When the World Was Ours

By: Liz Kessler

Narrated by: Tom Lawrence, Willow Nash

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Windsnap series, Liz Kessler, comes a “brutally honest and totally believable” (Booklist, starred review) story of three young friends whose fates are intertwined during the devastation of the Holocaust—based on a true story.

Three friends. One memory.
Vienna. 1936.

Three young friends—Leo, Elsa, and Max—spend a perfect day together, unaware that around them Europe is descending into a growing darkness and that they will soon be cruelly ripped apart from one another. With their lives taking them across Europe—to Germany, England, Prague, and Poland—will they ever find their way back to one another? Will they want to?

Inspired by a true story, When the World Was Ours is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking and that shows how the bonds of love, family, and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times.

Critic reviews

"Narrators Tom Lawrence and Willow Nash portray Leo, Max, and Elsa, three youngsters who come of age during Hitler's rise to power and the horrors of the Holocaust. Both narrators offer clear, precise enunciation and excellent pacing in their performances."

Wow

Using this book for a one school one book read! I can’t wait to get feedback from our middle schoolers

Great writing

Such a heartbreaking story. Interwoven with history. Everyone should read or listen to this book. so very much to ponder. I will read more from this author. The narrations were awesome.

Amazing

I love the plot of this story and love all the characters parts it’s a very interesting book that you wouldn’t want to put down. The end is very sad and made me cry. But for a historical fiction book it’s amazing.

The continuous search for hope

A real accounting of that horrible time. The author captures you from the very beginning and tells the journey of three friends so well, you can imagine clearly. Difficult as you can imagine and heartbreaking from so many perspectives.

I was blown away with this book it was a butifull story

Amazing all abt justice and freedom of respect and a wonderful story well done I found it amothanal but thins had happened before in life