Anna's war by D. J. Taylor

Although this is a work of fiction, it reveals what life may have been like for families in The Netherlands in the final years of the occupation by German troops during WWII.  From the perspective of the young teen protagonist, Anna, we see the incredible pain and struggle of life during wartime. Although the ordinary Dutch citizens were often powerless in the face of the brutality of Nazi power, each person, family and even child had to display incredible courage. Some though succumbed to lies and perpetrated their own bullying and hatred. Anna and her family were able to hide her father behind the cellar walls in order to protect him from the Nazis and German forced labour. But the consequences of the secret choices they had made impacted all their relationships. But not every person working for the Germans was as committed to the power struggle and Anna’s growing fondness for Kurt, a German translator, comes at a cost. Will the Allies arrive in time to save her family, can their secrets be kept, can she be brave enough under the pressure or will they all become more casualties of the conflict? 

This family-centric story is filled with the drama of wartime. Anna’s own younger siblings must be protected from truth (so they cannot innocently share secrets), but because of her age she is given huge responsibility and sometimes her own life is under threat. Because we know the outcome of the war and the timing of its conclusion, we are always aware that the book is detailing the ‘last days’ of conflict, but the drama is still tense and dangerous, and the characters are all in peril. So, this story has a natural tension, but the author adds a few light touches to the story amidst the darkness. The difficulty of knowing who is trustworthy to carry a secret is threaded through the story, as is the incredible bravery of young and old, man and woman. War stories can be hard to read, but history’s horrors have a habit of being repeated and providing opportunities to learn empathy from the past is important for young readers. This is a book that will be read and enjoyed, even though it is heartbreaking, by young readers aged 11-15 and particularly those who have enjoyed similar war stories eg Katrina Nannestad’s We are wolves.

Themes: WWII, German occupation - Netherlands, War, Fear, Truth and lies, Trust, Family, Secrets, Hunger, Resistance.

Carolyn Hull