When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of religious discrimination, graphic violence, illness and death, and physical abuse.

Gaining maturity is a common experience for adolescents and teens in middle-grade and young adult novels; wartime settings often hasten the process, since loss and struggle compel young characters to take on adult responsibilities or cope with grown-up conflicts. In When We Flew Away, Anne, Margot, and Hello must come of age quickly under the weight of Nazi occupation and increasing prejudice against Jewish people. As a result of restrictions on Jewish freedoms and abusive and inhumane tactics, these young characters experience a rapid loss of innocence as they mature.

Anne’s loss of innocence is the most pronounced. Depicted as a chatty, imaginative young girl with ambition and a penchant for acting on stage, Anne exudes cleverness, confidence, and vitality at the start of the story. She seeks enjoyment in life, whether in persuading Margot to get ice cream or dreaming of traveling to New York and California. Full of hope for her family members and belief in others’ kindness, Anne is characterized by an innocent empathy in the book’s early chapters. As the occupation goes on, however, Anne witnesses cruelty and prejudice.