Girl in the Blue Coat
Girl in the Blue Coat is a sensitively told coming-of-age story set in the Netherlands during the German occupation. Hanneke is a Dutch girl who is doing her best to get revenge against the Nazis for the death of her first love, Bas, who died fighting in the Resistance. She does so by operating in the black market, tricking German soldiers by her wits as she makes her deliveries of ill-gotten goods. Life is somewhat stable in this very unstable world until one of Hanneke’s customers implores her to find a missing Jewish girl, the girl in the blue coat, who had been hiding in the home of one Mrs. Janssen. When the girl vanished without a trace, Mrs. Janssen is frantic to find her before the Nazis do.
A reluctant Hanneke is eventually seduced by the mystery of what has happened to this girl, and her search leads her right into the heart of the Resistance, where Bas’ brother, Ollie, is a major player. She is called upon to face her darkest fears as she must decide how far she is willing to go to save the girl in the blue coat. Wracked by guilt and grief, Hanneke must grow up and realize she is no longer playing games; now, she’s playing for keeps.
This novel offers a look into how life-changing decisions are made, and the cost they often bring with them. The book is beautifully written, and the reader is kept in a state of anxiety as the story unfolds. It’s a page-turner where the consequences for the main characters could be a fate worse than death—a concentration camp. Ages 12 +
