Girl in the blue coat

Title:

Author:

Summary:

"In 1943 Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, teenage Hanneke--a 'finder' of black market goods--is tasked with finding a Jewish girl a customer had been hiding, who has seemingly vanished into thin air, and is pulled into a web of resistance activities and secrets as she attempts to solve the mystery and save the missing girl"-- Provided by publisher.

Audience:

Young Adult

720 Lexile

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

301 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Historical fiction.

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader 4.9

Reading Counts! 4.4

Subject Term:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Fiction.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Netherlands -- Amsterdam -- Fiction.

Black market -- Fiction.

Jews -- Netherlands -- Fiction.

Missing children -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Netherlands -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945 -- Juvenile fiction.

Netherlands -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945 -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2016

ISBN:

9780316260602

9780316315869

Publication Information:

Boston ; New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2016.

Call Number:

YA HESSE

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003176255	Young Adult	HESSE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

This bestselling and award-winning novel about a teenage girl in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam speaks powerfully to the realities of grief, heartbreak, and bravery, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Ruta Sepetys.

Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person-- a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.

Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary novel about courage, grief, and love in impossible times.

Author Notes

Monica Hesse is the bestselling author of Girl in the Blue Coat and American Fire , as well as a journalist with The Washington Post . She lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband and their dog.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-In Nazi-occupied Holland, Hanneke seems like an ordinary girl working at a funeral parlor to help support her family during wartime. But her Aryan features and charming smile allow her to work as a courier on the black market smuggling cigarettes, meat, and other unavailable items to paying customers. While Hanneke is not a member of the Dutch resistance, her actions are a direct result of the loss of Bas, her boyfriend. Lying about his age, he enlisted and died on the frontlines during the German invasion. When one of her best customers asks for her assistance in finding a Jewish girl she was hiding, Hanneke is stunned. But soon after, she is drawn into the mysterious disappearance of the girl in the blue coat. What she uncovers as she searches for answers leads her on a journey of self-discovery, self-realization, and redemption. Hesse crafts a thought-provoking and gripping historical novel. The themes of love, betrayal, heroism, social responsibility, and atonement are beautifully intertwined with well-developed characters and a compelling story line. Thoroughly researched, this work brings history alive in a clear and concise way that rings true. VERDICT A must-read for fans of historical fiction, especially stories set during World War II.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

In 1943 in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, Hanneke tries to survive by selling black market items. One of her customers secretly asks for her help in finding a Jewish girl she had been hiding who had mysteriously disappeared. In searching for clues, she gets involved with the Resistance movement, risking her life to find the missing girl and defy the Nazis. Narrator Payne has a clear, youthful voice well-suited to Hanneke, conveying both her inner strength and her tension and fear in dangerous situations, as well as her mourning for her boyfriend who died in the war. She does equally well voicing other characters, including an authentic German accent for the soldiers who repeatedly stop and question Hanneke. The suspenseful and moving story will keep listeners riveted. Ages 12-up. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Hesse's debut is set in 1943 Amsterdam. Hanneke, a Christian teenager whose boyfriend was killed fighting the -Nazis, delivers black market goods to paying customers. When Mrs. Janssen, one of Hanneke's customers, asks her to find a Jewish girl who has disappeared from the secret room in Mrs. Janssen's house, Hanneke agrees and reluctantly joins the Dutch resistance. Narrator Natalya Payne does an excellent job bringing the diverse personalities to life. Her Dutch and German accents are easily recognizable, and her voice work makes each character immediately identifiable. Although the characters are teens and the novel is marketed as a YA selection, adults will find the story gripping. VERDICT Recommended for adult and teen collections. ["The themes of love, betrayal, heroism, social responsibility, and atonement are beautifully intertwined with well-developed characters and a compelling story line": LJ 2/1/16 review of the Little, Brown hc.]-Ilka Gordon, Beachwood City Schs., OH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.