120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Rose Blanche

4.19 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 2,082 ratings, 416 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Rose Blanche by Ian McEwan tells the poignant story of a young girl named Rose Blanche living in a small German town during World War II. Unaware of the political turmoil, her curiosity leads her to discover a concentration camp hidden in the woods. Through her visits, she secretly offers food and comfort to the children there, depicting the harsh realities and innocence through a child's perspective.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2100
Elsewhere:
$2300
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you appreciate poignant and powerful stories that tackle real historical events through a child's perspective, this book may captivate you. It beautifully illustrates the impact of war seen through the innocent eyes of a young girl, offering a moving narrative that combines educational themes with a deeply emotional storyline.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Rose Blanche was the name of a group of young German citizens who, at their peril, protested against the war. Until the tide of the war turns and soldiers in different uniforms stream in from the East, and Rose and the imprisoned children disappear for ever .

An important and unforgettable story, brilliantly re-told by Booker Prize-winner Ian McEwan.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An important and unforgettable story.

Rose Blanche was the name of a group of young German citizens who, at their peril, protested against the war. Like them, Rose observes all the changes going on around her which others choose to ignore. She watches as the streets of her small German town fill with soldiers.

One day, she sees a little boy escaping from the back of a truck, only to be captured by the mayor and shoved back into it. Rose follows the truck to a desolate place out of town, where she discovers many other children, staring hungrily from behind an electric barbed wire fence. She starts bringing the children food, instinctively sensing the need for secrecy, even with her mother.

Until the tide of the war turns and soldiers in different uniforms stream in from the East, and Rose and the imprisoned children disappear forever...

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Rose Blanche by Ian McEwan is noted for its exploration of goodness amidst adversity, as praised by Amanda Craig. Rebecca Abrams highlighted its extraordinary and haunting illustrations, while Quentin Blake lauded it as a modern fairy tale that confronts reality. According to The School Librarian, the book is bleak yet rewarding.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099439509

Publisher: Penguin Random House Children's UK

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 January 2004

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Red Fox

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti
  • Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 4.0mm

Width: 211.0mm

Height: 279.0mm

Weight: 190g

Pages: 32

About the Author

Ian McEwan (Author) Ian McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels and two short story collections. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; Nutshell; Machines Like Me; and Lessons. Atonement, Enduring Love, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach have all been adapted for the big screen. Roberto Innocenti (Illustrator) Roberto Innocenti was born in 1940 in Bagno a Ripoli, a small town near Florence. Never having attended art school, he went to Rome to work in an animation studio. Returning to Florence, he began designing books and illustrating film and theatre posters. He has illustrated Pinocchio, A Christmas Carol, J. Patrick Lewis's The Last Resort and Ruth Vander Zee's Erika's Story. He lives in Florence with his wife.

Also by Ian McEwan

View all
  • What We Can Know
    From 2014 to the year 2119, in a world submerged by rising seas, What We Can Know spans the past, present, and future to ask profound questions about who we are and where we are going. A masterpiece and Ian McEwan's finest novel yet. 2014 - A great poem is read aloud and never heard again. For generations, people speculate...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Atonement
    On the hottest day of the summer of 1934, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a series of events at her family's country estate that she doesn't fully understand. From her vantage point, she sees her older sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden, watched by their childhood friend Robbie Turner, who has recently returned...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Lessons
    The instant Sunday Times bestseller, a mesmerising story of love, regret and a restless search for answers. While the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has descended, young Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. Stranded at boarding school, his vulnerability attracts his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well...
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Machines Like Me
    Our foremost storyteller returns with an audacious new novel, Machines Like Me. Number One Sunday Times Bestseller In an alternative 1980s London, Machines Like Me unfolds in a world where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher is clinging to power, and Alan Turing has made breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, we meet Charlie, a directionless man...
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Children Act
    Re-jacketed in stunning new series style for 2023, The Children Act is a brilliant, emotionally wrenching novel from the Booker Prize-winning, multi-million copy bestselling Ian McEwan. A brilliant, emotionally wrenching new novel from the author of Atonement and Amsterdam. Fiona Maye, a leading High Court judge renowned for her fierce intelligence and sensitivity, is called on to try an urgent...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Sweet Tooth
    Re-jacketed in a stunning new series style for 2023, Sweet Tooth is a story of love and espionage in 1970s Britain from Booker prize-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling Ian McEwan. 'A web of spying, subterfuge, deceit and betrayal... Acute, witty...winningly cunning' Sunday Times The year is 1972, the Cold War is far from over, and Serena Frome, in her final year at...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Atonement
    Atonement, a Booker Shortlisted bestseller, is now available in a beautiful hardback edition with a silk ribbon and sewn binding—an ideal gift. On the hottest day of the summer of 1934, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses an unsettling scene: her sister Cecilia stripping off her clothes and plunging into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching her is...
    Hardback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Enduring Love
    Re-jacketed in stunning new series style for 2023, Enduring Love is a tragic masterpiece from Booker prize-winning, multi-million copy bestselling Ian McEwan. AS FEATURED ON BBC2'S BETWEEN THE COVERS Discover the tragic masterpiece from Booker prize-winning, Sunday Times bestselling Ian McEwan. One windy spring day in the Chilterns Joe Rose's calm, organised life is shattered by a ballooning accident. The...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Chesil Beach
    Re-jacketed in stunning new series style for 2023, On Chesil Beach is a compact and devastating novel from the Booker Prize-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling Ian McEwan. SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE AND NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A warm treat of a read for the cold winter nights. It is July 1962. Edward and Florence, young innocents married that morning, arrive...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Saturday
    Re-jacketed in a stunning new series style for 2023, Saturday is a gripping novel centring around the London anti-war protest in 2003 from the Booker prize-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling author Ian McEwan. 'Dazzling... Profound and urgent' Observer 'A book of great maturity, beautifully alive to the fragility of happiness and all forms of violence... Everyone should read Saturday' Financial Times Saturday,...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Backorder
    Ships mid October
  • Amsterdam
    On a chilly February day, two old friends meet in the throng outside a crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence—Clive as Britain's most successful modern composer, Vernon as the editor of the quality broadsheet, The Judge. Gorgeous, feisty...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Nutshell
    Nutshell: A classic tale of murder and deceit from one of the world's master storytellers - 'a masterpiece' The Times Sunday Times Number One Bestseller Trudy has betrayed her husband, John. She's still in the marital home - a dilapidated, priceless London townhouse - but not with John. Instead, she's with his brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and the two...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Children's Books

View all
  • Wahine
    New Release
    Wahine
    From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Sweet As Looky Book
    New Release
    The Sweet As Looky Book
    Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...
    Hardback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster
    Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...
    Paperback
    $1400
    Elsewhere:
    $1499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Neverfear
    A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Mari the Unwonderful Witch
    A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Gruffalo Granny
    The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...
    Hardback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    Animalia 40th Anniversary Edition
    A beautiful, foiled collector's edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Graeme Base's classic and bestselling Australian picture book, Animalia. Embark on a fantastical alphabetic adventure where each turn of the page unveils a rich tapestry of intricate illustrations tied to a unique letter of the alphabet. More than 5 million copies sold worldwide Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Comeback Kid
    Charlie Boy might be just an ordinary kid, but he's about to get into some EXTRA-ordinary trouble... Get ready for this funny, fast-paced, friendship adventure with lots of kick. Meet Charlie Boy: skinny, small, looks like a strand of spaghetti. He and his best friend, Rocky the Lower Hutt Chief, are good at getting into trouble together. But when Charlie...
    Paperback
    $1799
    Elsewhere:
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Millie from Milford
    New Release
    Millie from Milford
    Based on the true story of Ruth Shaw and her husband Lance looking after a baby seal that had been shot between the eyes. Millie from Milford lives in Milford Sound, the number one tourist destination in Aotearoa New Zealand. After Millie was checked by a vet, she was taken to Ruth and Lance's home to be looked after until...
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    New Release
    The Case of the Tall Stranger: Violet and the Velvets 4
    But disaster strikes when guitarist Jack breaks his wrist and can no longer play. On top of that, all their hard work fundraising has fallen short! When help comes from unexpected channels, the Velvets make it to the Big Apple just in time to compete against the best kid bands in the whole world, including their new rivals the Blazer...
    Paperback
    $1600
    Elsewhere:
    $1899
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Pocket Observology
    New Release
    Pocket Observology
    Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Minecraft Annual 2027
    New Release
    Minecraft Annual 2027
    The official Minecraft Annual 2027, full of updates, builds, activities, and more! Discover all there is to know about the past year of Minecraft in this exciting annual. Stuffed to the brim with updates, activities, step-by-step builds, and tips and tricks for the game, this book is a must-have for any minecrafter. This year’s annual includes: Mob guides on happy...
    Hardback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.