the Jews of Germany faced. Watts and Shoemaker have made Marianne’s story accessible and meaningful for middle grade readers. As Marianne must decide her fate, readers will feel her anguish. Saying good-bye is never easy. Saying good-bye for a lifetime - unbearable.

This graphic novel will stay with readers long after the last page has been read, with its haunting images and meaningful story.

Author website: http://irenenwatts.com/
Illustrator website: No illustrator website.
Media: Pencil.
Curricular connection: Makes the Holocaust and the terror the Jews faced feel real and tangible to middle school readers. 7th grade History Holocaust studies.