The Upstairs Room

Summary

For the last two years, the radio news has brought trouble to eight-year-old Annie de Leeuw's home. When Father hears how Hitler is treating the Jews, he wants to move the family to America. Mother argues they will be safe in Holland. Then she notices Annie and sends her from the room. One May night in 1940, Annie wakes to the sound of planes passing overhead. The Germans have come! When her friends begin to disappear, Father says the family must hide. Suddenly Annie and her older sister find themselves with strangers in a faraway village-and they can't leave the upstairs bedroom. As the weeks turn into months, Annie wonders if being safe really is worth living in a tiny room. Johanna Reiss bases this absorbing tale on her own experiences as a young girl in Holland during World War II.