23 September 2024
Alice Hoffman, author of numerous adult and young adult books including Practical Magic and Aquamarine, has a new middle grade book, When We Flew Away, a historically based imagining of Anne Frank's life before the family was forced into hiding. Young Anne is grappling with her developing identity within her family and community, at times blissfully happy and others deeply contemplative. As she navigates crushes, friendships, and insecurity around her seemingly perfect sister Margo, the shadow of the war and coming danger looms. Hoffman spoke with PW about her relationship with Anne Frank's diary and what the story has meant to her, as well as the challenge of bringing such a well-known historical figure to life.
