Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

For a while, World War II was all the rage in YA literature, and in truth, I didn't find it my cup of tea.  Sure there were some good books, probably many more, but a few reads were enough to put me off of the topic.  So when this came out, I did in fact take a look at it for a purpose other than my reviews.  At best, I skimmed it.  I really did it an injustice, and set out to make that right when I passed by it on the put-back cart.

Just like rereading, giving a book a second chance is OK too.  Looking at a book through a different lens, whether through personal change or professional growth, is part of the beauty of literature.

Enough about me.  

In 1943 occupied Amsterdam, Hanneke supports her slightly off-kilter mother and crippled father by running black market goods around her neighborhood.  One of her clients, an older woman, asks her to find a missing Jewish girl she's been hiding in a pantry.  After reluctantly accepting, Hanneke finds herself suddenly a member of the resistance.  Her quest to track down Mirjim leads her to an assembly point for Jews, taking part in the hand-off a baby to a Christian family, photographing the atrocities, and much more.  All while trying to save the girl who left her client's in a blue coat just days before.

I don't want to spoil too much, but I will say I really like this book.  I wish I had read it closer the first time, but maybe I just wasn't ready to!

P.S. Read the acknowledgements.  It's quite the history lesson.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.