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Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
In 1938, Lily Renée Wilhelm, a 14-year-old Jewish girl, is living in Vienna when the Nazis march into Austria. After a ship voyage fraught with danger from Nazi torpedoes, teenage Lily reunites with her parents in New York and helps her family earn a living by painting designs on wooden boxes. One day she sees an ad in the paper: a comics publisher is looking for artists. Lily has never drawn comics before, but teaches herself how they work. She is hired to draw the character Senorita Rio, a beautiful spy fighting the Nazis.
96 pages, Library Binding
First published November 1, 2011
About the author
Trina Robbins
246 books83 followersTrina Robbins is an American comics artist and writer. She was an early and influential participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the few female artists in underground comix when she started. Her first comics were printed in the East Village Other. She later joined the staff of a feminist underground newspaper It Ain't Me, Babe, with whom she produced the first all-woman comic book titled It Ain't Me Babe. She became increasingly involved in creating outlets for and promoting female comics artists, through projects such as the comics anthology Wimmen's Comix. She was also the penciller on Wonder Woman for a time in the '80s.
Trina has worked on an adaptation of Sax Rohmer's Dope for Eclipse Comics and GoGirl with artist Anne Timmons for Image Comics.
Trina designed Vampirella's costume for Forrest Ackerman and Jim Warren.
In addition to her comics work, Robbins is an author of non-fiction books, including several with an emphasis on the history of women in cartooning.
She is the first of the three "Ladies of the Canyon" in Joni Mitchell's classic song from the album of the same name.
Trina Robbins won a Special Achievement Award from the San Diego Comic Con in 1989 for her work on Strip AIDS U.S.A., a benefit book that she co-edited with Bill Sienkiewicz and Robert Triptow.
Trina has worked on an adaptation of Sax Rohmer's Dope for Eclipse Comics and GoGirl with artist Anne Timmons for Image Comics.
Trina designed Vampirella's costume for Forrest Ackerman and Jim Warren.
In addition to her comics work, Robbins is an author of non-fiction books, including several with an emphasis on the history of women in cartooning.
She is the first of the three "Ladies of the Canyon" in Joni Mitchell's classic song from the album of the same name.
Trina Robbins won a Special Achievement Award from the San Diego Comic Con in 1989 for her work on Strip AIDS U.S.A., a benefit book that she co-edited with Bill Sienkiewicz and Robert Triptow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
April 8, 2024
The story of Lily Renee is one of triumph over adversity. One of the only female comic artists of the Golden Age - her contribution to comics is long overdue, but now it is told. It never ceases to amaze me how many GA artist/writers had to overcome rejection by society; perhaps their stories were the projection of a future they wanted to see.
October 28, 2013
I was hoping to like this one better than I ended up. I'm in love with the idea: a Jewish girl who escapes Nazi-occupied Austria and ends up a successful comics artist in America. I would have liked it much more if it had been longer. At this length, there's no real room for Lily Renee's career. That's a shame. I do like it for including the Kindertransport, something that I haven't seen mentioned much in Holocaust related literature. What of Lily's story that is actually here is very good, I just wish there'd been more of her later life.
April 22, 2015
Lily Renée is living a happy, normal life (as a Jew) and wants to keep it that way, but then the Nazis (Hitler's army) attack their home, Vienna, on March 12, 1938. So, Lily's parents sent her to stay with Lily's pen pal in England, Molly; Lily's parents told her to look for jobs in England, so her parents didn't have to live in the invasion. Then Lily did not like living in with Molly and her family, so Lily searched for her cousin Greta, but on her way she had some jobs. Later she reached America and found her parents; soon after Lily became a comic book artist.
August 10, 2015
2.5 Stars...deducted .5 Star for the crazy abrupt ending..
November 12, 2015
I would recommend this book for students studying the holocaust. Especially for students who are at a lower reading level. It is well paced and easy to understand.
May 12, 2023
Lily Renée Wilhelm lives an ordinary middle class life in Vienna with her parents. She experienced the best of everything and especially loved art. She was a talented artist whose art was displayed in a gallery at a young age. On March 12, 1938, Lily's whole life changed when Hitler's Nazi army invaded Austria. Lily's family was Jewish and found their rights being taken away. When England made an agreement to take Jewish children under 17, Lily went to live with her pen friend Molly. Alone and not understanding much English, Lily struggled to make sense of her new life and missed her parents. Then England started to classify people from countries at war with England as "enemy aliens", Lily feared for her life once again. On the run from authorities with nowhere to go, Lily survived to ultimately end up in the United States where she became a comic book artist.
This story was rather boring. It's a brief biography and barely touches the surface of Lily's career as a comic artist. I was mostly interested in that story and not the story of the Holocaust which I know so well. Biographies in comic format just don't work for me. I needed a lot more information. Lily's comics sound incredible and have long since been forgotten! Lily was so creative and imaginative as well as artistic. Her story deserves to be told in full.
I preferred the "More About Lily's Story" section. It contains a German-English dictionary, a note about Nazi concentration camps vs. British internment camps (way too soft on the British! Their camps were not death camps but they were still horrible places). The note about afternoon tea, high tea or dinner is plain silly. It's not hard to figure it out. Afternoon tea is what Americans think of as high tea and high tea is just another word for dinner. High tea was originally the ploughman's lunch. The note on money (How can anything be worth less than a penny?) was interesting and so confusing! There's also a note on Chamberlin vs. Winston Churchill and notes on Queen Wilhelmina, the Holland-America line and the very interesting automat! The most interesting note is about the fighting femmes, which explains in more detail about the female-centered comic book heroes of the WWII era. Wonder Woman was only one of many and all those heroines were drawn by women.
For the truly curious, there's a photo album of Lily's life. I'm surprised so many photos survived.
The artwork is fine. It's comic style but realistic enough to be the real world. It's not all that memorable.
This story was rather boring. It's a brief biography and barely touches the surface of Lily's career as a comic artist. I was mostly interested in that story and not the story of the Holocaust which I know so well. Biographies in comic format just don't work for me. I needed a lot more information. Lily's comics sound incredible and have long since been forgotten! Lily was so creative and imaginative as well as artistic. Her story deserves to be told in full.
I preferred the "More About Lily's Story" section. It contains a German-English dictionary, a note about Nazi concentration camps vs. British internment camps (way too soft on the British! Their camps were not death camps but they were still horrible places). The note about afternoon tea, high tea or dinner is plain silly. It's not hard to figure it out. Afternoon tea is what Americans think of as high tea and high tea is just another word for dinner. High tea was originally the ploughman's lunch. The note on money (How can anything be worth less than a penny?) was interesting and so confusing! There's also a note on Chamberlin vs. Winston Churchill and notes on Queen Wilhelmina, the Holland-America line and the very interesting automat! The most interesting note is about the fighting femmes, which explains in more detail about the female-centered comic book heroes of the WWII era. Wonder Woman was only one of many and all those heroines were drawn by women.
For the truly curious, there's a photo album of Lily's life. I'm surprised so many photos survived.
The artwork is fine. It's comic style but realistic enough to be the real world. It's not all that memorable.
July 16, 2011
3.5 Stars.
It would have been practically impossible to write one of my usual reviews on this wonderful graphic novel from Trina Robbins because it is so short.
I had drawn and coloured in (within the lines, too!) a sprawling and epic graphic review of this novel and it was spectacular but just as I was about to scan in my masterpiece onto my computer…. It, um, broke. *cough*
So yeah, you’ll have to make do with this bog-standard review.
This graphic novel follows the story of Lily Renee Wilhelm, an Austrian girl who was sixteen when the Nazis forced her family to uproot and move to Vienna. After witnessing the horrifying and brutal acts that took place in this period (Especially the mention of Kristallnacht, an event that I learnt about in my history GCSE but never read any books that depicted it!), Lily is sent to England in a short-lived scheme set up by Germany to protect the children from the inevitable war.
Before I started this book I knew nothing about Lily’s life and I found her story of surviving against the odds to become a hugely successful comic book illustrator fascinating. But I couldn’t help but feel like this book was a ridiculously fast-paced and rushed in some parts.
I would have loved to have read more about Lily’s time in England and for Ms Robbins to have explored the complex feelings that the British undoubtedly felt towards Lily (along with the other Austrian/German children who were evacuated) while their cities were being ravaged by German bombers. Also, I think the story would have benefitted from a bit more detail on what happened to Lily when she landed on America and how she became to be a noted illustrator. There were a lot of gaps that could have been filled in by just adding a few more pages, just to clear things up and make the transitions feel less hurried as they did.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of graphic novels and the aesthetics of this book did not disappoint me. It is blatant that Ms Robbins is a master illustrator and knows exactly what she is doing when it comes to creating affective and beautiful drawings. The vivid and lavish colours of the illustrations really complimented Lily’s fascinating story and the tragic history of the period.
After a few hours snooping on the Internet, I feel it is well worth researching the life of Lily Renee Philips. Her life is a fascinating and remarkable story and one that I feel should be much more widely known about.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers.
You can read the review for this book, others and plenty more exciting stuff at my blog here.
It would have been practically impossible to write one of my usual reviews on this wonderful graphic novel from Trina Robbins because it is so short.
I had drawn and coloured in (within the lines, too!) a sprawling and epic graphic review of this novel and it was spectacular but just as I was about to scan in my masterpiece onto my computer…. It, um, broke. *cough*
So yeah, you’ll have to make do with this bog-standard review.
This graphic novel follows the story of Lily Renee Wilhelm, an Austrian girl who was sixteen when the Nazis forced her family to uproot and move to Vienna. After witnessing the horrifying and brutal acts that took place in this period (Especially the mention of Kristallnacht, an event that I learnt about in my history GCSE but never read any books that depicted it!), Lily is sent to England in a short-lived scheme set up by Germany to protect the children from the inevitable war.
Before I started this book I knew nothing about Lily’s life and I found her story of surviving against the odds to become a hugely successful comic book illustrator fascinating. But I couldn’t help but feel like this book was a ridiculously fast-paced and rushed in some parts.
I would have loved to have read more about Lily’s time in England and for Ms Robbins to have explored the complex feelings that the British undoubtedly felt towards Lily (along with the other Austrian/German children who were evacuated) while their cities were being ravaged by German bombers. Also, I think the story would have benefitted from a bit more detail on what happened to Lily when she landed on America and how she became to be a noted illustrator. There were a lot of gaps that could have been filled in by just adding a few more pages, just to clear things up and make the transitions feel less hurried as they did.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of graphic novels and the aesthetics of this book did not disappoint me. It is blatant that Ms Robbins is a master illustrator and knows exactly what she is doing when it comes to creating affective and beautiful drawings. The vivid and lavish colours of the illustrations really complimented Lily’s fascinating story and the tragic history of the period.
After a few hours snooping on the Internet, I feel it is well worth researching the life of Lily Renee Philips. Her life is a fascinating and remarkable story and one that I feel should be much more widely known about.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers.
You can read the review for this book, others and plenty more exciting stuff at my blog here.
February 7, 2012
Really only 3 1/2 stars, but I rounded up for the cool subject matter. A woman who avoided the concentration camps before eventually becoming an artist in the U.S. during the Golden Age of comics...how could that not be a great story!
My only serious complaint about this book is that it covered so little of her career as an artist. As a graphic biography of her early life, though, I found it to be interesting. I'm not certain that kids will find it as appealing. The difficult part will be to get them to read a book about someone they've never heard of. It will be easier for readers who have already read a bit about World War II or the plight of the Jews during that period. Putting the story into context with a very different viewpoint of life during the Blitz in England was interesting as well.
As a longtime comics fan. I was unfamiliar with her work, although I had read a couple of Golden Age comics from the company she worked for. Her story, including her escape from Austria after the Nazi takeover, were very interesting. Once she got to England, though, the story slows down quite a bit, as it goes into more obscure parts of World War II history and life.
I would recommend this to kids and teens who have read the story of Anne Frank and who want other stories from that period.
My only serious complaint about this book is that it covered so little of her career as an artist. As a graphic biography of her early life, though, I found it to be interesting. I'm not certain that kids will find it as appealing. The difficult part will be to get them to read a book about someone they've never heard of. It will be easier for readers who have already read a bit about World War II or the plight of the Jews during that period. Putting the story into context with a very different viewpoint of life during the Blitz in England was interesting as well.
As a longtime comics fan. I was unfamiliar with her work, although I had read a couple of Golden Age comics from the company she worked for. Her story, including her escape from Austria after the Nazi takeover, were very interesting. Once she got to England, though, the story slows down quite a bit, as it goes into more obscure parts of World War II history and life.
I would recommend this to kids and teens who have read the story of Anne Frank and who want other stories from that period.
September 8, 2011
It seems only natural that the biography of a comic book artist should be told in a graphic book. Lily Renée Wilhelms was the 14 year old daughter of well to do Jewish parents in 1938 Vienna, Austria. The family had many friends in Vienna, but when Austria became part of Germany that year, they lost not just their friends, but eventually everything they owned.
In 1939, Lily was invited to by her English pen pal to come live with them. She became part of the Kindertransport before it ended in September 1939. England should have been a refuge for Lily, but her pen pal’s mother turned out to be a rather cruel woman who expected her to do all the housework and shopping. She also neglected to feed her during the day, so Lily was forced to live only on high tea in the evening.
Eventually she ran away and took work as a mother’s helper for various doctor’s families. But in 1940, England considered people of German and Austrian descent to be Enemy Aliens and they were placed in internment camps. Again, Lily was forced to run away, to London, where she is encouraged to turn herself in to the police. Because she is still a minor, Lily is again placed on another Kindertransport, this time to the United States.
Sadly, up until now, she had no idea what had become of her parents, but she is told that her parents are in now New York, so when her ship docked, the family is finally reunited.
Away from the war and the Nazis, the Wilhelms family begins to adjust to living in New York City. Lily works as an artist for catalogues, but soon her mother encourages her to apply for a job at Fiction House Comics. From there she worked her way up, from eraser to penciling a character named Jane Martin, to getting her own character, Senorita Rio.
As a long time lover of comic books, I thought this graphic memoir was quite well done. The story of Lily's life was clearly presented, and there were short but thorough explanation of some of the events that impacted the lives of her and her parents. My only problem was the timeline. Sometimes, I felt I was led to think some of Lily’s experiences lasted longer than they turned out to be.
At the end of the book is section called ‘More about Lily’s Story.’ This includes a short glossary of German to English terms that are used, followed by a section that gives the reader broader explanations of many of the different things in Lily’s world that they might not be familiar with, ranging from such topics as the difference between Nazi Concentration Camps and British Internment Camps to a description of the Automat, an inexpensive eatery that no longer exists.
The artwork in Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer is excellent. The drawings are clearly and cohesively done, portraying the events that impacted the Wilhelms family, as well as their reactions. The colors are vivid and somehow seem so appropriate for the period this memoir covers.
The author, Trina Robbins, is herself a comic book artist, one of the founders of the all-women’s comic book ‘Wimmen’s Comix.’ She is also a writer and historian of feminist pop culture. She is a co-founder of Friends of Lulu (of Little Lulu fame, my favorite comic book), which is dedicated to women and comics.
On the whole, I think that Lily Renée,Escape Artist : From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer would be an excellent story for middle grade readers who are curious or are learning about the Holocaust, and I would recommend this graphic biography to anyone with an interest.
This book is recommended for readers age 9-12.
The book was a received as an E-ARC from Netgalley.com. It will be released on 11/1/2011.
More information about Lily Renee may be found at Woman in Comics
In 1939, Lily was invited to by her English pen pal to come live with them. She became part of the Kindertransport before it ended in September 1939. England should have been a refuge for Lily, but her pen pal’s mother turned out to be a rather cruel woman who expected her to do all the housework and shopping. She also neglected to feed her during the day, so Lily was forced to live only on high tea in the evening.
Eventually she ran away and took work as a mother’s helper for various doctor’s families. But in 1940, England considered people of German and Austrian descent to be Enemy Aliens and they were placed in internment camps. Again, Lily was forced to run away, to London, where she is encouraged to turn herself in to the police. Because she is still a minor, Lily is again placed on another Kindertransport, this time to the United States.
Sadly, up until now, she had no idea what had become of her parents, but she is told that her parents are in now New York, so when her ship docked, the family is finally reunited.
Away from the war and the Nazis, the Wilhelms family begins to adjust to living in New York City. Lily works as an artist for catalogues, but soon her mother encourages her to apply for a job at Fiction House Comics. From there she worked her way up, from eraser to penciling a character named Jane Martin, to getting her own character, Senorita Rio.
As a long time lover of comic books, I thought this graphic memoir was quite well done. The story of Lily's life was clearly presented, and there were short but thorough explanation of some of the events that impacted the lives of her and her parents. My only problem was the timeline. Sometimes, I felt I was led to think some of Lily’s experiences lasted longer than they turned out to be.
At the end of the book is section called ‘More about Lily’s Story.’ This includes a short glossary of German to English terms that are used, followed by a section that gives the reader broader explanations of many of the different things in Lily’s world that they might not be familiar with, ranging from such topics as the difference between Nazi Concentration Camps and British Internment Camps to a description of the Automat, an inexpensive eatery that no longer exists.
The artwork in Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer is excellent. The drawings are clearly and cohesively done, portraying the events that impacted the Wilhelms family, as well as their reactions. The colors are vivid and somehow seem so appropriate for the period this memoir covers.
The author, Trina Robbins, is herself a comic book artist, one of the founders of the all-women’s comic book ‘Wimmen’s Comix.’ She is also a writer and historian of feminist pop culture. She is a co-founder of Friends of Lulu (of Little Lulu fame, my favorite comic book), which is dedicated to women and comics.
On the whole, I think that Lily Renée,Escape Artist : From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer would be an excellent story for middle grade readers who are curious or are learning about the Holocaust, and I would recommend this graphic biography to anyone with an interest.
This book is recommended for readers age 9-12.
The book was a received as an E-ARC from Netgalley.com. It will be released on 11/1/2011.
More information about Lily Renee may be found at Woman in Comics
May 16, 2019
As with Apocrypha Now, reviewed a few days ago—but for entirely different reasons—I don't think I'm the right audience for Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer; in the case of this book, it's because I'm not a kid, but for children, Lily Renée is a perfectly serviceable introduction to the world of graphic novels—as well as a personalization of the Shoah for those selfsame juveniles.
Part of the problem, at least for me as an adult reader of Lily Renée, Escape Artist, is that the book is so basic. It delves into the life of Lily Renée Phillips (née Wilheim), but on a somewhat superficial level; likewise, it delves into the realities of life under the Nazis in Austria on a somewhat superficial level. However, for the intended audience, such treatment is likely the right approach or approaches; author Trina Robbins—a longtime legend of comics who helped create both the underground scene and the feminist underground scene with Wimmen's Comix—intimately knows her audience (and is downright expert at speaking to them), and Anne Timmons and mo oh's art conveys these messages as well. That Phillips' story has been largely untold to the public to date makes Lily Renée, Escape Artist a most valuable addition to comics history. All in all, a pretty good effort; I tacked on an extra star to my rating precisely because I'm not the target audience, and hopefully this book's readers will be inspired to seek out bigger and better graphic novels and books on the Shoah—as well as Lily Renée's own evocative Golden Age artwork.
Part of the problem, at least for me as an adult reader of Lily Renée, Escape Artist, is that the book is so basic. It delves into the life of Lily Renée Phillips (née Wilheim), but on a somewhat superficial level; likewise, it delves into the realities of life under the Nazis in Austria on a somewhat superficial level. However, for the intended audience, such treatment is likely the right approach or approaches; author Trina Robbins—a longtime legend of comics who helped create both the underground scene and the feminist underground scene with Wimmen's Comix—intimately knows her audience (and is downright expert at speaking to them), and Anne Timmons and mo oh's art conveys these messages as well. That Phillips' story has been largely untold to the public to date makes Lily Renée, Escape Artist a most valuable addition to comics history. All in all, a pretty good effort; I tacked on an extra star to my rating precisely because I'm not the target audience, and hopefully this book's readers will be inspired to seek out bigger and better graphic novels and books on the Shoah—as well as Lily Renée's own evocative Golden Age artwork.
August 2, 2011
Good story!
I think MG kids will like this true story of a young girl who escapes Austria during World War II. Lily Renee faces many hardships after leaving her home.
Told in a graphic novel format, readers will learn about World War II, about Jews in Austria, about Kindertransport, "enemy aliens", and early comic book history.
A section at the end of the book called 'More About Lily's Story' gives easy-reading factual information about topics in the book.
Lots of information here packed into a nonthreatening read.
From the back of the book: "In 1938, Lily Renee Wilheim is a 14-year-old Jewish girl living in Vienna. Her days are filled with art and ballet. Then the Nazis march into Austria, and Lily's life is shattered overnight. Suddenly, her own country is no longer safe for her or her family. To survive, Lily leaves her parents behind and travels alone to England.
"Escaping the Nazis is only the start of Lily's journey. She must escape many more times--from servitude, hardship, and danger. Will she find a way to have her own sort of revenge on the Nazis? Follow the story of a brave girl who became an artist of heroes and a true pioneer in comic books."
(Read for the IRA Teachers' Choices Project)
I think MG kids will like this true story of a young girl who escapes Austria during World War II. Lily Renee faces many hardships after leaving her home.
Told in a graphic novel format, readers will learn about World War II, about Jews in Austria, about Kindertransport, "enemy aliens", and early comic book history.
A section at the end of the book called 'More About Lily's Story' gives easy-reading factual information about topics in the book.
Lots of information here packed into a nonthreatening read.
From the back of the book: "In 1938, Lily Renee Wilheim is a 14-year-old Jewish girl living in Vienna. Her days are filled with art and ballet. Then the Nazis march into Austria, and Lily's life is shattered overnight. Suddenly, her own country is no longer safe for her or her family. To survive, Lily leaves her parents behind and travels alone to England.
"Escaping the Nazis is only the start of Lily's journey. She must escape many more times--from servitude, hardship, and danger. Will she find a way to have her own sort of revenge on the Nazis? Follow the story of a brave girl who became an artist of heroes and a true pioneer in comic books."
(Read for the IRA Teachers' Choices Project)
March 7, 2015
Definitely for a young audience, this graphic biography focuses on the artist's flight from Nazis, not her comics career. Nicely told.
August 17, 2011
I was asked the other day what kinds of nonfiction trends were appearing in books for children these days. I thought about it. I've a better sense of coincidences than trends. I mean, if there are three books out on the same subject or two biographies appearing about the same person at the same time, that I'll notice. Pulling back and looking at the genre as a whole is more difficult. Still, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that kids today are lucky. When I was a child the biographies in my school library were paltry. What we had tended to be fairly dull and about the same twenty people too. Things have changed a bit since then. You still see the same subjects featured over and over and over again (a pox on you, Thomas Edison!), but here in the 21st century some publishers aren't afraid to highlight people whose accomplishments could be labeled "unsung". The inventors of Day-Glo, for example, or a man who went to jail after refusing to shave his beard. When I heard about the character of Lily Renee, however, I was seriously excited. I mean, come on. It's right there in the subtitle. "From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer". How are you going to resist that? Telling a true tale in a graphic novel format, Lily Renee covers new ground, though perhaps not as compellingly as one might hope. It's a fascinating story, no question. One does wish that the format suited the subject, though.
A child in the 1930s, Lily Renee Wilheim grew up in privilege and splendor. That is, before the Nazis invaded Austria. Jewish, Lily was lucky enough to find a spot on the Kindertransport, an agreement between Germany and England to send Jewish children out of the country. In England Lily lived for a time with her penpal, then found work as a nurse, ultimately moving to America. There she was reunited with her parents. In the course of looking for work she answered an ad for a comic book artist and, amazingly, got the job. In this way she was able to draw characters like the elegant spy Senorita Rio, who fought Nazis, in a sense, on Lily's behalf. A glossary of German to English Terms and further information is included at the back of the book.
Graphic novel biographies written for children have a lot in common with picture book biographies. Limited by their format, the author has to decide right from the start how much of a life to tell. You could try to squeeze everything about them into your scant pages, which used to be the method most authors preferred back in the day. A smarter option may be to find what it is about that person's life that defined them and is why we remember them today. Then you tell their story with that moment at the core. So John Porcellino's Thoreau at Walden looks just at the man's Walden experiences while Houdini: The Handcuff King by Lutes and Bertozzi follows a single escape in the great man's life and hinges his story on that moment. Robbins has done something similar with Lily Renee. Because her story is most fascinating when you consider its scope, we watch a lot of her youth in Vienna. The book then follows her through her teen years, following her escape from war torn Europe to America. It ends after she has acquired the comic book job that would define her career and then recaps what happened after that. Constrained by space, the book cannot delve much further into her experiences as such an artist and that is a real pity. I would have loved to know more about what it was like working as a woman in such a male dominated field. Robbins shows the initial surprise at the cusp of her hiring but nothing after that. Considering how the issue of women comic artists continues to be a hot-button issue (Marvel has been criticized recently for its plethora of XY chromosomes and reluctance to hire those of the XX persuasion) this is where I wanted the story to get into a little more detail. Instead it ends abruptly, leaving the reader frustrated.
The art in this book baffled me a bit. Indeed, the text and images together had a strange stilted quality to them. The vibrancy you'd expect from such a tale appears to be lacking and I wanted to figure out why. After a time, I decided that it was possible that Robbins and Timmons were attempting to reference classic comic books with their style. This would account for a lot of the angles, images, and gestures that look old-fashioned when compared to a lot of graphic novels today. That's my theory anyway. And the backgrounds in the book are actually quite fantastic. There's a shot of Kristallnacht that drills home the horror of the event quite effectively. The fact is that the art is quite nice, it's the coloring that's a problem. Using computers to color comics is a haphazard affair. Good coloring can be the making of a book. Bad coloring makes even the best art appear tawdry. The coloring in "Lily Renee" is passable but by no means extraordinary and drags the whole enterprise down.
At the beginning we see a photograph of the real Lily embedded in the story. I would have liked more of this as the story continued. Sure, at the end there's a cluster of images of Lily (who, for the record, may have been one of the world's more beautiful women) but imagine how much more powerful the book might have been if we saw continual reminders that the story we're reading here actually happened to a real person.
One thing about the book I liked without hesitation was the backmatter. In addition to the Glossary of German to English terms there are wonderful sections explaining everything from the British Internment Camps (something I've never encountered in a book for kids before) to automats. Each section begins with an illustration then recounts the subject thoroughly. There's even a part dedicated to female WWII comic book artists! Fascinating to its core.
It would be difficult for anyone to seriously claim that it is easy to write a biography for children. Graphic novel biographies, in turn, are twice as hard since you not only have to have your storytelling skills up to par, you need excellent artists, inkers, letters, and color artists at your disposal too. When all those people are working at the top of their form then the end result is gold. "Lily Renee" strives to reach that goal, but due to problems in one area or another it falls a little short. A valiant attempt to highlight a true unsung hero of women's history, I appreciate this story being told. Hopefully this may inspire other people to delve into Ms. Renee's past as well. Well-meaning.
For ages 9 and up.
A child in the 1930s, Lily Renee Wilheim grew up in privilege and splendor. That is, before the Nazis invaded Austria. Jewish, Lily was lucky enough to find a spot on the Kindertransport, an agreement between Germany and England to send Jewish children out of the country. In England Lily lived for a time with her penpal, then found work as a nurse, ultimately moving to America. There she was reunited with her parents. In the course of looking for work she answered an ad for a comic book artist and, amazingly, got the job. In this way she was able to draw characters like the elegant spy Senorita Rio, who fought Nazis, in a sense, on Lily's behalf. A glossary of German to English Terms and further information is included at the back of the book.
Graphic novel biographies written for children have a lot in common with picture book biographies. Limited by their format, the author has to decide right from the start how much of a life to tell. You could try to squeeze everything about them into your scant pages, which used to be the method most authors preferred back in the day. A smarter option may be to find what it is about that person's life that defined them and is why we remember them today. Then you tell their story with that moment at the core. So John Porcellino's Thoreau at Walden looks just at the man's Walden experiences while Houdini: The Handcuff King by Lutes and Bertozzi follows a single escape in the great man's life and hinges his story on that moment. Robbins has done something similar with Lily Renee. Because her story is most fascinating when you consider its scope, we watch a lot of her youth in Vienna. The book then follows her through her teen years, following her escape from war torn Europe to America. It ends after she has acquired the comic book job that would define her career and then recaps what happened after that. Constrained by space, the book cannot delve much further into her experiences as such an artist and that is a real pity. I would have loved to know more about what it was like working as a woman in such a male dominated field. Robbins shows the initial surprise at the cusp of her hiring but nothing after that. Considering how the issue of women comic artists continues to be a hot-button issue (Marvel has been criticized recently for its plethora of XY chromosomes and reluctance to hire those of the XX persuasion) this is where I wanted the story to get into a little more detail. Instead it ends abruptly, leaving the reader frustrated.
The art in this book baffled me a bit. Indeed, the text and images together had a strange stilted quality to them. The vibrancy you'd expect from such a tale appears to be lacking and I wanted to figure out why. After a time, I decided that it was possible that Robbins and Timmons were attempting to reference classic comic books with their style. This would account for a lot of the angles, images, and gestures that look old-fashioned when compared to a lot of graphic novels today. That's my theory anyway. And the backgrounds in the book are actually quite fantastic. There's a shot of Kristallnacht that drills home the horror of the event quite effectively. The fact is that the art is quite nice, it's the coloring that's a problem. Using computers to color comics is a haphazard affair. Good coloring can be the making of a book. Bad coloring makes even the best art appear tawdry. The coloring in "Lily Renee" is passable but by no means extraordinary and drags the whole enterprise down.
At the beginning we see a photograph of the real Lily embedded in the story. I would have liked more of this as the story continued. Sure, at the end there's a cluster of images of Lily (who, for the record, may have been one of the world's more beautiful women) but imagine how much more powerful the book might have been if we saw continual reminders that the story we're reading here actually happened to a real person.
One thing about the book I liked without hesitation was the backmatter. In addition to the Glossary of German to English terms there are wonderful sections explaining everything from the British Internment Camps (something I've never encountered in a book for kids before) to automats. Each section begins with an illustration then recounts the subject thoroughly. There's even a part dedicated to female WWII comic book artists! Fascinating to its core.
It would be difficult for anyone to seriously claim that it is easy to write a biography for children. Graphic novel biographies, in turn, are twice as hard since you not only have to have your storytelling skills up to par, you need excellent artists, inkers, letters, and color artists at your disposal too. When all those people are working at the top of their form then the end result is gold. "Lily Renee" strives to reach that goal, but due to problems in one area or another it falls a little short. A valiant attempt to highlight a true unsung hero of women's history, I appreciate this story being told. Hopefully this may inspire other people to delve into Ms. Renee's past as well. Well-meaning.
For ages 9 and up.
January 4, 2023
I didn't technically read this; I skimmed it to know where to put it in the school collection. Hopefully I'll read it in full at a later date.
But I wanted to review it because I read enough to be disappointed by history. Did you know that adult refugees in England were considered "enemy aliens" and shipped off to internment camps? Even Jews who had escaped the Nazis! Many were shipped to the Isle of Man (special interest to me, as a great-grandfather emigrated from there), as well as Canada and Australia. One ship, the Andorra Star, was torpedoed and all 743 lives on board were lost.
Lily Renee Wilheim was lucky, incredibly lucky. She got out on the Kindertransport. When she ran away from the family who boarded but mistreated her, she found jobs. When the police wanted her as an enemy alien, it was to ship her to America to join her parents, who had successfully gotten out of Austria as well. And she grew up to pen a comic book where the heroine fights Nazis in South America.
Doesn't that sound worth reading?
But I wanted to review it because I read enough to be disappointed by history. Did you know that adult refugees in England were considered "enemy aliens" and shipped off to internment camps? Even Jews who had escaped the Nazis! Many were shipped to the Isle of Man (special interest to me, as a great-grandfather emigrated from there), as well as Canada and Australia. One ship, the Andorra Star, was torpedoed and all 743 lives on board were lost.
Lily Renee Wilheim was lucky, incredibly lucky. She got out on the Kindertransport. When she ran away from the family who boarded but mistreated her, she found jobs. When the police wanted her as an enemy alien, it was to ship her to America to join her parents, who had successfully gotten out of Austria as well. And she grew up to pen a comic book where the heroine fights Nazis in South America.
Doesn't that sound worth reading?
April 9, 2022
Just great: now if only I could find the Fiction House stories by L. Renee reprinted...
Seriously, you need know nothing to enjoy this entry-level graphic biography by a talented team led by scripter Trina Robbins, who portrays the real-life heroine and artist Lily Renee Wilheim from girlhood into young adulthood, from Vienna to New York City, escaping the Holocaust and the Nazis.
Trina's historical research has led to several books about women in comics and cartoon artists; this one is geared for early readers, just beginning to learn of the twentieth century and WW2 and Holocaust in real life.
Recommended, for readers of all ages, most of all young readers.
Seriously, you need know nothing to enjoy this entry-level graphic biography by a talented team led by scripter Trina Robbins, who portrays the real-life heroine and artist Lily Renee Wilheim from girlhood into young adulthood, from Vienna to New York City, escaping the Holocaust and the Nazis.
Trina's historical research has led to several books about women in comics and cartoon artists; this one is geared for early readers, just beginning to learn of the twentieth century and WW2 and Holocaust in real life.
Recommended, for readers of all ages, most of all young readers.
January 18, 2022
I'm not really used to read graphic novels but this one was wholesome.
We all know what happend in WWII and how many people was hurt and lost loved ones but in this case we can say that we have a happy ending at the final point.
We have great drawings and it was pretty easy reading it, my fourth star is for that last pages which comes with some explanations and real pictures of Lily and her family. 💙
We all know what happend in WWII and how many people was hurt and lost loved ones but in this case we can say that we have a happy ending at the final point.
We have great drawings and it was pretty easy reading it, my fourth star is for that last pages which comes with some explanations and real pictures of Lily and her family. 💙
August 1, 2019
The subtitle is "From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer", but sadly this book is not interested in chronicling the second part of Lily's life. I was really looking forward to reading more about Lily's work in comics as she was one of the first ever women cartoonists in what was a new industry. It would have been a great story to tell. Instead, this books abruptly ends with Lily just entering the industry and then has 12 pages of just text about largely irrelevant historical topics (such as British high tea vs. afternoon tea, Queen Wilhelmina, and Automats). It's a shame as all of Lily's life seems very interesting and it's sad that a graphic novel omits so much of its own medium's important history.
September 20, 2011
Featured at An Abundance of Books
Lily Renee, Escape Artist is divided into eight chapters based on significant times in Lily's life. The book also includes a glossary and additional information on some of the different events mentioned. There is also a two page spread of Lily's personal photographs which is a very nice touch. Robbins has an awesome story to work with, but I think the story suffered under page number constraints and unnecessary simplification for the target audience.
Lily grew up in a wealthy Austrian family and the Nazis did completely change her life. The Nazi party stole from them, limited their freedoms, took her father's job, their friends and neighbors turned on the family, and Jewish refugees from across Austria were crammed into the Wilheim home by the Nazis. (Apparently this happened to all Jewish families who lived in Vienna.) This part of the story was pretty well written and age appropriate. the Kindertransport chapter was also very good but got tripped up towards the end. The chapter on Lily's experiences in England was very interesting. While many children didn't speak English, some, like Lily, had studied it in school and had assumed they would have no problems communicating. Unfortunately, speaking with the British was a lot different from speaking with a teacher who spoke slowly and used textbook English. Robbins did a good job of showing that the children not only had to deal with a new language but also different customs, currency, and culture. At one point Lily is classified as an "enemy alien" and has to report to a police station every week. Just when she finds out her parents are alive and she can join them in New York, the British government starts sending enemy aliens to internment camps. There was a jumble of events where she goes into hiding, but then turns herself into the police, spends the night in jail, is released by a friendly stranger, and makes it to the boat on time. While there was some really interesting information in here and it's a very scary time for Lily, this section of the story was just not told very well. Too many events were glossed over or never fully explained. It felt like story was being shortchanged in an attempt to maintain momentum and keep the story accessible to it's audience. There are parts where I know a younger reader is going to go to an adult and say, "I don't understand, what just happened?" But it will be evident to kids that Lily lived through difficult times and I think they will appreciate her refusal to give up.
Once Lily is reunited with her parents life is still hard but the narrative flows a bit more smoothly. It's really neat how Lily stumbled into to comic book work (the pay was too good to pass up) and eventually was in charge of her own books. Most of her characters were strong women, excelling in a man's world, and helping to defeat the Nazis. The only thing that disappoints me about this section is that it's never mentioned how hard Lily had to work and fight to keep that job. She put up with a lot of sexual harassment and cried herself to sleep at night. Now I realize that this might be challenging to explain in a universally appropriate manner to the late elementary/middle grades audience, but I'm sure something could have been added to explain that Lily didn't just work hard to move up in the ranks but also fought against a hostile work environment.
Lily Renee's story is a fascinating one and one that I think kids will enjoy. But because of some of the problems with the narrative I don't think it's worth purchasing. If it sounds like something that might interest your child, I would suggest picking this one up from the library and be prepared to explain some things. I give it three stars because I think it's a story that kids will be interested in and ultimately like, but they'll have to put some effort into it.
Read full review HERE
Lily Renee, Escape Artist is divided into eight chapters based on significant times in Lily's life. The book also includes a glossary and additional information on some of the different events mentioned. There is also a two page spread of Lily's personal photographs which is a very nice touch. Robbins has an awesome story to work with, but I think the story suffered under page number constraints and unnecessary simplification for the target audience.
Lily grew up in a wealthy Austrian family and the Nazis did completely change her life. The Nazi party stole from them, limited their freedoms, took her father's job, their friends and neighbors turned on the family, and Jewish refugees from across Austria were crammed into the Wilheim home by the Nazis. (Apparently this happened to all Jewish families who lived in Vienna.) This part of the story was pretty well written and age appropriate. the Kindertransport chapter was also very good but got tripped up towards the end. The chapter on Lily's experiences in England was very interesting. While many children didn't speak English, some, like Lily, had studied it in school and had assumed they would have no problems communicating. Unfortunately, speaking with the British was a lot different from speaking with a teacher who spoke slowly and used textbook English. Robbins did a good job of showing that the children not only had to deal with a new language but also different customs, currency, and culture. At one point Lily is classified as an "enemy alien" and has to report to a police station every week. Just when she finds out her parents are alive and she can join them in New York, the British government starts sending enemy aliens to internment camps. There was a jumble of events where she goes into hiding, but then turns herself into the police, spends the night in jail, is released by a friendly stranger, and makes it to the boat on time. While there was some really interesting information in here and it's a very scary time for Lily, this section of the story was just not told very well. Too many events were glossed over or never fully explained. It felt like story was being shortchanged in an attempt to maintain momentum and keep the story accessible to it's audience. There are parts where I know a younger reader is going to go to an adult and say, "I don't understand, what just happened?" But it will be evident to kids that Lily lived through difficult times and I think they will appreciate her refusal to give up.
Once Lily is reunited with her parents life is still hard but the narrative flows a bit more smoothly. It's really neat how Lily stumbled into to comic book work (the pay was too good to pass up) and eventually was in charge of her own books. Most of her characters were strong women, excelling in a man's world, and helping to defeat the Nazis. The only thing that disappoints me about this section is that it's never mentioned how hard Lily had to work and fight to keep that job. She put up with a lot of sexual harassment and cried herself to sleep at night. Now I realize that this might be challenging to explain in a universally appropriate manner to the late elementary/middle grades audience, but I'm sure something could have been added to explain that Lily didn't just work hard to move up in the ranks but also fought against a hostile work environment.
Lily Renee's story is a fascinating one and one that I think kids will enjoy. But because of some of the problems with the narrative I don't think it's worth purchasing. If it sounds like something that might interest your child, I would suggest picking this one up from the library and be prepared to explain some things. I give it three stars because I think it's a story that kids will be interested in and ultimately like, but they'll have to put some effort into it.
Read full review HERE
September 1, 2011
English review (for italian version scroll down)
Lily Renee is a lucky child: she has a family who loves her and she is very good at painting. But then the Holocaust begins and all changes: in fact, Lily is jewish, her only way to survive is to escape from Austria to England, alone and without money, as a guest in the family of one of her penfriend. But in her new home she is treated as a servant and left without anything to eat. So she has to escape again, but it won’t be the last time: she’ll travel through different cities, meeting many people, until she’ll find her place in the world, becoming a comic book pioneer.
The story is interesting and I think it’s a very good means for children to know and learn something about holocaust and the second world war.
For older readers, it’ really to short! All the events are so fast-paced that you haven’t got the time to really get into the story: I’d have preferred to read more about Lily’s life in America and how she became such an important artist. In addiction to that, all seems too easy compared to the true reality of the holocaust.
The drawings are really beautiful and well made, and I appreciated a lot the insights at the end of the graphic novel.
Italian review:
Non avevo mai sentito nominare Lily Renèe Wilheim prima di leggere questa graphic novel e mi ha fatto piacere scoprire qualcosa della sua vita e di come, nonostante le avversità, sia riuscita a costruirsi un brillante futuro. La storia ripercorre una triste parentesi del nostro passato, raccontandola dal punto di vista di una ragazzina: alcuni degli eventi principali di quegli anni sono rapidamente descritti, come la notte dei cristalli, l’accordo con il governo inglese per l’invio di bambini, i bombardamenti su Londra. Per un ragazzino che si avvicina per la prima volta a certi avvenimenti, può essere una lettura davvero educativa, sia dal punto di vista storico che da quello morale.
Quando il lettore è un po’ più adulto, avverte invece un’ eccessiva rapidità dello svolgersi dei fatti: le cose vengono solo accennate, sembra sempre che Renèe passi da un posto all’altro in un battito di ciglia, lasciando dei buchi narrativi. E ciò porta, secondo me, a un altro difetto: la mancanza di sentimento. Scorre tutto in modo tanto rapido che non si fa in tempo a entrare in empatia con la piccola, a dispiacersi per lei: il tutto rimane molto asettico ed è un grande peccato, vista comunque la tragicità di certi avvenimenti. Probabilmente la storia è stata resa in questo modo per renderla più “digeribile” per il giovane pubblico: per quel che mi riguarda, erano meravigliose le premesse, la realizzazione però non le sfrutta appieno.
Per quel che concerne il lato puramente grafico, ho apprezzato molto i disegni, semplici e puliti.
Molto interessanti gli approfondimenti presenti nelle ultime pagine.
In conclusion, an educative and interesting story for younger readers.
Lily Renee is a lucky child: she has a family who loves her and she is very good at painting. But then the Holocaust begins and all changes: in fact, Lily is jewish, her only way to survive is to escape from Austria to England, alone and without money, as a guest in the family of one of her penfriend. But in her new home she is treated as a servant and left without anything to eat. So she has to escape again, but it won’t be the last time: she’ll travel through different cities, meeting many people, until she’ll find her place in the world, becoming a comic book pioneer.
The story is interesting and I think it’s a very good means for children to know and learn something about holocaust and the second world war.
For older readers, it’ really to short! All the events are so fast-paced that you haven’t got the time to really get into the story: I’d have preferred to read more about Lily’s life in America and how she became such an important artist. In addiction to that, all seems too easy compared to the true reality of the holocaust.
The drawings are really beautiful and well made, and I appreciated a lot the insights at the end of the graphic novel.
Italian review:
Non avevo mai sentito nominare Lily Renèe Wilheim prima di leggere questa graphic novel e mi ha fatto piacere scoprire qualcosa della sua vita e di come, nonostante le avversità, sia riuscita a costruirsi un brillante futuro. La storia ripercorre una triste parentesi del nostro passato, raccontandola dal punto di vista di una ragazzina: alcuni degli eventi principali di quegli anni sono rapidamente descritti, come la notte dei cristalli, l’accordo con il governo inglese per l’invio di bambini, i bombardamenti su Londra. Per un ragazzino che si avvicina per la prima volta a certi avvenimenti, può essere una lettura davvero educativa, sia dal punto di vista storico che da quello morale.
Quando il lettore è un po’ più adulto, avverte invece un’ eccessiva rapidità dello svolgersi dei fatti: le cose vengono solo accennate, sembra sempre che Renèe passi da un posto all’altro in un battito di ciglia, lasciando dei buchi narrativi. E ciò porta, secondo me, a un altro difetto: la mancanza di sentimento. Scorre tutto in modo tanto rapido che non si fa in tempo a entrare in empatia con la piccola, a dispiacersi per lei: il tutto rimane molto asettico ed è un grande peccato, vista comunque la tragicità di certi avvenimenti. Probabilmente la storia è stata resa in questo modo per renderla più “digeribile” per il giovane pubblico: per quel che mi riguarda, erano meravigliose le premesse, la realizzazione però non le sfrutta appieno.
Per quel che concerne il lato puramente grafico, ho apprezzato molto i disegni, semplici e puliti.
Molto interessanti gli approfondimenti presenti nelle ultime pagine.
In conclusion, an educative and interesting story for younger readers.
February 11, 2016
Lily Renee, Escape Artist is a historical non-fiction graphic novel written by Trina Robbins that follows the life of Lily Renee Wilheim from hardships to success. The story begins when Lily is 14 and living a grand life in Vienna of going to the ballet, opera, and creating her own artwork. However, this lifestyle quickly changes when Nazi Germany invaded Austria in 1938. As the threat of danger began to heighten in Austria for the Jewish people, Lily was given the opportunity to move to England and live with her pen pal. Even after escaping the Nazis, Lily’s life in England was filled with hardships as she was put into servitude by the family she was staying with, she had to work to stay alive, and the dangers of war were upon her. Just as all hope fading for Lily, she got a letter from her parents that they were safe in America and for her to join them. Upon arriving in America, Lily’s life turned around for the better as she pursued her art career.
I have always been very interested in the Holocaust and World War II, so this book immediately caught my eye in the library. Just as I had hoped, this graphic novel does an excellent job telling the story of Lily Renee and giving the reader insight into the hardships and realities of being a Jewish in a Nazi dominated land. The author, Trina Roberts, along with the illustrators Anne Timmons and Mo Oh, collaborate on the text and graphics to ensure that the pictures enhance the text and add to the story. The pictures throughout the story allow the reader to visualize and connect with the hardships Lily is facing and add emotion to the text being read. When the text talks about the stone cold faces of the soldiers or the fear of the Jews, the pictures do a great job illustrating the emotion so the reader is able to distinctly see emotions of fear, anger, etc. This story is also very easy and straightforward to read even though it is in a different format. The word bubbles are used for the characters talking and speaking, where the squares are used to provide information. This technique makes this story easy to follow and accessible for younger ages to read and learn about the history. As this book is the first graphic novel I have ever read, I would recommend it to any reader because it accurately provides historical information and the pictures do a great job to accompany the text to enhance meaning, leaving a great first impression of graphic novels on me.
I have always been very interested in the Holocaust and World War II, so this book immediately caught my eye in the library. Just as I had hoped, this graphic novel does an excellent job telling the story of Lily Renee and giving the reader insight into the hardships and realities of being a Jewish in a Nazi dominated land. The author, Trina Roberts, along with the illustrators Anne Timmons and Mo Oh, collaborate on the text and graphics to ensure that the pictures enhance the text and add to the story. The pictures throughout the story allow the reader to visualize and connect with the hardships Lily is facing and add emotion to the text being read. When the text talks about the stone cold faces of the soldiers or the fear of the Jews, the pictures do a great job illustrating the emotion so the reader is able to distinctly see emotions of fear, anger, etc. This story is also very easy and straightforward to read even though it is in a different format. The word bubbles are used for the characters talking and speaking, where the squares are used to provide information. This technique makes this story easy to follow and accessible for younger ages to read and learn about the history. As this book is the first graphic novel I have ever read, I would recommend it to any reader because it accurately provides historical information and the pictures do a great job to accompany the text to enhance meaning, leaving a great first impression of graphic novels on me.
May 24, 2018
From my 11 year old: "I love graphic novels. This book warms your heart. This book follow Lily as she lives through the Holocaust. There are many sad parts, but I would still recommend this book."
January 1, 2020
Too short!!
I wanted to take off a star for the abrupt ending and how short the overall story was. I feel that I have read other graphic novels about nothing of importance. Or ones that were completely fictional that were longer and more detailed than this one.
And then I thought bout the rating and said but the book and story were really good other wise. I honestly could not see taking off a star because of length for a story that is about a real life person for one of the most horrible events that happened in history. This story was one that I had never heard of before and was like I have to read it as soon as I saw it. I was amazed to see that there are writers and illustrators they are interested in putting historical events out in a fashion that might grab younger people more. I think a lot of teenagers and students would honestly read this. (The length makes it accessible to them. The way it is a graphic novel makes it interesting for them.) I would love to put my hands on more graphic novels that take important events and make them accessible and interesting for people to read. (Because lets be honestly. Even as a history major. I find it hard sometimes to want to pick up a historical biography and read it. I honestly do prefer easy reads and if that’s how I feel most of America is not reading the “hard” stuff.)
I also really liked the extra material that let you get a closer look at the actual person. I thought including the background and the photos made the reader connect more with the fact it was a biography of her life.
If you like history or biographies I would highly recommend giving this book a good. Plus you can download it and read it all in less than an hour. If I had more time with my 8th grade class we would read this book in class because we just finished Anne Frank. We don’t even have time for me to read them the graphic novel of her story let alone bring this in. But I am going to tell them it is out there if they ever want to read it.
I wanted to take off a star for the abrupt ending and how short the overall story was. I feel that I have read other graphic novels about nothing of importance. Or ones that were completely fictional that were longer and more detailed than this one.
And then I thought bout the rating and said but the book and story were really good other wise. I honestly could not see taking off a star because of length for a story that is about a real life person for one of the most horrible events that happened in history. This story was one that I had never heard of before and was like I have to read it as soon as I saw it. I was amazed to see that there are writers and illustrators they are interested in putting historical events out in a fashion that might grab younger people more. I think a lot of teenagers and students would honestly read this. (The length makes it accessible to them. The way it is a graphic novel makes it interesting for them.) I would love to put my hands on more graphic novels that take important events and make them accessible and interesting for people to read. (Because lets be honestly. Even as a history major. I find it hard sometimes to want to pick up a historical biography and read it. I honestly do prefer easy reads and if that’s how I feel most of America is not reading the “hard” stuff.)
I also really liked the extra material that let you get a closer look at the actual person. I thought including the background and the photos made the reader connect more with the fact it was a biography of her life.
If you like history or biographies I would highly recommend giving this book a good. Plus you can download it and read it all in less than an hour. If I had more time with my 8th grade class we would read this book in class because we just finished Anne Frank. We don’t even have time for me to read them the graphic novel of her story let alone bring this in. But I am going to tell them it is out there if they ever want to read it.
December 14, 2011
I'm always amazed by the survival stories that come out of occupied Europe, and Lily Renee's is no different. For such a young girl to have to leave home alone, travel to a foreign country where she barely knows the language and try to ride out the war, it's amazing adults were able to do it, let alone a girl that was barely a teenager. But she did it and it really puts the trials in one's life into perspective. Escaping from the Nazis, then from prejudiced English, traveling to America and then fighting adversity to become a pioneering name in comics kind of makes the daily grind of one's life pale in comparison.
But she did it without a thought about it. It was survival mode and Lily did what she had to do to make it. The story is a simple one, told in simple language but it doesn't need to be dressed up. The story itself is already grand. Flowery prose need not apply. Plus the illustrations to go along with it make it stand out all the more. As if you couldn't picture Lily's story in your head just from the words, the images were there to help. Rich and colorful and sometimes frightening, Robbins didn't hold the story back and Timmons and Oh were relentless with the illustrations. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Whereas something like MAUS, while amazing, is probably too graphic for a younger audience, LILY RENEE tells a realistic story without being gruesome so it makes it a little more easily digestible for a younger reader that might not be able to handle the images in like comics. It'll make them see without making them see too much and it does it without sugarcoating. I'd like to see LILY RENEE, ESCAPE ARTIST in all classrooms as a teaching tool, it's just that good. It's just one of many stories coming out of that time and I'm glad it did. It shows a fight of will and of character and I think everyone should be reading stories like this, just to see what real survival is.
But she did it without a thought about it. It was survival mode and Lily did what she had to do to make it. The story is a simple one, told in simple language but it doesn't need to be dressed up. The story itself is already grand. Flowery prose need not apply. Plus the illustrations to go along with it make it stand out all the more. As if you couldn't picture Lily's story in your head just from the words, the images were there to help. Rich and colorful and sometimes frightening, Robbins didn't hold the story back and Timmons and Oh were relentless with the illustrations. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Whereas something like MAUS, while amazing, is probably too graphic for a younger audience, LILY RENEE tells a realistic story without being gruesome so it makes it a little more easily digestible for a younger reader that might not be able to handle the images in like comics. It'll make them see without making them see too much and it does it without sugarcoating. I'd like to see LILY RENEE, ESCAPE ARTIST in all classrooms as a teaching tool, it's just that good. It's just one of many stories coming out of that time and I'm glad it did. It shows a fight of will and of character and I think everyone should be reading stories like this, just to see what real survival is.
September 2, 2011
(CAUTION: SPOILERS!) What a spectacular comic book! Lily Renée is a real heroine, and this biographical portrayal of her life makes her story perfectly inspiring for girls of all ages. We are introduced to Lily as a child, one who is privileged with a social life rich in culture and good friends. As her homeland Austria is thrown into World War II, we follow Lily to England where she escapes the Nazis but endures other hardships. Separated from her family and everyone she knows, she must find a way to survive and keep hope alive. As a young lady she is sent to America, where she is finally reunited with her parents. They struggle to get by until Lily is hired as an artist whose heroes battle the Nazis within the covers of the comics she illustrates.
I was very impressed with how clearly the story was presented, able to preserve the important details of the Holocaust and Lily’s life without becoming too graphic for the younger readers. The illustrations were also very informative and detailed. I never felt like I was reading a watered-down version of a real drama, as often happens in historical books for children, but I was drawn in and even a bit nervous that Lily “wouldn’t make it out of this one.”
While the comic book itself was wonderful, I learned still more in the sections added on at the end. Included were German words used in the story, events and social customs of that era, important people, actual photos of Lily and her family, and more. This book would be an excellent supplement to history lessons, as well as a great discussion starter at home.
**NOTE: NetGalley and Lerner Publishing provided this book to me free of charge, for review purposes.
I was very impressed with how clearly the story was presented, able to preserve the important details of the Holocaust and Lily’s life without becoming too graphic for the younger readers. The illustrations were also very informative and detailed. I never felt like I was reading a watered-down version of a real drama, as often happens in historical books for children, but I was drawn in and even a bit nervous that Lily “wouldn’t make it out of this one.”
While the comic book itself was wonderful, I learned still more in the sections added on at the end. Included were German words used in the story, events and social customs of that era, important people, actual photos of Lily and her family, and more. This book would be an excellent supplement to history lessons, as well as a great discussion starter at home.
**NOTE: NetGalley and Lerner Publishing provided this book to me free of charge, for review purposes.
January 13, 2017
A beautifully, stunningly drawn graphic novel, about a very lucky girl in Europe in the 30s. She narrowly escapes the Nazis and eventually finds work in her art of choice - drawing. We watch her move across Europe and eventually to America. A true story about this woman\girl, who just makes it out of Vienna before they close the borders, to America seconds before her ships leaves. It is a historical, dare I say, adventure story that leaves out a lot of the grit that was WWII. The girl seems to walk around with a bubble over her...maybe it's her age, maybe it's the storytelling, maybe it's what truly happened...It may be intended for a younger audience than I.
March 11, 2018
A wonderful read. I have never read much on the Kinder transport and this boo not only covers that, but how some of the children were treated as unpaid servants, and what some of the children had to go through to survive. What I liked best was the story of the women who were encouraged to create comics featuring strong female characters during the war.
At a time when women were just coming into their own, it was nice to see that women were able to share stories of women who could overcome the enemy and do their part to help win the war. Women can overcome anything, as long as they believe in themselves.
At a time when women were just coming into their own, it was nice to see that women were able to share stories of women who could overcome the enemy and do their part to help win the war. Women can overcome anything, as long as they believe in themselves.
July 8, 2014
I loved learning about Lily Renee, and the British Internments Camps (about which I was completely ignorant), and how with the men off to war women were hired to draw all the comics. The only problem is that the story is focused on Lily escaping the Nazis and fleeing to the US after a time in the UK. But that story isn't as interesting to me as what the artist's career was and became. I did enjoy the details on the Automat.
Library copy.
Library copy.
September 10, 2016
Because of the subject matter I feel like a horrible person to give this book only two stars! I'm sure that Lily Renee is an amazing, strong woman, but it just didn't come across in the writing style. At times I felt more annoyed with her then sympathetic. Also, the title "Escape Artist" made me think she was going to have some horrific escape from the Nazis, but I felt like she just lucked out and was able to be sponsored to England. In the end, everything just seemed to be too perfect.
May 24, 2021
Quite a surprisingly compelling story considering it's from the Graphic Universe imprint, which I will confess has been vetting its material much better over the last handful of years. We focus on Renee's early life primarily, but it is a story fraught with tension, and so perhaps the best part of the story to focus on, given that we don't find out too much about her later life. The artwork is adequate, but an extra-compelling story makes up for it.
January 21, 2012
A fascinating woman's life and career should have made more of an impact. Instead, the static art robs the story of its period feel. Germany, England and America all looked the same. Also, once she began her comics career, the book rushes to a hasty conclusion without really telling us more about Lily. This should have been wonderful instead of merely good. I expected better from the creators.
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