Description
Holland, 1943: In the last eighteen months of World War II, 14-year-old Anna’s life becomes a perilous world of secrets and danger. Her town in German-occupied southern Holland is transformed into a war zone, where trust is rare, and courage and resistance are everything. When the Nazis begin arresting local men and deporting them to work in German factories, Anna’s father hides in a cramped, secret cellar beneath their home. Even the youngest of his children don’t know he is there.
Then Anna meets Karl, a young German translator, and his piercing gaze and unexpected kindness leave her conflicted. Against her better judgement, she is drawn to Karl and begins to believe he can be trusted - especially when he keeps her father’s hiding place a secret from Horst, the ruthless Nazi officer he translates for. But as her feelings deepen, so do the risks. One misstep could unravel everything Anna and her family have fought to protect.
Anna’s War is a gripping tale of resilience, forbidden connection, family loyalties and the growing bravery of a young girl thrust into the deep shadows of war. Can Anna protect her family or will the cost of trust prove too great in a world torn apart?
Review
Based on the experiences of her Dutch relatives, DJ Taylor has written a remarkable tale of survival during the Second World War.
This is the story of fourteen-year-old Anna and her family, after the war arrived in their town in the south of the Netherlands in 1943, and continued until the end of the war in 1945.
Food was scarce and with four children to feed this is difficult, and becomes worse when her father has to go into hiding in their cellar - then they are given no rations to feed him. But her father chooses this life for over a year against the alternative - going to Germany to work in their factories. Anna does small acts helping the resistance, but this is becoming increasingly dangerous.
Anna has a best friend, Josephine, and a German soldier, Karl, who seemed to be looking after her - but who can she trust?
Life becomes even more complicated when her mother becomes pregnant - with her father supposedly not around the rumours swirl that she gis pregnant to a Nazi, and her family are branded traitors. Can they survive till the allies came to liberate them?
This is a terrific story, with a strong female lead character, and Anna and her family struggled through immense hardship. It contains themes of war, trust, determination, survival, the importance of family, and the importance of hope to get you through the toughest of situations that life can throw at you. The depiction of the war is realistic but never brutal, making this suitable for 12 to 15 year olds.
