Catherine's War, written by Julia Billet and illustrated by Claire Fauvel.Translation by Ivanka Hahnenberger. Harper, 2020. $15.99 ages 10 and up

"Miss Armande is awful. The little kids don't understand anything she says, and the older ones are bored to death.

If she won't do it, I'll teach Alice how to read.

She is so incredibly strong and brave. I want to protect her and teach her everything I know.

I hope I won't fail."

The stories told in graphic novels being published today are quite remarkable, and a wonderful way to get great books into the hands of those kids who find middle and young adult novels a bit overwhelming. Sharing important stories in a more accessible format can make all the difference to their willingness to tackle them.

This emotional, and at times heartbreaking, story concerns one of the 'hidden children' of France, and finds its roots in the author's mother's experiences during World War II. In 1942, Rachel Cohen is living in the Sevres Children's Home near Paris. Her new passion is photography. This home is being run by a headmistress known to the children as Seagull and her husband, called Penguin. It is Penguin who loans Rachel a camera and encourages her to try learning something brand new.

In order to protect her from the Nazis, Rachel is given a new name, Catherine Colin. The Children's Home is the first stop on a long journey the children must make in the last years of the war. It is the only way to protect them and keep them safe. Informers are everywhere, and the children must be hidden in plain sight. Catherine finds safety in a convent, at a farm, in another orphanage, and finally in a secluded forest cabin. The photographs she takes as she hones her new craft document the people and events she encounters as she moves from one place to another, always trying to evade capture at the hands of the German army.

At war's end, she returns to Paris in hopes of finding her parents. The ink and watercolor images that give such life to this story are commanding and memorable, Readers will long remember the settings and the people whose courage, bravery, and willingness to help impacted the lives of so many children. This story is filled with danger, but remains ever hopeful.

 A map of Catherine's journey, a gallery of archival photographs from the Sevres Children's Home, a note to the reader, and a list of questions asked by readers follow the main text.

Wonderful!