The Girl Who Said No to the Nazis: Sophie Scholl and the Plot Against Hitler

by Haydn Kaye

n 1942, a young woman named Sophie Scholl arrives in Munich to begin her studies at university. Reunited with her beloved brother Hans, a medical student, she finds new friends in a group of young Germans united in their passion for jazz music, dancing, art and philosophy - all things that the Nazi regime regards with deep suspicion. In her lectures, Sophie hears whispers of a mysterious group called The White Rose who dare to defy the Nazis. Incendiary leaflets begin to appear, protesting the betrayals and atrocities of the fascist regime and calling on others to act. At the same time, Sophie discovers that her new friends, including her brother, are united by more than just their love of art and music. Soon, she will become another petal of The White Rose and be drawn into a world of rebellion and subterfuge, compelled to carry out acts of great danger and courage.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a suspense-filled book, perfect for tweens, teens and even adults! Haydn Kaye writes of the real-life exploits of student Sophia Scholl, her medical-student brother Hans and three other University of Munich medical students in distributing anti-Nazi leaflets across Germany. Calling themselves The White Rose Resistance Group, these students’ courage inspired resistance and even protests against the Nazi regime.

I’m so glad that readers outside Germany (where The White Rose are considered national heroes) can finally be inspired by their valor. Highly, highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Pushkin Press and Pushkin Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

[geekoutonreading : Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust, but I had never heard of The White Rose or Sophie and Hans Scholl. This was a fast paced and interesting read, perfect for middle grade and adults alike! Recommended!!

*Thanks to Netgalley for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.*

[Joey Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Pushkin Press / Pushkin Children’s Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

This gripped me instantly, I honestly couldn’t stop reading and would honesty happily read it again as it was so incredible. There is so much history surrounding World War Two and I hadn’t known this piece, for some reason I hadn’t heard about it, I’m so glad I have now.

The white rose group a secret rebellion organisation within the walls of Germany, going against Hitler, in a very scary and dangerous time. These young college students were so very incredible and so brave doing everything they did to fight against the cruel, inhumane treatment of the people.

Sophie was such a force to be reckoned with, she was utterly fascinating to me, from the second you meet her you know she’s going to find her voice and it will be a strong one. I’m so glad reading this how much she fought, how much she wanted the true Germans to hear her, to see her actions and take action themselves.

It was inevitable what truly happened to them all, getting caught, being made an example of to the people. But they all, did the right thing, they stood up for everyone and made a huge change for the people, sharing hope during a dark time that need all the hope it could get.

I’m still shocked I didn’t know about this piece of history, I will now be finding out more as it was so fascinating and I was just gripped the whole time. If you love history this book is a complete recommend read, it’s so detailed, it doesn’t skirt around the truth, you’ll be hooked from the start.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sophie Scholl, her brother, and their friends were ordinary German university students. But the world that they were living in was not as the Nazi Party held power. So Sophie and the others created the White Rose Resistance group and their actions of resistance got under the skin of their fascist leaders. Inevitably, it would end in them being caught by the Gestapo and executed by the state.

I had read books and watched films about Sophie Scholl before so while the material wasn't new, this book series is targeted at youth audiences. The chapters are relatively short and the plot moves along at a good pace. The descriptions don't get into too graphic detail when it comes to Sophie's time with the Gestapo. Nor do we get horrific details about her execution. Above all, it is a solid introduction in introducing students to the life of Sophie Scholl.

As an educator, I would add this title to my classroom library.



#TheGirlWhoSaidNototheNazis #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 07/01/25
Goodreads Review Date 05/11/25

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a slightly sporadically-produced series, a sporadic reissue – and this one is on the hot-headed teenaged girl that didn't have to leave Ulm for Munich University, but did anyway, who didn't have to be so keen on joining her brother's political circle, but did anyway, and who didn't have to be practically his sole colleague at the end where publishing illegally anti-Hitler leaflets was concerned – and yet was.

The book is a novelised history piece, so crammed with made-up dialogue and thoughts – mostly from Sophie's own view, but also from the Gestapo man, Mohr. We see the group try and build, learning of the need to carry out their actions at every turn of the war. That said, the bravery was leaving the core of the rebels when just Sophie and Hans, her brother, were arrested for spreading their sedition. The book is a straight pass of the past, not trying to equate the 1940s with the 2020s – although the fact that the leaflets from the White Rose movement so regularly quoted classical philosophers does kind of prove that what they thought then, we should be thinking now. A welcome and readable return to the presses for this four-star effort.

[Kira K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a beautiful age-appropriate tribute to Sophie and the White Rose. I wish there was a book like this around when I was younger as someone who loved reading and history but never got to see strong girls like me in the books available to me. The cartoon map was great to help with my terrible geographical skills and the other graphics accompanied the story perfectly. I like direct quotes from real letters/leaflets in italics so we can see the actual words of those we’re reading about and especially liked the bit about after her death.

Favourite Quote:
“He who does not act does not exist, wrote the philosopher Gottfried Leibniz -and although Sophie cruelly lost her life when she was so young, she exists in our minds for ever through acting as she did.”

[Coleen DeGroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book recounts the story about a young German woman named Sophie Scholl who stood up against the Nazi regime. I'd never heard the story before about Sophie, her brother Hans, and the several friends who were part of a group called The White Rose that actively fought against the Nazi movement and encouraged others to do the same by secretly distributing leaflets throughout the country. Although I should have seen where the story was going, I just didn't because I'd never learned about it. Haydn Kaye shares the story through the eyes of Sophie which makes it more immediate. It's an important read and I thank Haydn for writing this book for young readers. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never heard of Sophie Scholl before. Believe me, I would have remembered. What an amazing story of courage and faith against unspeakable evil. And although her life was short, she is still remembered as an inspiring figure today. This book is well written, not too long or short, and clear without getting into graphic details. There was also just the right number of illustrations, which all fit very well with the timeline and theme of this book. Sophie’s story should be required reading for all students. I would rate this for teens and up. Highly recommend!
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book courtesy of Pushkin Press through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book quite fascinating. I had never heard of Sophie Scholl before, and it was quite interesting to read about her activities in the resistance against Hitler, within Germany. It was heartwarming to see how the members of her group stuck together and worked to try to keep the others safe. The only thing I did not appreciate about the story was how they lied—but I totally understand why they did it. The end of Sophie’s story was predictable, but tragic and triumphant at the same time. This would be a good book for young teens to read, to learn what people just older than themselves experienced during World War II.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written story about Sophie and her brother Hans. I was crying at the end b/c it’s such a heartbreaking story. They were such brave, kind souls who were standing up to hate at a very dangerous time. They knew that they could be killed for speaking out against the Reich, and did not care. I had heard of their story before, but had not yet read about them. This was a really lovely story and all the members of the White Rose Society who lost their lives were incredible people and should not be forgotten. The next rose bush I plant will be white to always remember these incredible young people who fought to save my people.

I was given this arc for free, and I’m leaving my honest review voluntarily.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

OF all the heartbreaking stories that have come out of the Holocaust, I've always found that Sophie Scholl's hits me the heardest. This biographical tale is utterly fascinating and heartrending by turns, and so much more interesting than Anne Frank's diary, which is riveting in its own way. Pair this with the late, great Russell Freedman's nonfiction We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler and Jenni Walsh's fictional I am Defiance: A Novel of WWII, in which Sophie Scholl is a character. Highly recommended.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. Even though the White Rose Society was made up mostly of university students; that didn’t stop them from taking a stand against the injustices they saw happening around them. One person can make a difference. Even whilst being interrogated; they still held firm to their beliefs and didn’t back down in the face of death. Because of their courage and bravery; they are still remembered to this day.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son (7yr old) picked this out from the library to read as he finds WW2 very interesting. He was engrossed with the story although didn’t want to hear the details of the ending. A very courageous and inspiring account of how Sophie & Hans Scholl started the White Rose and made a difference in Nazi Germany.

[Afterglow Earring Co · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was designed for a younger audience but the topic interested me right away. The illustrations are well done and the writing was incredible. I learned about someone I never knew before and I am glad I did. A real life story of a young girls courage and strength. Highly recommend this read!

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Pushkin Press/Pushkin Children’s Books and NetGalley for the ebook to read and review.

When she was only 20 years old, Sophie Scholl courageously joined her brother in the the White Rose, a non-violent Nazi resistance movement in Germany.

So often, we try and shield our children from the mere knowledge and scale of such crimes against humanity. In truth, more often than not, the adults in our communities aren't the ones who resist those atrocities:

They're the ones committing them.

In the 1950s and 60s, many leaders of the US Civil Rights were barely into their twenties. When John Lewis spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, he Lewis was 23 and all only 25, when Alabama State Troopers beat him and fractured his skull on Bloody Sunday in Selma.

In 1943, 23-year-old Mordechai Anielewicz led the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a resistance largely comprised of children, teenagers, and young adults. Like the overwhelming majority of those in the Warsaw Ghetto, he perished at Nazi hands.

In "The Girl Who Said No to the Nazis," Haydn Kaye masterfully recounts Sophie Scholl's courageous stand against the brazen inhumanity of the Nazi regime. Without sacrificing historical accuracy or Scholl's suffering at Nazi hands, Kaye builds an age-appropriate narrative for a younger audience.

I highly recommend this piece. It's a nuanced and haunting recounting of one of the worst horrors this world has ever seen.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Pushkin Children's Press and Netgalley for the providing an arc.
In 1942 Sophie School arrived in Munich to begin her studies at the University of Munich, where her brother was a medical student. She became involved in the social scene with her brother's friends, but she also became member of the White Rose Society, an antifascist student group which peacefully resisted the Nazis. Tragically, her life was cut short when she was caught distributing pamphlets. The title's short chapters make the story move quickly, and it does not go into graphic detail about her interrogation in prison or her execution. She, her brother, and the other members of the White Rose Society are considered heroes. I highly recommend this book.
#TheGirlWhoSaidNototheNazis