Anna and her family have only one hope left to escape certain doom.

It’s 1936 and life is becoming dangerous for the Jews of Krakow. As incidents of violence and persecution increase day by day, Anna begs her father to leave Poland, but he insists it’s impossible. How could he give up his position as an acclaimed clarinetist in the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra? When Anna and her father barely escape from a group of violent thugs, it becomes clear that the family must leave. But how? There seems to be only one possibility. Bronislaw Huberman, a world-renowned violinist, is auditioning Jewish musicians for a new orchestra in Palestine. If accepted, they and their families will receive exit visas. Anna and her grandmother boldly write to Huberman asking him to give Anna’s father an audition, but will that be enough to save them? This poignant story is based on real events in pre-war Poland and Palestine. After saving seven hundred Jews and their families, Huberman went on to establish what later became the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Against an ominous background of the impending Holocaust in Europe and the first Arab-Israeli war, The Sound of Freedom still manages to remind the reader of the goodness in the world.

Kathy Kacer est une auteure primée qui a écrit de nombreux livres sur l'holocauste pour les jeunes lecteurs, dont The Magician of Auschwitz, L'histoire d'Edith, Le journal de Sara et Les espions de la nuit. Elle s'estime honorée de contribuer à faire connaître l'histoire familiale de Jenny Kay Dupuis. Kathy vit avec sa famille à Toronto.

Kathy Kacer has won many awards for her writing, including the American Jewish Library Association Award. In 1999, she wrote the first book in Second Story's Holocaust Remembrance Series, The Secret of Gabi's Dresser. Since then, she's penned four other books in the series. Kacer now writes about the Holocaust for young readers and travels the country speaking about it. Kacer lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her family.

Kathy Kacer's profile page

Gabi Epstein is a DORA Award winner and one of Canada's leading stage and cabaret performers best known for playing Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors with the Stratford Festival and Fanny Brice in Funny Girl with the Segal Centre/Harold Green Jewish Theatre. She has narrated 9 audiobooks to date including To Look A Nazi in the Eye, Hiding Edith, The Brushmaker's Daughter, and Restitution- by Kathy Kacer (for ORCA), and Broken Strings- by Kathy Kacer, He Must Like You- by Danielle Younge-Ullman, Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted- by Gary Barwin, and The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family- by Sarah Kapit (for Penguin Random House).

Other theatrical credits include Once (Mirvish Productions-- DORA AWARD Ensemble/Production), Billy Elliot (Stratford), Fiddler on the Roof (Stage West/Capitol Theatre), Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Candide, Dani Girl (TIFT), The Sound of Music, Blood Brothers, Perfect Wedding (Drayton), City of Angels (Theatre by the Bay), To Life (HGJT-- DORA AWARD Nomination for Outstanding Performance), and Edges(Musical Stage Co.). Gabi’s debut CD Show Off is available on Spotify and iTunes and her infamous Gabarets have been performed all over North America garnering her praise such as “Best Cabaret of the Year” by the Times Square Chronicles in NYC. She and her husband Jeremy are the co-founders of “The New Local: Dine In, Sing Out!” which partners with local restaurants to provide live virtual dinner & show events.

Gabi Epstein's profile page

• Short-listed, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People
• Joint winner, USBBY Outstanding International Books List
• Commended, Sydney Taylor Book Awards, Notable Book, Association of Jewish Libraries

“A needed addition to any historical fiction collection that seeks to educate students about the Holocaust. This book could even be used in musical curriculum as a fiction connection … Highly Recommended.” — School Library Connection, starred review

“This straightforward tale of some lesser-known aspects of the time period provides a welcome spark of optimism.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A vivid portrait of how exhausting and distressing it must be for any minority group living under a repressive regime. It is also a striking illustration of the difficulties they face when starting over in a strange place.” — Quill & Quire

“Another fine tale spun by veteran Holocaust children’s writer Kathy Kacer.” — Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

“A fine historical fiction addition to all library shelves.” — School Library Journal