Book to Share: Each and Every Spark, by Claire Swinarski

If you read last week’s review of The Lions’ Run, by Sara Pennypacker, you’ll know I’m on a WWII kick in my reading, and I saved my very favorite for last: Each and Every Spark, by Claire Swinarski, is a masterpiece of both historical and contemporary fiction, as it spins a dual timeline story of two girls desperate to discover their place in the world.

Here’s the publisher’s description:

Paris, present day. Penny Marks has never felt so alone. Forced to move to France for some fancy job her mom couldn’t turn down, she’s now miles away from her old life. If she hadn’t quit art after all that drama went down last year, she’d at least have something to keep her mind off the fact that life back home is moving on without her.
Paris, 1943. Marie Bonnet has never felt so afraid. When the German army seized power over France, she and her sister Heloise watched their father get taken away, leaving them on their own. Then Marie finds evidence that Heloise has secretly been working for the French Resistance—a group of rebels determined to take the Nazis down—and while it has danger written all over it, she's desperate to join. Any small act of uprising could help their country…but it could also cost them their lives.
Penny and Marie’s worlds collide when an old painting resurfaces in present-day Paris after decades of being hidden. Along with it is a note whose message may lead Penny to Marie…and the fate that awaited her. 

What I thought:

I’ve always been a total sucker for WWII stories, and that preference has even strengthened as an adult, as I live in a world with so many tensions, prejudices, and injustices of its own. As horrific as the world war was, seeing the beauty and humanity and hand of God throughout it all gives me so much hope for my own present life.

Claire Swinarski, by telling the story of a contemporary character alongside the story of a historical character, makes that point even more dramatically. Things were bad then. Things are bad now. But each and every human has the ability to make a difference. Every good thing we do, large or small, matters. By diving into both Penny’s and Marie’s stories, Claire subtly whispers to each of her readers: “You, too. You, next. You matter, and you can make a difference.”

Resistance isn’t always grand and dramatic—in fact, it rarely is. Most often it means sticking to our guns, standing by the oppressed, choosing to spread love and joy instead of hatred and violence—in a million little sparks that add up to a glorious flame.

On another note, I loved the quiet but strong presence of Marie’s and Penny’s Catholic faith. It was peripheral to the plot, but helped develop who these girls had become—and provided a link to the lives of many young readers of faith who are looking for characters like themselves.

Parents will want to be aware:

Like all WWII books, this contains upsetting content. Sensitive children may be very upset by the realities children at the time faced. Hardest for me was the abduction of Marie’s Jewish classmate and a melancholy, if not exactly tragic, ending.

In the present day section, there is an instance of terrorism.

One or two instances of God’s name in vain; to me, their addition made sense because of the circumstances.

Penny makes some foolish decisions—but all of them have clear consequences.

In my family, this will be for my upper middle grade or teenage readers, but you know your children best!

Each and Every Spark releases in February, but you can pre-order it now! 

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, visit Always in the Middle: www.gpattridge.com