The Borrowed House

When Janna is suddenly summoned from Germany to join her actor parents in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, she is shocked by the Dutch hatred for the Germans. Her favorite Nordic tales and Hitler Youth indoctrination have not prepared her for the complexities of living in a house requisitioned by a military friend of her parents; or for the violence she sees on the streets. With her parents preoccupied by their perplexing adult world of careers and relationships, Janna is lonely and full of unwelcome questions. It is the house itself which begins to provide real, if painful, answers to Janna's bewilderment, but not before it adds its own set of mysteries to solve. A well-developed, true-to-life tale for teenagers. 208 pp, Quality Softcover, Ages 13-up

Comment by Dr. Clark: This book does not show family values, but it is an important book for teens to read. It is the story of a teen German girl who lives in Holland at a time during World War II when the Germans controlled the country and treated Jews as criminals. It depicts the daily life of a suffering and hungry conquered Christian nation but whose people are willing to fight back and protect the Jews. It also shows how the battle between good and evil can actually divide a family, and how the pressure from those in control and in power can force people to live in such fear that they don't even speak out against evil. A book for our times.