Which Way Is Home?

March 15, 2020
Kiely bases her debut novel on the true story of her mother's escape from Communist-era Czechoslovakia. Eleven-year-old Anna, a Czech girl, lives happily with her family. They thought that once the Nazi occupation was over, everything would go back to normal, but now they worry about the new Communist government. People are being sent to prison camps, and no one knows whom to trust. One night in 1948, Anna is whisked away to Prague, where she, her mother, and her older sister begin a secret escape to Germany--and, they hope, Anna's father. The plot is straightforward and fast-paced, and though the stakes are high, there's never any doubt that things will turn out all right for Anna and her family. They know there are untrustworthy people in the world, but they learn to put their faith in the people they meet along their way. There are plenty of anecdotes that clearly come straight from Anna herself, adding a sense of familiarity and veracity to the story. Readers will easily imagine themselves there with Anna, playing cards with the boys at the refugee camp or eating the unappetizing food. A particularly fascinating detail is the secret code involving gloves and Wuthering Heights that Anna's mother uses to identify herself to people who will help her escape. All characters appear to be white. A warm story about trust during hardship. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-13)

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May 15, 2020
Grades 6-8 When WWII ended, the people of Czechoslovakia hoped to be free of Nazi rule and have a fair government. While the Communists from Russia did liberate the Czechs, they went on to set up a Communist rule that oppressed the Czechs once more. For 11-year-old Anna, things were happy on her family's farm in the summer of 1948, yet life takes a drastic turn when she flees to Germany with her mother and sister in hopes of reuniting with her father. Debut author Kiely tells a story of bravery that is based on the real-life experience of her mother, Anna, who escaped Czechoslovakia in '48. Kiely turns the stories she grew up hearing into a tender narrative of courage and adventure. While the setting of a post-WWII eastern Europe is serious, the content of the novel does not contain any unpleasant scenes that indicate the danger and terror of the characters; thus, Kiely's debut is a delightfully accessible read for middle-school children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)