Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse hooked me in right from the get go. This book will help your student learn history through books (about WWII Amsterdam).

It reminds me of Artemis, a new (ish) sci fi book about living on Mars (written by Andy Weir, author of The Martian). Both girls are “finders” who find illegal goods and sell them on the black market. Instead of Mars, Girl in the Blue Coat is set in Amsterdam during WWII.

“The Bureau of Nutrition Education has distributed endless flyers encouraging us to eat potato skins, drink skim milk, try cow brains.” Show this to your students the next time they complain about cafeteria food!

The book is very well written and incredibly touching. Mrs. Janssen’s loneliness made me almost cry because she reminded me of my own grandmother, who lives alone. Hesse writes “I feel nauseated with this thought of her, bumping around the house with her cane, half blind, ordering almond pastries on the chance I’ll come over to eat them, wishing she still had someone to ask about her son. She’s so alone now.”

Age Recommendation:

This book discusses hard topics, but it would be gentle enough for a middle-schooler to read. I am definitely getting a copy for my classroom library!

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