Description
Charlie Martin has three problems. He cannot stand another day of school and would rather be a musician, the Nazis have occupied his city, and he seems to have fallen in love with someone who may be more than he can handle.
This is Paris during World War II; Gestapo agents, resistance fighters and the proto-punk Zazou gang who regularly battle it out with German soldiers in illegal dancehalls. When Charlie meets Eddie, a young Zazou who plays sax, they decide to start a band.
For Charlie, his dreams seem to be coming true, but nothing is ever as it appears in the occupied city. Something big is brewing and 15-year-old Charlie might be at the center of it.
Review
Charlie lives in Paris with his mum. It’s 1943, and Paris is under the occupation of the German Army. He hates school because he is dyslexic and can’t read, but he loves music - especially jazz. He plays the guitar and is very good at it.
When Charlie meets Eddie - who plays the sax and loves jazz too - they decide to form a band. But Paris is in 1943 is a dangerous place, and when his mum starts disappearing for a day or two at a time he becomes suspicious that she is involved in the resistance, although she denies it.
Then Charlie gets roped in to delivering some mysterious parcels for the owner of a bar where he and Eddie play. It’s not safe to ask questions.
Then, as he busks in the city he meets Rosa, a Roma gypsy who plays the violin, and Dieter, a young German soldier who plays the trumpet. They both join the band and start to ask questions about what they see happening around them. As the band's popularity grows, something seems not quite right to Charlie, but even he is surprised by what follows. Will any of them, or their music, survive?
This is a book about war and jazz and a look at life in occupied France, all through Charlie’s eyes. He is a great character that you will love, especially as he struggles to make friends but finds them though his music. It is full of intrigue and danger as the gestapo and the army are everywhere in Paris, and distrust is high as the resistance try to disrupt them. It highlights the bravery and courage it must have taken to stand up to the Germans during that time. It also shows the need to still have something you can hang onto to have some happiness in your life, which Charlie finds through his music.
I found this a fascinating story, and it will be loved by anyone who likes historical fiction and music, as this is the infectious element woven through the whole book. Best suited to those 15 and up.
Teacher Notes prepared by the publisher are available on our website for this title.
