The Girl in the Blue Coat
This young adult historical fiction by Monica Hesse transcends genres. Although there are adult topics, many tween books feature World War II and anti-Semitism as central themes, making this book an ideal classroom read and a must-read for story lovers and historical fiction bibliophiles.
Set in Amsterdam during German occupation in 1943, young adult Hanneke struggles to find her identity after the death of her boyfriend, who was killed on the front line. Her hopes for marriage and University now dashed, she found a way to fill her days and help her family by working as an assistant in a funeral parlor. It’s there that her boss recruits her to engage in illicit trade. Hanneke becomes a finder of black-market goods, supplies, and luxury items, and she delivers to her clientele for cash. Her cut of trade is lucrative, and though her parents believe her legitimate work is the source of her healthy salary, she artfully keeps her duplicity a secret from family and friends. That is, until a client begs her for help in locating a young Jewish tenant who’s disappeared from her protection. Hanneke immediately pushes back, not wanting to involve herself in what should be left to the police. But the lure of this mystery is too hard to ignore. How did the girl disappear? Was she taken to the internment camp? Is she still alive? Is she dead? Hanneke eventually acquiesces and faces down the SS, aligns with the Dutch Resistance, and risks her life, all in her search for the girl in the blue coat.
This engrossing book instantly sweeps you into Hanneke’s world of survival during the German oppression in Europe.
The protagonist has a fascinating story of her own that slowly unfolds as she bravely pursues the trail of the missing girl. What she learns along the way about her lost love, her country, and the politics of war is eye-opening. While so much is written about life and death in Germany and Poland, very few young adult books capture so vividly a portrait of Holland during the occupation. This book is a captivating blend of history and mystery, the fragility of life, and the horror of Nazi persecution of Jews and their protectors—the Righteous Among the Nations.
Source: Purchased
Image Courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
