Anna and the Swallow Man

'A beautifully haunting and thought-provoking story of friendship that lingers long after the last page' Ruta Sepetys, Author of Salt to the Sea 
 
'A small wonder, and for once a book worthy of the hype' The Times 
 
'A chilling, stylishly written and utterly memorable story' Guardian 
 
'Savit's story is aimed at anyone who will listen. A 10-year-old may identify with Anna. A teenage reader will absorb the deftness and sophistication of the telling. An adult will find their expectations challenged' New York Times 
 
Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning debut novel for readers aged ten to one hundred and ten that tells a new story of World War Two. 
Kraków, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she's alone. 
 
Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna's missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. 
 
Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous . . .

A chilling, stylishly written and utterly memorable story

A small wonder, and for once a book worthy of the hype

The breakout WWII drama . . . is causing quite the stir amongst both adults and the pre-teens it's aimed at

Stylist - 'Your Essential 2016 Reading List'

Tense, moving, original and skilled, this phenomenal debut will seize sophisticated readers

Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times - Children's Book of the Week

It sometimes seems there can be no stories left to tell about the anguish of Nazi-occupied countries in 1939-45 but the debut novel by Gavriel Savit makes the territory new

A beautifully haunting and thought-provoking story of friendship that lingers long after the last page

A bold first novel that promises more from the undoubtedly talented Savit

This wonderfully original concept, enigmatic in style yet grounded in brutal reality, is written with deceptive power and grace

A stark and beautifully written tale that will leave you feeling unsettled yet enthralled

Savit's young adult novel reveals the power and danger of language, the necessity for deceit when humanity is under siege and . . . the hope that we will all find a guardian when we most need it

Savit brilliantly dramatizes the adventures of survival . . . this book has an enticing sense of fable

Savit's story is aimed at anyone who will listen. A 10-year-old may identify with Anna. A teenage reader will absorb the deftness and sophistication of the telling. An adult will find his or her expectations challenged

There's much for adults to love about Gavriel Savit's beautiful tale

The book that brings magic to the 20th century's darkest hour

Savit captures the moods, fears and delightful conversation of this odd couple on their implausible odyssey. It's a touching tale, both sad and sweet

Mail on Sunday, EVENT magazine - Best New Fiction

An astonishingly accomplished debut about war, survival and humanity . . . this is very much in the territory of The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas with all the potential that such a comparison suggests

Fiona Noble, The Bookseller - One to Watch

Like the characters in his debut novel, author Gavriel Savit has harnessed the power of language. He's a talented wordsmith, wielding words and sentences with a precision that allows them to wriggle deep into this reader's heart, leaving me both enchanted and brokenhearted

One of those all ages and no age stories . . . told by a genuine wordsmith . . . And it's a story of generosity in the worst of times. Of friendship and loyalty and yes, of love despite all the horror. We won't forget how it felt to read it. Ever

A beautiful and stunning read . . . It creeps slowly into your heart just like Morris Gleitzman'sOnce, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas did

Such an important, painful, beautiful, hopeful read

A harsh tale of innocence lost, yet touched with magic

This is cleverly done and beautifully written tale of loss, hope, survival and trust

Savit spins a dark and heart-breaking tale of history and fable seen through the eyes of a child. A thought-provoking read, great for book clubs

South Wales Evening Post, Children's Book of the Week

A complex, gruelling trip through the midnight of the last century

Gavriel Savit graduated in musical theatre. As an actor and singer, Gavriel has performed on three continents, from New York to Brussels to Tokyo. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Anna and the Swallow Man is his first novel.

Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning, literary, and wholly original debut novel that tells a new WW2 story. 
 
Kraków, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she's alone. 
 
Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna's missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. 
 
Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous . . .

An extraordinary new wartime story that will captivate readers young and old. Meet Anna. Meet the Swallow Man. And follow their incredible journey together . . .

The breakout WWII drama . . . is causing quite the stir amongst both adults and the pre-teens it’s aimed at

Sunday Times - Children's Book of the Week

It sometimes seems there can be no stories left to tell about the anguish of Nazi-occupied countries in 1939-45 but the debut novel by Gavriel Savit makes the territory new.

Savit’s young adult novel reveals the power and danger of language, the necessity for deceit when humanity is under siege and . . . the hope that we will all find a guardian when we most need it

Savit’s story is aimed at anyone who will listen. A 10-year-old may identify with Anna. A teenage reader will absorb the deftness and sophistication of the telling. An adult will find his or her expectations challenged.

There’s much for adults to love about Gavriel Savit’s beautiful tale

Savit captures the moods, fears and delightful conversation of this odd couple on their implausible odyssey.   It’s a touching tale, both sad and sweet

Like the characters in his debut novel, author Gavriel Savit has harnessed the power of language. He’s a talented wordsmith, wielding words and sentences with a precision that allows them to wriggle deep into this reader’s heart, leaving me both enchanted and brokenhearted.

One of those all ages and no age stories . . . told by a genuine wordsmith . . . And it's a story of generosity in the worst of times. Of friendship and loyalty and yes, of love despite all the horror. We won't forget how it felt to read it. Ever.

A beautiful and stunning read . . . It creeps slowly into your heart just like Morris Gleitzman's Once, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas did.

A harsh tale of innocence lost, yet touched with magic.

Anna and the Swallow Man is a stunning, literary, and wholly original debut novel that tells a new WW2 story. 
 
Kraków, 1939, is no place to grow up. There are a million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. And Anna Lania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father and suddenly, she’s alone. 
 
 Then she meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall. And like Anna's missing father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. 
 
 Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgement, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous . . .

Gavriel Savit

Set in a frigid and arcane 19th century winter, The Way Back blends Jewish demonology with a fairytale past to create a beautiful tale of mysticism, mystery, and just one low-key little war against the Angel of Death.

A bewitching allegorical adventure comprised of small, beautifully composed moments.

Steeped in the rich traditions of ghost stories and Jewish folklore, this remarkable feat of storytelling is sure to delight.

This work of prodigious imagination is especially notable in its author's uncanny ability to create a visceral suspense that captures readers' attention and won't let go as the pages fly by

For the Jews of Eastern Europe, demons are everywhere. Talk of them is endless. The fear they summon is real. 
 
 Bluma and Yehuda Leib, two young people from the little shtetl of Tupik, know mostly of demons through stories - these, and the occasional shiver down the back of their necks. Until one night, when they unexpectedly encounter the Dark One - Death - an encounter which sends them spinning off on a journey in search of something they have both lost. 
 
 Theirs is a journey that will change everything. It will take them through the cemetery of Tupik and into the Far Country, the demon land filled with the souls of the dead. It will see them make pacts with ancient demons and declare war on Death itself. 
 
 But can they can possibly find their way back?

Gavriel Savit

Praise for The Way Back

Feels as timeless as a fairy tale

Set in a frigid and arcane 19th century winter, The Way Back blends Jewish demonology with a fairytale past to create a beautiful tale of mysticism, mystery, and just one low-key little war against the Angel ...

A bewitching allegorical adventure comprised of small, beautifully composed moments.

Feels as timeless as a fairy tale

Set in a frigid and arcane 19th century winter, The Way Back blends Jewish demonology with a fairytale past to create a beautiful tale of mysticism, mystery, and just one low-key little war against the Angel ...

A bewitching allegorical adventure comprised of small, beautifully composed moments.

Feels as timeless as a fairy tale

Set in a frigid and arcane 19th century winter, The Way Back blends Jewish demonology with a fairytale past to create a beautiful tale of mysticism, mystery, and just one low-key little war against the Angel ...

A bewitching allegorical adventure comprised of small, beautifully composed moments.

Books by Gavriel Savit

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