[2] Kirkus Reviews described the books as "a touching story about coming of age under less-than-ideal circumstances.

... [T]he dovetailing here of adolescent bravado and cynicism with historical drama makes for a mostly satisfying mixture.

"[3] Publishers Weekly called it a "spellbinding fable", and wrote that "this is no myth-like Lord of the Flies.

Contemporary history is an ever-present element, as German troops advance, France falls apart, the government evacuates Paris and refugees flood the countryside.

... Raspail (Who Will Remember the People) narrowly avoids sentimentality in this powerful depiction of an end to innocence and illusion.