Today, Melissa Roske chats author Rosanne Tolin about her middle-grade novel, Freedom’s Game, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a pair of Jewish orphans, set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Praised by National Jewish Book Award winner Nancy Churnin as “… a thrilling, well-researched historical tale of heroism and hope,” the novel is available now from Reycraft Books. (Don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win a copy of Freedom’s Game! Details below 👇)

Interview with Rosanne Rolin

Melissa: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Rosanne. Thanks for stopping by!

Rosanne: Thanks Melissa, I’m really excited to be here! Especially as a long-time fan of what you and the rest of the group at MUF do for writers and readers of MG by spotlighting books.

Freedom’s Game: A Summary

Melissa: First, congratulations on the publication of Freedom’s Game. I inhaled it in one sitting, during a car ride from New York to Boston. (Don’t worry, I wasn’t driving. 🙂 )  Can you give Mixed-Up Files readers a brief summary?

Rosanne: Of course! Freedom’s Game follows its two young protagonists—both refugee children fleeing World War Two Germany—to their hiding place, an abandoned chateau in France. When a mysterious new instructor arrives to teach gym class, the kids are uncertain about him. Is he there to help them escape into war-neutral Switzerland, or is he a Nazi ally attempting to gain their trust for nefarious reasons? The book is based on a series of true events that were too awe-inspiring, in my opinion, to be omitted from the more talked-about annals of Holocaust history.

Melissa: Freedom’s Game is a dual-perspective novel featuring two 12-year-olds—Ziggy, an introspective bookworm, and Elka, a running-obsessed chatterbox—who meet at a Jewish orphanage in Annemasse France, near the Swiss border. Although Ziggy and Elka seem to have little in common, they quickly become BFFs. Can you tell us more about this unlikely pair of friends and what binds them together?

Rosanne: I think the idea that opposites attract applies to these two. Elka is much more outward in how she moves through the world. For the most part, she says what she thinks, is upbeat and positive and asserts her opinions. Ziggy, on the other hand, is more reserved and skeptical and studious, and Elka’s ability to pull him out of his shell is a big reason they become fast friends. But eventually, it’s Ziggy who coaxes Elka into revealing the source of her sadness. Before they’d met, she’d buried it deep inside.

Because they’re so different, one’s able to sense what the other needs during their darker moments. Wondering what’s happened to their parents and fearing for their safety is part of their daily existence—so the strength they gain from their unlikely friendship becomes a kind of survival mechanism, too.

A Tale of Two Perspectives

Melissa: As above, the novel is told from two perspectives. What was the impetus behind writing a dual-POV story? Also, what was your writing process like? Did you write Ziggy’s section and then Elka’s? The other way around? Or did you alternate?

Rosanne: My first few drafts of the manuscript were told entirely from Elka’s perspective. But when I set out to do serious revision work, I realized that Ziggy was as much at the heart of the story as she was. Although they’re from the same country, Germany, their world views are quite different. For that reason, I thought dual POV would be a great way to explore and contrast their interior lives. Elka believes Georges Loinger is there to rescue them from deportation; Ziggy is suspicious of his real motives. By playing off one another, in alternating viewpoints, I’m hopeful the reader’s experience is more immersive, even magnified. Will they empathize with Elka’s viewpoint, or Ziggy’s? Does that possibly change, chapter by chapter? By getting to know both characters in equal measure, is it harder to discern who’s “right”? I think the dual perspectives also become dueling perspectives, in a sense. And, as the story moves forward, the back and forth helps to push its pacing and momentum.

Georges Loinger: The Man Behind the Story

Melissa: Freedom’s Game is based on the true story of Jewish French Resistance member Georges Loinger, who at first Ziggy and Elka suspect is a Nazi spy. Can you elaborate? Also, what was it about Loinger’s story that compelled you to write about it?

Rosanne: Georges was born in Strasbourg, France—and because Strasbourg is so close to Germany, he grew up fluent in both German and French. This benefitted him later, during the war, allowing him to navigate travel through Germany—speaking whichever language he needed to, based on whom he encountered. His fair hair and blue eyes also aided his ability to move about freely, since his looks were classically “Aryan”—therefore he wasn’t suspected of being Jewish. He was also a world class runner and used his athletic prowess to evade Nazi patrols. Without giving too much away about the book, his work with Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE), a Jewish children’s aid organization, would become his primary mission. On the fictional side of things, Ziggy and Elka felt it was frivolous to have gym class when they were in hiding, causing them to question his true intentions.

It was after reading Georges’ obituary in The New York Times in 2018 that I felt compelled to write about him. As a children’s author—and a former journalist—his story captivated me for so many reasons. I was sure it would captivate children, too! Beyond that, the real events that shaped the story were too incredible to keep to myself. It’s not that Georges’ role during the Holocaust was unheard of, but personally I’d not known it before. I figured others probably hadn’t, either.  That spurred me to bring these events, and the bravery these children displayed, to the literary forefront.

Marcel Marceau: Surprise Appearance

Melissa: As a follow-up, Georges Loinger had a famous cousin—Marcel Marceau—who makes a surprise appearance in the novel. Without giving away spoilers, can you tell us more about Marcel Marceau’s role in the novel, and in real life?

Rosanne: I was excited to learn that Marcel was Georges’ first cousin! His last name was originally Mangel, but he changed it to blend in (in France, during wartime). His father, Charles Mangel, was deported to Auschwitz and killed. This sad fact fueled Marcel to work with the resistance, and entertaining children with his antics and miming skills played a fascinating part in that. An interesting detail of note: I’ve read that the reason Marcel always wore a sad face—his makeup when miming included a teardrop drawn on his cheek—was because of the devastating circumstances surrounding World One Two and the genocide of Jewish people.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Melissa: Ziggy and Elka have to keep their Jewish identity a secret, in order to survive. What were you trying to say about the nature of secret keeping, including the toll it takes on those hiding in plain sight?

Rosanne: I think that toll was unquestionably profound. Not only did the kids have to be hyper-vigilant about their surroundings, but also, adopting false identities was confusing. Ziggy questions his faith, his hope, family traditions. For him, this manifests in a loss of trust in others. Elka struggles with isolation and loneliness, and the fear of losing her loved ones. She becomes extremely anxious when she’s alone with her thoughts, and the stress takes its toll on her physically.

“Where There’s Life, There’s Hope”

Melissa: Another important theme in the novel is hope. While Ziggy is afraid to be hopeful, Elka—like Anne Frank, who famously said, “Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again”— survives on hope. Can you share your thoughts on this?

Rosanne: I didn’t totally shy away from the psychological harm the Holocaust had on children in Freedom’s Game. Kids in hiding were worried they’d never be reunited with their families again, but hope was their lifeline to this happy possibility. Bonding with the other children who understood their darkest fears was paramount, and small gestures—like Ziggy caring for Elka with simply an extra spoonful of stew or soup—allowed them to cope with their undeniable traumas. Anne Frank’s diary was and still is one of the ultimate testaments to hope we have of that painful period. Despite her confinement and being constantly under threat, she wrote about her dreams for the future, and her continued belief in the goodness of people. Can you imagine her inner strength? To say it’s admirable is a vast understatement.

It’s All in the Details

Melissa: Since Freedom’s Game is based on true events, you clearly had to do a ton of research to maintain the story’s authenticity. Can you tell MUF readers what this entailed? Also, where in the story were you able to take poetic license?

Rosanne: I did do a great deal of research to get it right. That’s a strong suit for me to begin with, or at least something I’m passionate about! Historical accuracy is one thing, but I love going down all the rabbit holes and finding unique details that make a story come to life.

Prior to writing a first draft, I scoured hundreds of pages of books and hours of Holocaust documentaries, particularly about refugee children living in chateaus in France during the war. I also watched several Shoah tapes and corresponded with incredible resources like the United States Holocaust Museum and the Library of Congress. I relied on resources offered by my local librarians, too. Once I felt the true events were in place that would propel the plot of the novel—and that I could authentically reflect the world inside and outside of the orphanage—I could concentrate on the little stuff. That was a lot of fun. I took poetic license with some details, but they’re still rooted in real life. For instance, I Googled things like, “What kind of candy would a young child have eaten in Germany in 1936?” The answer I got was Riesen Candies. So those became Ziggy’s favorite sweet treat, apart from his mother’s homemade confections.

Once the manuscript was in the hands of my publisher, and we began revising together, much of the minutiae fell into place. I also relied on my “inner circle”. For queries about what children in these orphanages might have known about concentration camps during the Holocaust, I turned to my former professor at Indiana University-Bloomington, who now heads the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. To be sure I was using German phrases properly, I asked an aunt who is a Harvard professor in Germanic languages and literature.

More Than Marmelade

Melissa: This is not your first children’s book to feature real-life characters. Your debut MG, More Than Marmalade (Chicago Review Press, 2020), chronicles the life of children’s author Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear. What is it about historical figures’ lives that captures your imagination enough to write about them?

Rosanne: It’s probably the former journalist in me. That, and I’ve always found the truth to be stranger than fiction! And perhaps, too, there’s a piece of me that wants to carry on my father’s legacy. He was a pediatrician by day, but a historian and scholar whenever he had time to pursue those interests. He had a whole library at home with books about the Holocaust, World War Two, the Civil War…he was always reading. I’ve always been a bookworm too, but it’s only been recently that I’ve realized I possess that same history bug. Having a deeper understanding of the people and events that came before us can go a long, long way toward peaceful co-existence. Expanding our knowledge of the past is paramount for that. Plus, it’s just interesting!

Writing with Rosanne

Melissa: What does your writing routine look like, Rosanne? Do you have any specific rituals? Also, are you a plotter or a pantser?

Rosanne: Like a lot of writers, I’d say…it depends. Both are true! I’ve done three NaNoWriMo’s and have come close to writing a first novel draft each time. Freedom’s Game included. However, Freedom’s Game started out as a picture book, and I only decided to write the MG novel version after getting feedback from my agent and critique partner. That scared the heck out of me, because at the time, I’d never written a longer work of fiction—so participating in the 30-day November writing frenzy was a perfect, pressure-free way to get words on the page. Even considering that I needed to have the facts straight, the book was more of a “pantsing” project.

Since then, I’ve written a couple of other novels, one that’s currently out on submission that I’d say was both pantsed and planned, and the other that was more heavily plotted. With the latter, I’ve introduced a historical story in epistolary form, and I wanted the beats of the story to correspond with the letter writing. So that one required some outlining to really get going.

Melissa: What are you working on now? (If you’re able to spill the beans, of course!)

Rosanne: I’m working on my first YA novel. And, also, a dual POV MG mystery that scales younger than most of the manuscripts I’ve written. I love to challenge myself, and both projects are new territory for me. I also like to have multiple projects going at once, to mix things up, and having manuscripts at different stages—for example, outlining versus polishing—helps to keep me focused. It seems like the opposite would be true, but nope.

Lightning Round!

Melissa: And finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Peanut butter granola + dark chocolate covered almonds.

Coffee or tea? BOTH! I enjoy a mug of Pete’s dark roast ‘Major Dickason’ coffee every morning when I set out to write, and an iced tea or hot tea later in the day…weather dependent. It’s my little pick-me-up and helps to redirect me, during the afternoon lull.

Favorite Paddington Bear fun fact? A few things come to mind—more so about the Paddington Bear movies! The creator of the Paddington character, Michael Bond, also appeared briefly in the first film. He played the role of the Kindly Gentleman. And when the films were dubbed into Ukrainian, Paddington was voiced by the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy! Also, in the third Paddington film coming out soon, Paddington in Peru, the late Queen Elizabeth has a small cameo. She filmed it just a few months before she died.

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? Like Night of the Living Dead stuff? No. I’m a scaredy cat, so I stay away from books and movies with zombies or ghosts (unless they’re friendly ghosts).

Superpower? Flying! I hate traffic, so being able to bypass it would be awesome. I’d love to ride the wind—like a bird. Can I add an element of teleportation in there too? Where time is compressed, and I can fly somewhere in the blink of an eye—and be with loved ones who live faraway, within seconds.

Favorite place on earth? Anywhere at all as long as I’m with my family. After that, probably the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be?

I assume “things” can’t include my husband or kids? Then let me take my dog(s), please!—plus a book (figuring out which one is a whole other issue), and a bottomless cup of strong coffee.

MR: Thank you for chatting with us, Rosanne—and congratulations on the publication of Freedom’s Game. I’m sure Mixed-Up readers will enjoy it as much as I did!

Rosanne: It was my pleasure. Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions, Melissa. I really hope readers enjoy it, too!

GIVEAWAY!

To win a copy of Freedom’s Game, please leave a comment on the blog. (U.S. only, please.) Giveaway ends at midnight EST on December 16.

All About Rosanne 

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Rosanne Tolin is the author of More Than Marmalade: Michael Bond and The Story of Paddington Bear and Freedom’s Game. An experienced and respected journalist, her work has focused primarily on children’s publications. She was the creator of an ALA notable website for kids, the managing editor of a children’s magazine, and a Hoosier State Press Award-winning features writer. She lives in Chesterton, Indiana, with her husband. When not working, she can be found hiking with her dogs in the Indiana Dunes or Colorado’s Tenmile Range. Learn more about Rosanne on her website and follow her on Twitter/X and Instagram.