Girl in the Blue Coat

* 4.5 stars * non-spoiler review *

This story of choices and flukes and wartime resistance is well suited in subject, tone and approach for adolescents. Author Monica Hesse treats both her readers and her characters with respect. She clearly expects readers to make inferences, reflect on situations, and make connections.

Her teen and young adult characters are imperfect yet resolute. Pacing is swift and the plot is nimble, while having several largely believable twists and surprises. Timing is a bit compressed, but this is forgivable because it heightens the intensity of the story.

The protagonist, Hanneke, is finely drawn, and poignant without pathos. Early in the story, she describes herself as follows: “I used to be a careless person, and look where it got me. Now I transport black market goods, but only because it feeds me and my family. I flirt with German soldiers, but only because it saves me. Finding a missing girl does nothing at all.”

Hesse crafted this story prompted by a visit to Amsterdam, followed by research into what life was like there during its occupation during WWII by Germany, and the mass deportations that followed. She has crafted a story that is taut and suspenseful in a way that is respectful to those whose lives were changed or shattered by the events of WWII.

I appreciated Hesse’s afterword about her research and the historical components of this story, some of which may come as a surprise, even if you are relatively familiar with wartime events in the Netherlands. She also names several excellent memoirs in her acknowledgements. Teens who are looking for additional reading after finishing this book would do well to read (or re-read) The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and follow it with Anne Frank Remembered, the memoir by Miep Gies.

I came to this book by way of Ms Hesse's non-fiction book, "American Fire". I thoroughly enjoyed that book and was curious about her YA fiction book, so I decided to give this completely different genre a try. I am in my 50s and usually don't read YA. I found this particular book to be sad, emotional and tense. I found many of the characters to be compelling, except for Hanneke. She seemed to be almost a robot or automaton. Yes, she had feelings, but it was mostly for her dead lover, Bas. She didn't seem to care very much about her parents. There were some odd moments about her too, which made her sound more like a grown up, rather than a teenager. At fourteen, she was already discussing politics and how evil Hitler was. (Kindle p. 91). When one of the resistance fighters gave her gin, Hanneke says to herself that she can't remember the last time she had good alcohol--as if she were an old and experienced drinker! In addition, she and Ollie would talk about the resistance openly in the street! They didn't even wait to go inside a house or building before discussing the topic. This is very strange as there were German soldiers patrolling around Amsterdam. Finally, the end seemed somewhat abrupt. I wonder if there will be sequel so that we can find out what happened to Hanneke and her friends after the war. Did they all survive? Did many of the interned Jews return?

Finally, this book reminds me that Americans so quickly can lose their freedoms and a peaceful society under a tyrant. People can suddenly turn on one another and the streets can be filled with hate and violence. This is particularly evident after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12. Unfortunately, I don't know if people are learning anything from WWII history.

This is a compelling mystery, a girl in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, a black market runner who goes on a search for a Jewish girl who has disappeared from her hiding place behind a pantry. It's a dangerous quest that gets Hanneke involved with the resistance, and then with the roundup of Amsterdam's Jews.

This is aimed at the 12-and-up market, and Hanneke is someone a young reader might identify with, not a heroine but a troubled and conflicted girl, alienated from her parents and this drab, blighted world she inhabits. The prose is straightforward and a quick read. The plot is intricate and detailed, something the reader will have to follow closely, and the plot takes some nasty twists, and there are endings that are not endings. "When things come to and end in a way you don't expect, in a way you never could have imagined, do they really come to an end? Does it mean you should keep searching, for better answers, for ones that don't keep you up at night?"

The themes are dark, and Hanneke and her friends are in very great danger, but that's to be expected. The author has done an impeccable job of conveying the streets, social dynamics and dangers of wartime Amsterdam, and any young reader who knows about Anne Frank will understand this.

Strongly recommend.

Girl in the Blue Coat was an auto-buy for me simply because: (1) it's historical fiction (because I HAVE to read ALL the historical books out there. lol.), (2) it's set in WWII (it may be the most widely written historical period but there are still too much we do not know about it!!), (3) that cover is too bEAUTIFUL (GAH! I just know I need this in my shelf the moment I saw it!!)!!

Girl in the Blue Coat is a mystery novel. Henneke is tasked to search for Mirjam Roodveldt, a Jewish girl. A JEWISH GIRL DURING THE WWII!! Worse part is that she has never, NEVER, seen this girl in her entire life. Yet I guess that's the interesting aspect of this novel -- Henneke will look for a girl she doesn't know. I like how she tries to get to know Mirjam and where she might have gone to.

But then, Girl in the Blue Coat didn't just focus on the mystery. It successfully brought me to 1943, Amsterdam. There were vivid descriptions. There were actual situations of people -- Jews and non-Jews were talked about. I like the details incorporated in this novel like the small resistance group and the hidden photography.

The very intriguing mystery of the novel took an interesting turn for me. I basically went from *nod, nod*: that's sad, to ohMYGOD THAT'S JUST... UGH... GOSH! The twist just never occur to me because I did not expect Girl in the Blue Coat to be the type of novel to carry a twist. However, I love the turn of events. It gave me the pain that I was looking for in historical fictions. Admittedly though, I did not shed a tear for this novel.

Henneke is also a well developed character. I like how she came from someone simply trying to survive to someone who'd travels miles to find things out. World War II is such a terrible setting and Henneke while scared was able to find the strength to get to the bottom of Mirjam's mystery.

OVERALL, Girl in the Blue Coat is a beautifully written historical fiction. It involves a mystery that kept me intrigued and cast that I enjoyed reading and an ending that left a mark in me long after I read the final words.

If elements of Monica Hesse’s “Girl in the Blue Coat” seem somewhat familiar, then you have read “The Diary of Anne Frank”. Narrated in the first person, “Girl in the Blue Coat” reflects events from the perspective of Hanneke, a sixteen-year old Dutch girl who delivers black market goods for her employer, a mortician.

“…Survival first, survival only …” Following the death of her boyfriend Bas on the front lines, these words are now Hanneke’s “war motto”. Her employer Mr. Kreuk, a mortician, operates a shopping service for those who can afford to pay. “…I don’t think Mr. Kreuk considers morals when he chooses who to sell to. If they can pay, they can buy …” Although illegal, Hanneke rationalizes their activity. “…we’re really …trying to reorganize a system that has come to make no sense in a country that has come to make no sense …”

When an elderly woman and customer asks Hanneke to help locate Mirjam, a Jewish girl she has been hiding in her home. Hanneke reluctantly agrees to do so. “…in a world I cannot solve, this is a small piece I can …” Hanneke had encouraged Bas to join the army; she is driven as much by guilt as she is by altruism. “…I’ve become obsessed with finding Mirjam …it seems fair and right …saving one life after destroying another …” As she delves further into Mirjam’s story and the attempt to locate her begins to involve others, Bas’ older brother Ollie draws a reluctant Hanneke into the Dutch resistance movement. “…this war is a race against how many people we can save, and whether we can do it faster than the Nazis can take them …”

The characters in “Girl in the Blue Coat” did not have great appeal for me. Nevertheless, their emotions and reactions to various events were very realistic. Hanneke was focused on self-preservation. Her initial involvement both with finding Mirjam and with the Resistance was more to assuage her own guilt than it was due to a sense of morality. “…Our sense of ordinary has become horrifying …” Only when she faced the actual conditions to which Jews were subjected did Hanneke’s reasons for aiding the Resistance became altruistic. “…now I have seen …”

In “Girl in the Blue Coat”, Monica Hesse has written an interesting, very meaningful novel that focuses on those who, whether from a sense of moral conviction or from the need to justify their own actions, resisted the Nazis. Many elements of the story seem to parallel “The Diary of Anne Frank”. Mirjam’s family was hidden in the rear of a business; Anne Frank’s family hid in the attic above a business. Both Mirjam and Anne Frank were teenage girls who were experiencing their first romantic feelings toward a boy. Both stories took place during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Both hiding places were exposed by an employee of the business where the families were hiding. Nevertheless, there are many significant differences in the two stories; however, detailing those would spoil the many surprise elements of “Girl in the Blue Coat”.

The first half of this book is is a wonderfully engaging, fast-paced, and very readable story that takes readers on a touching yet harrowing journey through Nazi-occupied Holland. At first I was I was sure I'd give it a five-star rating for the way it captured and held reader's interest and created suspense, all in a powerful historical narrative. For that it deserves high ratings, especially when compared with much of literature available to young people today. Unfortunately, the plot seems to get tedious half-way through the book and then difficult to buy into. Towards the end I felt it fizzled out. Spoiler alert: The resolution of the mystery with the two girls trading identities seemed very contrived and difficult to believe. (Frankly I couldn't even keep them straight at the end.) Things like the baby carriage camera was technically ridiculous. Even with today's technology it's very unlikely you could take secret photos under the circumstances described here, without anyone to point it in the right direction. Back in the 1940, long before autofocus and digital photography, a camera (with a maximum of 36 frames per roll of film) without a person to operate it would have produce nothing but a roll of blurs. I was willing to forgive this small anachronism until it was developed into an important and implausible part of the main narrative. Bottom line: I was let down as the novel wound down, which is a real shame considering the great promise at the outset. Still, in the grand scheme of thing this is an engaging and historically compelling novel that offers young people important insight into life in Nazi-occupied Holland in a way they can easily relate to.

When I found Girl in the Blue Coat at my town library, I was pleased because I could take it home right away without having to make a request through the library network.

Girl in the Blue Coat was written by Monica Hesse. This is a World War II novel, which seems to be a popular setting lately. Hanneke lives in occupied Holland. She is done with school, and has a rather bland and unassuming job. This is, however, only a front- she is really helping transport black market goods around Amsterdam and delivering them to whoever is willing to pay her boss’s prices. You would be surprised what people would pay for chocolate or other coveted goods.

Hanneke tries to stay out of her customers’ business. It’s better that they know as little about each other as possible, right? That changes when one of her customers asks for help. She doesn’t need anything material; the customer asks Hanneke to help find the Jewish girl who was hiding in her house, but has disappeared.

And so Hanneke tries to find one missing girl in an entire city. The only information Hanneke has is the girl’s name and the fact that she was wearing a blue coat when she disappeared. There are very few people Hanneke can trust, and she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself by asking too many questions.

Hanneke is a compelling protagonist. She has a reason for working in such a dangerous line of business: her beloved boyfriend died defending Holland during the Nazi invasion, and she hates the German occupiers. Despite his death serving as her motivation, it is not something that she has come to terms with before now. She seems aware of the confiscations and deportations taking place in the city, but it is not until she takes on the responsibility of finding the missing girl that she gains a more accurate assessment of what is going on around her. Hanneke is awkwardly between childhood and adulthood. Her country is occupied, and her future is uncertain. She does not know if she can succeed at what she has been tasked with, but helping to find the girl seems like the right thing to do.

I would recommend Girl in the Blue Coat. The biggest question is, of course, whether or not Hanneke finds the missing girl. You’ll have to read the book if you want the answer to that question, and as you make your way through the book, you’ll discover that the answer is far more complicated than one missing girl. This is a tale of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice. I will be thinking about this book for awhile, and I look forward to reading more of Hesse’s books in the future.

I went into The Girl with the Blue Coat with a certain set of expectations: I'm both a WWII buff courtesy of my dad, and I'd already enjoyed Monica Hesse's pieces in The Washington Post. So to say I was hoping for a good story, would be a slight understatement. (No pressure, Monica! Heh.)

But The Girl in the Blue Coat delivers in spades. Hesse has crafted a gorgeous, solemn story about Hanneke, a girl who works the black market of Amsterdam for the clients that are willing to pay for whatever goods can be found.

However, when she's asked to find a missing Jewish girl, Hanneke is thrust into a world of the underground resistance, the realities of war and of personal. As she works through this new web, Hanneke also comes to terms with issues of her own past...

What struck me first about The Girl in the Blue Coat, is that this is very much a tale about a ordinary girl who is suddenly asked to become extraordinary. Hanneke is tough - you can't work in the black market if you're not - but it's one thing to find and sell things on the black market, and another to find a missing Jewish girl.

As Hanneke reluctantly delves into her search for the missing Mirjam, Hesse does a beautiful job of showing how circumstances can very much force people to change and grow, and even become extraordinary. Hanneke comes face-to-face with people who risk their lives daily, and begins to see that it's not a futile attempt. Each moment of resistance, each moment of action, leads to a reaction that may result in a positive outcome.

This burgeoning realization dovetails nicely with her own past, and helps Hanneke to ultimately work out some of her issues with losing a loved one to war.

Ultimately, while Hanneke's journey doesn't necessarily work out in a way that she might like, her growth and experiences are a reminder that there are no perfect moments in war. There are only small victories, and Hanneke is willing to accept what she can get.

Final verdict:
The Girl in the Blue Coat is a beautifully written, but solemn reminder of the sacrifices that we're forced to make during wartime.

Through Hanneke's eyes, we see the life-changing choices that individuals are forced to make in the split-moments of indecision and fear caused by conflict, but also the lasting effects of said decisions. Hanneke's story ultimately has elements of a pyrrhic victory, but it's a tribute to the strength of Hesse's writing, that readers end up understanding that this is still very much a victory in the end.

Highly recommend for all readers, full-stop.

Wow. Girl in the Blue Coat has completely wrecked me emotionally. Whew. Where to start?

First off, I just want to take a minute to mention the historical accuracy of this book! In the back, the author has a few pages detailing where she got her information, and it’s clear she went to great lengths to make it as accurate as possible. All of the characters are fictional, but they feel as real as ever.

Usually, I’m not big on historical fiction. I tend to tell people that it’s “dusty”. I have nothing against the genre, but I’m guessing that it’s extremely difficult to write! The past is in the past, and it’s very difficult to make it seem lively and get readers to be invested in it. That’s probably the reason why history class can easily be boring. But in the right hands, it can be just as real as the sky is blue. Monica Hesse is definitely one of those people! The writing is just like a teenager is talking, not a documentary.

As for the plot, it’s absolutely beautifully crafted! The majority of the time, we simply hear about stories from Jewish people in the Holocaust (especially Anne). Obviously, this is very interesting and enlightening, but we don’t often see stories from your average German’s view, let alone a teenager. Hanneke is blond-haired, blue-eyed, and tall- on the outside, Hitler’s version of a perfect girl. And yet, she is broken and grieving, and merely trying to get through life, one painful day at a time. Her boyfriend died fighting against the Nazis, and she thinks it’s her fault. Her best friend married a Nazi, and they lost a 12-year friendship because of it. She is taking care of her parents, and if working through the black market ensures they don’t go hungry, so be it.

Life is going well, albeit monotone and somewhat horrifying. Until one day, when Hanneke is going about her usual rounds, delivering black market food, and one of her customers invites her in for coffee. Hanneke knows she shouldn’t, but she hasn’t had coffee in a very long time, and the smell draws her in. This is where the story truly begins, because Mrs. Janssen does not merely ask for some makeup, or extra meat. She asks for a person.

I was actually able to go into this book relatively blind. I have about 100 books on my physical TBR at home, and I received this book for… Christmas (I believe?) from my parents (I had asked for it). I knew it was historical fiction, I knew there was a girl in a blue coat, and I knew it would be GOOD. And boy, was I right!

This book is like a spiral:

Image result for spiral

You start out on the outside, cruising along at your own pace, before slowly getting sucked in, faster and faster and faster, becoming more and more invested until you reach the middle and you’re stuck, completely unable to escape the web. That’s what it feels like happens to Hanneke as the events of the book play out, and what happens to your level of investment and intrigue as you’re reading.

Like I said, I went into this book fairly blind, but expecting a good story, and Girl in the Blue Coat definitely did not disappoint. If you’re thinking that I’ve barely told you anything about the book, good! Now GO READ IT. NOW. This book sucks you in with its intrigue and relatability, and not only that, it’s important. The story, fictional as it may be, is important as well as heartbreaking (as everything related to the Holocaust must be). So alas, if you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it! Definitely give it a shot.
Overall: 5/5 stars! I would definitely recommend this one!

As I was reading this book, I couldn't recall if the audience was intended as adults or young adults---and the book didn't really help me confirm it either way. At the end of the book, the author thanks the colleague who talked her out of using adults and into focusing on teens instead. I think the ambivalence still shows, and the story suffers a bit for it.

Yes, the characters are all of late high school or university age. Consequently, they are all making (according to the narrator) the kind of naive, impulsive decisions that young people do, but frankly, the realistic (and well portrayed) setting of the hells of occupied Amsterdam in World War II really overshadow that, and their impulsive decisions mean that the events aren't very logical, so the plot starts to feel a bit muddy. I'm sure this reflects the frenzy that people experienced during that time, but it makes the book a bit hard to read. I'm not sure a 12-year-old would do well with this book without a lot of hand-holding and thought-prompting from a teacher.

Without giving much away, Henneke realizes that there's a lot going on behind the scenes she was taking at surface value. (In contrast, her parents never seem to really get what's going on, and she doesn't share her experiences with them.) Perhaps a confidante is what's missing from the book. She does get closer to the brother of her boyfriend, who died on the front lines, but he's got secrets and problems of his own (which end up getting brushed over rather quickly, perhaps as a nod to the younger age group), and the other connections she makes also don't grow very deep. The story feels rushed in this way. Students will learn a bit more about some of the wartime history---saving babies and taking photos---and I think that's the strongest part. However, there's just not a lot about what happened to the babies, what happened to people hiding in barns (and what that was like), how risky it was to engage in black market tradings, and so forth. Even the resistance meetings are brief, and Henneke doesn't actually play a role in much of it at all. She is more of a reluctant witness. Students will learn a bit, but *just * a bit. Her focus is on finding a missing girl (who, from the start, clearly never wanted to be found and, in fact, left of her own accord. The "hook" just doesn't seem to be there.

Ideally I'd give this 2.5 stars because there were enough twists to make me stick with it (it's easy to read in one snowy day), and I think the author conveys some emotions about grief and friendship in a powerful way. However, there's a lot of static in the background that may keep young readers from grasping what's going on. It's one of those books where the narrator adds lines like "I may never understand why X did Y" (so you will also have to surmise that, which young people may not do unassisted). I was never crying along with anyone. Even though I stuck with it, I'm not likely to recommend it to anyone else.

Girl in The Blue Coat is set in Amsterdam during WWII. The story’s protagonist, Hanneke is struggling emotionally over the loss of her boyfriend who died fighting the Germans. In the beginning of the book, Hanneke is willfully oblivious about the Nazis and war and what it means for her country. She works for an mortician and makes side cash selling hard to find items on the black market. One of her regular black market customers asks Hanneke for help finding the young Jewish girl named Marijam whom the lady had been hiding but seemed to have disappeared. Hanneke is ambivalent about the task but ultimately agrees. As Hanneke sets out to find the missing girl, her eyes are open to the danger the resistance fighters face. I won’t say anymore to preserve the plot. What I will say is the book is well researched, well written and surprising.
I loved it.

Grade: B-
An e-galley was provided by the publisher in exchange for review consideration.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Girl in a Blue Coat was definitely a book that I thought would be up my alley. It didn't quite meet all my expectations, but it's a solid historical fiction read.
Hanneke, the protagonist, could've done with a little more character development. She made choices that didn't always line up with what her parents wanted, or what her new friends wanted to do, but she still felt a little too two-dimensional to me, beyond her black market smuggling and her love for Bas, her boyfriend who died. (It's in the book flap synopsis, people. It's not a spoiler.) I could feel Ollie's and Mina's passion for the resistance, but I couldn't feel Hanneke's.
I loved the twists and turns in the main plot. The author left me as clueless as Hanneke, and I even made a couple wrong guesses.
The plotline with Ollie, though... It felt kind of shoehorned in. Like, it was a convenient excuse for him to not get together with Hanneke. Don't get me wrong; I was glad they didn't have a romance, but I thought the author's choice for why he wasn't interested in her just didn't feel authentic, nor was it given enough lead-up.
There was next to no foul language. The book was a little violent in a couple places, but it wasn't gruesome.

The Verdict: Pretty good, but the emotional depth I was looking for wasn't quite there.

GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT is a difficult book for me to review. WWII historical fiction, set in Amsterdam, a dubious main character -- all these are things I should have loved. But I didn’t care for the book at all, and I’m having a difficult time articulating why.

The more I think about it… for me, GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT tries too hard to be clever. Combined with Hanneke’s dry delivery, the mystery of Mirjam’s disappearance is too complicated. I didn’t mind Hanneke’s selfish thoughts about wanting to keep herself and her family safe -- I found those quite realistic, especially given the circumstances -- but she felt like more of a vehicle to tell the story rather than a character.

Long before I reached the middle of GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT, I was bored. The book could have been fifty pages shorter, I swear, had the author not kept every new clue a secret for 3 to 4 pages while Hanneke ran here or there like a headless chicken. I did like that the author really established the setting of occupied Amsterdam. But I wish there had been more of Hanneke’s black market activities, rather than just a few brief scenes. The glimpses into the resistance were interesting, and I really liked the bits about Mina’s attempts to photograph the resistance. I wish that had been the focus of the book, rather than the 50 twists of Mirjam’s story.

Girl in the Blue Coat is an excellent piece of historical fiction that tells the poignant story of a young girl coping with loss and struggling to survive during the Nazi occupation. The author does a masterful job of detailing personal tragedy in the midst of the larger, worldwide tragedy that was World War II. Her narrow focus on this one young girl and her struggles serves to amplify the tragedy of war by exposing its far reaching and unexpected victims that were often far from the battlefield.

This story moves along at a fast pace, building suspense and taking the reader through some truly unexpected twists and turns. This has all the fine plotting of a mystery, and all the period detail to transport the reader back to a time when food was scarce, people were disappearing, loved ones were dying, and there were only hints of atrocities in other countries. This is a truly gripping tale that explored the nature of grief, guilt, and war. A small story told on a large stage, The Girl in the Blue Coat is a must read.

I feel like I should give it some more time before I write this review. I am still unsure of the rating I want to give this book. First off I waited way to long to read this book that is for sure. I was sent an ARC of this book by Novl for review last year and put off reading for some reason. I've been on a historical fiction kick.

Girl in the Blue Coat is a YA Historical Fiction novel based during the German occupation in the Netherlands during WWII. This book is full of heartbreak, mystery, loss and the underground of the war. The beautifully written book was not at all what I expected it to be and I found it to be a great moving story.

The characters are well developed and complex in each their own way. I enjoyed seeing the revelations that each character came to throughout the novel and relationships that were created. Hanneke has been through a lot already since the start of the occupation living with the guilt of her actions and the stress of providing for her family. She grows so much throughout the story . The complexity of the characters and their struggles and fight drive forward the novel.

I am not sure what else to say about this book because it was a quick read although filled with a lot of emotions. I did enjoy this story, but felt like it had a few slight flaws for me that could not make it an amazing 5 star read. There were times when I felt like the story dragged and was a little repetitive. I needed a driving force to the story that was lacking, but the characters and their development did make up for some of that.

Overall this book explains the darkness of human nature and the flaws that each of us carry with us but also the bravery and strength that can come in the most unlikely of times. This book is perfect for historical fiction lovers especially those who enjoy delving into the WWII era stories. It is full of surprises and mystery and completely threw me when I thought I knew where it was going.

Set in Amsterdam during WWII, we meet Hanneke, who smuggles everyday and pricey goods to the people of her city. On one outing, Hanneke is asked for help in finding a young girl that one of her customers was hiding. Therein, we meet the "girl in the blue coat" who Hanneke must try to find. The rest of the book is then a crazy number of situations that Hanneke is placed in as she works around the Nazis and their occupation of her city. Along the way, we learn about Hanneke's love, who went away to war and how she has emotionally dealt with it.

The story has a lot of twists and turns to it that really had me flipping pages. This is such a different tale than many of the other WWII novels I've read, and such an interesting perspective from the city of Amsterdam. I loved the way Hanneke faced her challenges and her emotional honesty with us, as readers. Many of the things I expected to happen, were turned on their head over and over again. This was a great read and one I heartily recommend.

At 18, Hanneke Bakker trades goods on Amsterdam's thriving black market to help support herself and her parents. This war has made the unconventional normal. It's also taken its share of victims, including Bas, Hanneke's boyfriend and the boy she planned to marry. Hanneke is left with guilt and sarrow after Bas's loss. She encouraged him to join the Dutch army in what turned out to be a suicide mission. By 1943, she exists in survival mode, not wanting to get too close to any of her black market customers in case one of them tries to dodge a bill or ask for a favor. Making friends can be a liability in occupied Holland.

But ask a favor one of her customers does. A middle-aged widow who buys black market sausages has been hiding a young Jewish girl in her pantry, but she has vanished without a trace. A girl with Jewish papers won't last long wandering the streets of Amsterdam, and Hanneke's client is desperate to get her charge back to safety. Hanneke agrees to help, for a fee, and this decision pulls her into the underground world of the resistance. She seeks help from Bas's older brother, Ollie, and winds up witnessing many hidden horrors of the occupation.

I wasn't immediately hooked on the concept of this book: a missing persons mystery set on the backdrop of WW2. But this wound up being some good historical fiction. I thought the resolve of the mystery was a bit convoluted (but then again I almost always find that to be the case). I never connected with Hanneke, who was cold and did stupid things that could have gotten her whole resistance network killed. I really enjoyed Ollie, though. The ending felt a bit like "kids playing resistance dress-up" (figuratively as well as literally), but there were many other good parts to this book. 3.5 stars.

This is one of the best stories about Nazi Germany's invasion of other countries that I have read. I didn't want the story to end, but I couldn't stop reading!
I felt every character as if they were neighbors, people I wish I could have known.
Hess is an amazing historical story teller. There was nothing stuffy or overly-historical in this story. I loved all the characters, especially Hanneke, who is fighting demons, blaming herself for things that aren't her fault, but finally finding a chance to redeem herself. And she does, brilliantly!
Hesse has a talent that is seldom seen in this day of light & easy. I can't wait to read her next book!

World War 2 historical fiction books are not in short supply. There are quite a few of them out there, a lot of which I haven't read. However, I have read some really great ones - ones that most everyone else has heard of. You know the ones I am talking about - The Book Thief...Sarah's Key... And so many more. They are powerful, emotional, and intense.

Girl in the Blue Coat belongs right up there with all of them. It is a story that is going to stick with you once you finish it.

Girl in the Blue Coat is about Hanneke. Hanneke is the main provider for her family despite being a teenager. However, where her parents assume she is working a fair and honest job, she is in fact working for an underground black market. She is the middle man. She is the one who will either go get the desired hard to find item, or she is the one that will deliver it. Cigarettes, chocolate, and all the other hard to get "luxury" items that have become hard to find.

Then one day, one of her regulars asks her to find something different. Hanneke is asked to find a missing girl. However, she isn't just any missing girl...she is a Jewish missing girl in the middle of the Netherlands while it is occupied by the Germans.

Not a good place to be missing.

Hanneke then goes against her better judgement and begins to hunt for the missing girl in the blue coat. And through this journey, the story unfolds into its full glory.

Through Girl in the Blue Coat we learn a lot about the Netherlands while it was occupied by the Germans in World War 2. I found this very interesting. Not many stories I have come across have showed this particular country and what it was like then. The fears of the people, both the Jewish and others. The way friends can get torn apart because of war. The loss of loved ones...

Girl in the Blue Coat really covered a lot and it covered it beautifully. Well, as beautifully as one can cover something as horrific as World War 2. And even though it is technically historical fiction, I still felt as though I learned a lot from the story. It opened my eyes to a lot of different aspects of World War 2 and for that I am thankful.

This is a story that I think any World War 2 historical fiction buff needs to add to their TBR if they haven't already. And be ready to suffer from many many feels.

It is worth it though.

My Rating
5 Stars

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This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love a good book set during World War II, and Monica Hesse delivers just that with Girl In A Blue Coat, set in Amsterdam in 1943.

Hanneke is still dealing with loss of her boyfriend, who was killed by the Germans when they invaded her country. Now Hanneke works for a local undertaker as his helper. Although she helps him with his funeral business, she spends most of her time finding items no longer available during the war (cigarettes, meat) and selling them on the black market.

One of the women she finds things for asks her to help her. To her surprise, Hanneke isn't looking for anything, she has been asked to find a girl Mrs. Janssen had been hiding after the girl's family was killed in a nighttime raid.

As Hanneke goes about looking for a girl she has never met, she begins to realize what the Nazis are all about, and gives herself the chance to grieve the loss of her boyfriend, while realizing that the boy she knew was human, and not the perfect person she has made him to be in her mind.

Hesse's story has some twists and turns and brings to light the plight of the Dutch during World War II, and how the country's location put them at great risk of the Nazis.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book months ago, and have been thinking of it ever since, anxious to share it with students and friends.

Girl in the Blue Coat is an excellent piece of historical fiction that tells the poignant story of a young girl coping with loss and struggling to survive during the Nazi occupation. The author does a masterful job of detailing personal tragedy in the midst of the larger, worldwide tragedy that was World War II. Her narrow focus on this one young girl and her struggles serves to amplify the tragedy of war by exposing its far reaching and unexpected victims that were often far from the battlefield.

This story moves along at a fast pace, building suspense and taking the reader through some truly unexpected twists and turns. This has all the fine plotting of a mystery, and all the period detail to transport the reader back to a time when food was scarce, people were disappearing, loved ones were dying, and there were only hints of atrocities in other countries. This is a truly gripping tale that explored the nature of grief, guilt, and war. A small story told on a large stage, The Girl in the Blue Coat is a must read.

I feel like I should give it some more time before I write this review. I am still unsure of the rating I want to give this book. First off I waited way to long to read this book that is for sure. I was sent an ARC of this book by Novl for review last year and put off reading for some reason. I've been on a historical fiction kick.

Girl in the Blue Coat is a YA Historical Fiction novel based during the German occupation in the Netherlands during WWII. This book is full of heartbreak, mystery, loss and the underground of the war. The beautifully written book was not at all what I expected it to be and I found it to be a great moving story.

The characters are well developed and complex in each their own way. I enjoyed seeing the revelations that each character came to throughout the novel and relationships that were created. Hanneke has been through a lot already since the start of the occupation living with the guilt of her actions and the stress of providing for her family. She grows so much throughout the story . The complexity of the characters and their struggles and fight drive forward the novel.

I am not sure what else to say about this book because it was a quick read although filled with a lot of emotions. I did enjoy this story, but felt like it had a few slight flaws for me that could not make it an amazing 5 star read. There were times when I felt like the story dragged and was a little repetitive. I needed a driving force to the story that was lacking, but the characters and their development did make up for some of that.

Overall this book explains the darkness of human nature and the flaws that each of us carry with us but also the bravery and strength that can come in the most unlikely of times. This book is perfect for historical fiction lovers especially those who enjoy delving into the WWII era stories. It is full of surprises and mystery and completely threw me when I thought I knew where it was going.

Set in Amsterdam during WWII, we meet Hanneke, who smuggles everyday and pricey goods to the people of her city. On one outing, Hanneke is asked for help in finding a young girl that one of her customers was hiding. Therein, we meet the "girl in the blue coat" who Hanneke must try to find. The rest of the book is then a crazy number of situations that Hanneke is placed in as she works around the Nazis and their occupation of her city. Along the way, we learn about Hanneke's love, who went away to war and how she has emotionally dealt with it.

The story has a lot of twists and turns to it that really had me flipping pages. This is such a different tale than many of the other WWII novels I've read, and such an interesting perspective from the city of Amsterdam. I loved the way Hanneke faced her challenges and her emotional honesty with us, as readers. Many of the things I expected to happen, were turned on their head over and over again. This was a great read and one I heartily recommend.

At 18, Hanneke Bakker trades goods on Amsterdam's thriving black market to help support herself and her parents. This war has made the unconventional normal. It's also taken its share of victims, including Bas, Hanneke's boyfriend and the boy she planned to marry. Hanneke is left with guilt and sarrow after Bas's loss. She encouraged him to join the Dutch army in what turned out to be a suicide mission. By 1943, she exists in survival mode, not wanting to get too close to any of her black market customers in case one of them tries to dodge a bill or ask for a favor. Making friends can be a liability in occupied Holland.

But ask a favor one of her customers does. A middle-aged widow who buys black market sausages has been hiding a young Jewish girl in her pantry, but she has vanished without a trace. A girl with Jewish papers won't last long wandering the streets of Amsterdam, and Hanneke's client is desperate to get her charge back to safety. Hanneke agrees to help, for a fee, and this decision pulls her into the underground world of the resistance. She seeks help from Bas's older brother, Ollie, and winds up witnessing many hidden horrors of the occupation.

I wasn't immediately hooked on the concept of this book: a missing persons mystery set on the backdrop of WW2. But this wound up being some good historical fiction. I thought the resolve of the mystery was a bit convoluted (but then again I almost always find that to be the case). I never connected with Hanneke, who was cold and did stupid things that could have gotten her whole resistance network killed. I really enjoyed Ollie, though. The ending felt a bit like "kids playing resistance dress-up" (figuratively as well as literally), but there were many other good parts to this book. 3.5 stars.

This is one of the best stories about Nazi Germany's invasion of other countries that I have read. I didn't want the story to end, but I couldn't stop reading!
I felt every character as if they were neighbors, people I wish I could have known.
Hess is an amazing historical story teller. There was nothing stuffy or overly-historical in this story. I loved all the characters, especially Hanneke, who is fighting demons, blaming herself for things that aren't her fault, but finally finding a chance to redeem herself. And she does, brilliantly!
Hesse has a talent that is seldom seen in this day of light & easy. I can't wait to read her next book!

World War 2 historical fiction books are not in short supply. There are quite a few of them out there, a lot of which I haven't read. However, I have read some really great ones - ones that most everyone else has heard of. You know the ones I am talking about - The Book Thief...Sarah's Key... And so many more. They are powerful, emotional, and intense.

Girl in the Blue Coat belongs right up there with all of them. It is a story that is going to stick with you once you finish it.

Girl in the Blue Coat is about Hanneke. Hanneke is the main provider for her family despite being a teenager. However, where her parents assume she is working a fair and honest job, she is in fact working for an underground black market. She is the middle man. She is the one who will either go get the desired hard to find item, or she is the one that will deliver it. Cigarettes, chocolate, and all the other hard to get "luxury" items that have become hard to find.

Then one day, one of her regulars asks her to find something different. Hanneke is asked to find a missing girl. However, she isn't just any missing girl...she is a Jewish missing girl in the middle of the Netherlands while it is occupied by the Germans.

Not a good place to be missing.

Hanneke then goes against her better judgement and begins to hunt for the missing girl in the blue coat. And through this journey, the story unfolds into its full glory.

Through Girl in the Blue Coat we learn a lot about the Netherlands while it was occupied by the Germans in World War 2. I found this very interesting. Not many stories I have come across have showed this particular country and what it was like then. The fears of the people, both the Jewish and others. The way friends can get torn apart because of war. The loss of loved ones...

Girl in the Blue Coat really covered a lot and it covered it beautifully. Well, as beautifully as one can cover something as horrific as World War 2. And even though it is technically historical fiction, I still felt as though I learned a lot from the story. It opened my eyes to a lot of different aspects of World War 2 and for that I am thankful.

This is a story that I think any World War 2 historical fiction buff needs to add to their TBR if they haven't already. And be ready to suffer from many many feels.

It is worth it though.

My Rating
5 Stars

Find more of my reviews here:
[...]

This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love a good book set during World War II, and Monica Hesse delivers just that with Girl In A Blue Coat, set in Amsterdam in 1943.

Hanneke is still dealing with loss of her boyfriend, who was killed by the Germans when they invaded her country. Now Hanneke works for a local undertaker as his helper. Although she helps him with his funeral business, she spends most of her time finding items no longer available during the war (cigarettes, meat) and selling them on the black market.

One of the women she finds things for asks her to help her. To her surprise, Hanneke isn't looking for anything, she has been asked to find a girl Mrs. Janssen had been hiding after the girl's family was killed in a nighttime raid.

As Hanneke goes about looking for a girl she has never met, she begins to realize what the Nazis are all about, and gives herself the chance to grieve the loss of her boyfriend, while realizing that the boy she knew was human, and not the perfect person she has made him to be in her mind.

Hesse's story has some twists and turns and brings to light the plight of the Dutch during World War II, and how the country's location put them at great risk of the Nazis.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book months ago, and have been thinking of it ever since, anxious to share it with students and friends.

This was a whole new take on WW2. I expected gruesome work camps and feared deportations, but what I didn't expect was the acts of resistance. This book captured a behind the scenes bravery that I've never read about before. It pulled me into a thrilling plot full of danger, lies, and secrets.

Hanneke works in the black market where she recycles rations cards and buys items for those willing to pay. It's usually items like meat, lipstick, magazines, etc. So when a customer asks her to find a girl, her automatic reaction is to flee. She runs home and sits and ponders the pros and cons. She knows she shouldn't say yes, but deep down she wants to mend emotional wounds and save a life since she blames herself for taking one.

She finds herself wrapped up in a twisted mystery that throws her on the doorstep of the resistance. It's a dangerous time and in honor to get answers she has to break rules and live on the edge. Each move could end with death, but she has her mind set on finding the girl and she doesn't stop until she does.

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book a lot. I love historical YA and I think this one was a perfect addition to the genre. However, there were a few things that held me back from loving it. First I found the plot twist to be very predictable. I knew what happened before it was revealed and I believe others would guess it as well. Second, I felt like many things were just grazed upon. I wanted to dive deeper into the theatre and see more of the intense darkness. Lastly, I wanted closure in other areas. I felt like the mystery got closure, but everything else was left open ended. Elsbeth? Ollie and Willem? I guess I need to keep in mind that there was no possible way to explore each character in depth. I still wanted to though.... and that is a great thing!

Overall, I definitely recommend it to all historical fans that appreciate new takes on a brutal time. Just keep in mind that it's not a love story. It's a story of healing and moving on. A story of sacrifice and hope. A story of bravery during the time of war.

Girl in the Blue Coat is another sad tale that describes what people went through in Europe during World War II. Hanneke is a teenager living in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. She has her own little side black market business, getting hard to find items for the regular customers at the funeral home where she works. One customer asks her to find a Jewish girl, which puts her deeper into the horrors of World War II and makes her want to do something about the tragic circumstances of the time, not the least of which is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend who was killed fighting the Germans.

I found this book to be very readable and it offered a descriptive look at the War and how it affected the people in Amsterdam. In that respect, it reminded me a bit of Sarah’s Key or Number the Stars, books that also focused on a specific area (or event) during the War, rather than a look at what was happening in general all over Europe. The story is sad, but realistic. It’s recommended for ages 12 and up. I think that’s a good target, but perhaps younger readers should have a little background on what the War was about before starting this book. My son has read a lot about World War II and says he thinks this is one of the better ones because it has a good story attached to the historical element.

Summary: Hanneke is known as someone who can find things. She delivers black-market items to loyal customers while living in Amsterdam under German occupation in 1943. However, one day, one of her clients asks for help finding someone instead of something. The woman had been hiding a Jewish girl, who one day disappeared, and wants Hanneke to find the girl. In the process, Hanneke ends up roped into a larger network of the resistance against the Germans than she could ever imagine.

My impressions: At first I wasn't sold on this story. Hanneke struck me as annoying, and very narrow-minded in her focus on Mirjam, the girl she was paid to find.

But this not only grew on me, I ended up absolutely loving it by the end. Hanneke is focused on one person, which in the scheme of things sounds so insignificant. But that is what mattered, the individuals who were caught up in this horror. And this digs so much into that one person's story, that you can't help but feel connected to her, and anxious to keep reading to learn how her story turns out.

But, like any truly great book, there was so much more beyond that. Guilt, friendships (how they end, what some sacrifice for them), choices between family and duty, I could go on and on. This would be a great book club book, there was so much to talk about. Hanneke makes plenty of choices that I feel like I would have done differently, but she has her own reasons that I can understand.

This is a great Holocaust-era book, definitely recommend reading this one!

Amsterdam, 1943.

In the middle of a war-torn continent and a war-torn year, Hanneke divides her time between finding and delivering in-demand black market goods, hiding the truth about this work from her parents, and grieving for her boyfriend, Bas, who was killed at the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She is devastated and angry at herself and the world, but she likes to think of her work as a small act of rebellion against the Germans who took Bas away from her.

On a day like any other, one of Hanneke’s clients, Mrs. Janssen, reveals that her husband had been harboring his Jewish boss and family in a secret room at his office. When the Germans raided the building and killed him, the family’s daughter escaped and found Mrs. Janssen. Then Mrs. Janssen asks Hanneke to do the impossible: find the Jewish teenager she had been hiding, who vanished from the secret room without a trace. At first, Hanneke refuses to have anything to do with Mrs. Janssen and her dilemma, but she is soon drawn into the web of mystery that the disappearance of this Jewish teenager has spun. As the story unfolds, Hanneke is shown new truths about the resistance, the Nazis and what it means to be a teenager in a divided world.

Right from the first page, I knew I was not reading from a debut novelist. I couldn’t be. In a way, Monica Hesse is not a debut author; she has been writing for the Washington Post for years. She is a debut author in the sense that this is her first novel, but this wonderful book does not read like a debut. It is meticulously researched and taut with suspense, mystery and romance. GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT is such a sad and heartbreaking book, but it reads like an action-mystery-romance novel. I do not know how Hesse did it, especially after writing only the facts for so many years. The best thing I can say about this book is how gorgeous the writing is. Each word seems carefully picked, plucked and plotted specifically for the story. I also loved the characters and how flawed they were. They were not heroes or revolutionaries or anything of the sort. They were teenagers trying to find a way to live in a war-ravaged country.

While I loved the characters, I also think there were too many of them. I would frequently confuse one character with another and have to go back and review what exactly was going on --- though that was not too bad of a chore, especially since I loved the writing so much. In addition to there being too many characters, I have to say that I did not like Hanneke that much. I knew why she wanted to find and rescue the Jewish teenager, but I just didn’t believe her motives. Unfortunately, I was not convinced that she really cared whether this girl lived or died, but maybe that was the point. Hanneke was obsessed with the idea of saving someone and redeeming herself, but not as crazy about the actual act of doing it. Either way, I found that Hanneke could have had a little more depth and development.

Besides the characters, there was only one other flaw I found in this book: I could predict everything that was going to happen. Usually, I do not mind knowing or predicting events in a story because, honestly, it makes me feel pretty smart when I do. But in a book like this, with so much at stake and such a tense setting, I did not like how predictable it was. In a way, it took away from the storytelling. I did appreciate Hesse’s twists and turns throughout the story, but I saw them all coming, so they did not have the intended effect.

Overall, I found GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT to be a vitally important story about Amsterdam, teenagers, and the resistance during World War II. I found myself relating to these teenagers that were living in such a different time than I am in now, which is a feat in on itself. GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT is a story about a young girl’s fight for redemption, freedom and friendship in the midst of a terrible war, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys’s wonderfully researched young adult historical fiction novels and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.

Reviewed by Bryn D., Teen Board Member

4.5 stars

I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of Girl in the Blue Coat to review, as I’ve been wanting to read more historical fiction. This novel follows Hanneke, a teenager living in Amsterdam during World War II. Hanneke works in the black market to provide for her family, and one day a client asks if she can help find a missing girl. All Hanneke knows is that the girl wears a blue coat, but for some reason she is drawn to helping find this girl. The book follows the mystery surrounding the girl in the blue coat, and sheds light on what Amsterdam was like during World War II.

I really enjoyed Girl in the Blue Coat. It is a fast-paced novel that is quite easy to read. I do think the writing was a bit straightforward, and that it is at the younger end of young adult, but I otherwise really loved the book. It’s great that the novel is set in Amsterdam, because I didn’t know much about Amersterdam during World War II. I also thought it was interesting that Girl in the Blue Coat is from the perspective of a non-Jewish character, as the book shows a different side of the Holocaust. I especially found it intriguing to learn that people had no idea what was happening to the Jewish people in their communities, except that they were in danger and being deported.

Moreover, I was very impressed with how the book jumps right into the action without any big build-up before the story takes place. I also found it cool how Hesse weaves smaller mysteries into the overarching plot. I not only wanted to find out where the girl in the blue coat was, but what exactly happened to Hanneke’s boyfriend, who we find out passed away right from the start of the novel. The story-within-a-story device works really well in Girl in the Blue Coat. I appreciated how intricately woven the plot is.

The characters in the novel are likable, but I do find that they lacked some development. This is especially true for the side characters. Hanneke, on the other hand, is written well. She has moments where she is an unreliable narrator, but she tells you when she’s lying. It’s up to the reader to figure out what the truth may be, and I found that to be a page-turner.

All in all, I really enjoyed Girl in the Blue Coat. I recommend it for fans of historical fiction, especially if you want a different kind of World War II story. This is also a great young adult story if you like independent female protagonists or a good mystery. It’s overall a fun and quick read, with a good mix of emotion due to the subject matter. Girl in the Blue Coat reminded me why I love historical fiction!

*This review originally posted on Adventures in Polishland

This was a really interesting historical fiction novel that examined the lives of the people living in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during WWII. Even though I've read numerous books set during WWII, I've never read one set in The Netherlands and really enjoyed learning more about how the war affected this particular country.

Even though I enjoyed reading this book and felt it brought something new and unique to the table, everything didn't quite come together for me. For one, I wanted more from the main character Hanneke. I know that the author was trying to create a quiet and realistic main character, who wasn't always down to risk her neck to save others. But, that's not necessarily the kind of heroine I want to read about. Especially in a WWII novel. I also wasn't quite convinced of her obsession with finding Meirjam. I just didn't get it. I also felt like the writing and the setting and the character thoughts and interactions didn't feel historically accurate. Like, this story could have been set in modern day Amsterdam if not for the references to the Holocaust.

Overall, this was a enjoyable read. But, it's far from the best WWII historical fiction I've read.

Hanneke thought she was rebel. Hanneke thought her actions against the Communist were disastrous to their realm but her actions were only a fraction of what was really happening behind the scenes. I loved it when she finally realized the magnitude of the operations that individuals were doing to diffuse the system that the Germans were trying to put into place. She was confused, overwhelmed and she knew that she would never be able to erase the events and information that she had received. She wanted to know yet she was afraid of knowing. They wanted Hanneke to be a part of their operations for she had talent that they can use yet Hanneke isn’t sure if she wanted to join this large of an organization. Working trades on the black market is a job that she liked just fine.
Hanneke is approached by one of her clients to find Mirjam, a girl who her client had hidden in her home. Dealing only in goods, Hanneke denies the request but later decides that finding this Jew, might be the one thing she can do in this mixed up world that she is living in. It’s not an easy request as Hanneke must learn about Mirjam’s life and then pieces together her actions. Where did Mirjam go? There are so many options to consider under the circumstances and Hanneke must consider them all. Did she move to another hiding spot, has someone taken her, did she run away completely or is she slated for deportation? It was a great journey that I took with Hanneke as she searched for Mirjam. Her search leading me into interesting avenues as I heard fantastic stories about individuals whose lives had been changed because of caring individuals and because people let power control their heart. Hanneke had her own demons that followed her on her journey. Bas, his life was taken from him too soon and Hanneke carried this guilt with her. I felt for Hanneke as the story of Bas unfolded. I understood the weight that she carried and her zeal for life. Moving forward will be hard, but mourning forever will not be the answer. She mourns the life of her best friend Elsbeth. Still living, these two girls are no longer close and it’s as if she is no longer there. These two girls are divided because of the war and I could feel the loneliness and the sadness in Hanneke as she moved about her day. I wanted Hanneke to feel connected to someone, to feel the excitement that should come with the excitement of being alive and having another day of freedom. She should have someone to share that with and not be alone, I felt for her. I enjoyed the author’s writing; I felt it reflected that time in history, the oppression, the tone and the sullenness of the times. Another great historical fiction novel. 4.5 stars

Girl in the Blue Coat was just published last week and already it's started collecting some buzz. that's not surprising. It's a book with a genuinely twisty plot, memorable characters, and a well-researched and immersive sense of time (1943) and place (Amsterdam).

This novel begins like a classic "locked room" mystery, although the mystery isn't how someone was killed in a locked room but how someone escaped from a locked room and for what reason? Monica Hesse's novel is set in 1943 Amsterdam, a place controlled by the Nazis whose will is enforced by the "Green Police" who can stop anyone, anywhere, for any reason.

As the story opens, Hanneke Bakker is riding her bicycle on her delivery rounds when she's stopped by a handsome young Green Policeman. Flirting with him, she manages to fluster him enough that he shoos her away, telling her he doesn't have time for silly little girls like her. But she's not a silly girl; she's a black market operator who sees what she's doing as an act of defiance against the occupation, no matter how small.

Hanneke is still in her teens, a girl who has already seen her share of hardship. She is the sole support of her parents--a crippled father whose work as a translator as dried up, and a perpetually paranoid mother who worries that the family could be denounced if any of their neighbors find out they listen to the BBC news. Hanneke's first love, Bas Van der Kamp, is dead, killed in action defending the city, and she blames herself (as does Bas' mother) because she encouraged him to join the military.

Hanneke has hardened her heart and pared her life down to basics. She doesn't do favors for people and she doesn't wnat to get close to anyone else who might die. And then one of her customers asks her to do her a favor--offering to pay--and a crack forms in Hanneke's stony facade.

This book is filled with terrific period research that puts us right in the heart of Amsterdam as Jews are being rounded up and citizens are being forced to ration groceries and kerosene and even firewood. (Rationed firewood plays a pivotal role in one suspenseful scene.) There is a terrific sense of time and place here.

There are also great characters, almost all of them women and almost all of them tremendously complex and layered people who surprise us at times. There's a little hint of romance, but Hesse never pushes it, and we find ourselves wondering if this is the first of a series, the way Philip Kerr's March Violets was the first of his Berlin Noir novels about Bernie Gunther, private eye.

If you like historical mysteries, this is one for the TBR pile.

It's 1943 and the Germans have occupied Amsterdam in spite of promises otherwise. Hanneke ekes out a living handling black market sales and evading the soldiers when she can, sweet talking them when she must; she isn't a revolutionary, she's just trying to support her parents. But when one of her customers asks for help finding a missing Jewish girl, Hanneke allows herself to be pulled into a much bigger cause.

The girl, a teen whose entire family has already been slaughtered by the Nazis, had been hiding out in a secret cupboard belonging to her father's old boss. The man's widow took her in after her husband died trying to hide the rest of the girl's family. The two have nothing and no one left but each other and so the woman is determined to protect the girl at all cost. But now the girl has disappeared without a clue or trace, and Hanneke is the only one who might be able to help.

Monica Hesse's teen WWII tale is one about, as she states, little rebellions. How even the smallest push against the Germans contributed to the larger cause.

Hanneke's own rebellion begins somewhat selfishly - she's earning a living. But her heart isn't in the wrong place. Her parents don't work, her father is more of an academic and her mother no longer makes a living teaching piano lessons thanks to the war. Without the money Hanneke earns, they might all go hungry. But Hanneke soon meets others who are working for a cause, stealing rations and such to feed those who can't afford it otherwise. And Hanneke feels guilty.

Unfortunately, her story is all too real. She has family to protect and take care of. She struggles with the fear that her own actions could result in, at the least, her own imprisonment, leaving her parents to fend for themselves. And the worst case scenario is something Hanneke doesn't even want to consider. It's understandable considering she's watched neighbors and acquaintances be taken from their homes by force and arrested on a regular basis! Plus, she's a teen so how much can she really do?

A lot, as it turns out. Hanneke has a talent for evasion that's due in no small part to the fact that she's underestimated by the Germans because she's a teen and a girl who knows when to turn on the charm. It helps too that she's, as more than one character points out, the epitome of the so called "perfect race." In other words, she knows how to use the Germans' prejudices against them.

Hanneke grows and changes throughout the story. Sure her initial motivation is money, but as the story progresses, she's driven by a larger guilt the reader isn't quite privy to as well as the knowledge that the boy she loved (a boy who died trying to fight for his country) would have done more.

Girl in the Blue Coat is fiction, but is obviously influenced by real stories and very real rebellions. The author includes a great note on those, including the photography project mentioned in the book and student organizations in particular, that inspired this tale. Fans of WWII historical fiction, regardless of age, will enjoy this outing from Hesse. It's a great addition to the genre and an inspiring read!

GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT by Monica Hesse is a compelling historical fiction mystery set in Amsterdam during WWII.

In 1943, Hanneke works in the black market trading goods. When one of her clients asks Hanneke to find a Jewish teen she’s been hiding, Hanneke isn’t sure whether to help or not. However, she soon becomes immersed in the world of the resistance as she tries to solve the mystery of the missing girl.

Librarians will find this historical mystery to be an excellent addition to the growing number of books exploring black market workers and the resistance during WWII. The fascinating characters and fast-paced mystery will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

One of the best books of 2016 so far. Don’t miss it.

To learn more about the author, go to [...]

Published by Little Brown, an imprint of Hachette on April 5, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Girl in the Blue Coat was an interesting novel. Usually books about the Holocaust are told through the perspective of a Jewish person in hiding. Girl in the Blue Coat, however, was told from the perspective of someone who was not Jewish. I didn't find this to be either a bad thing nor a good thing. It just was. Hanneke was on the outside looking in, particularly because she wasn't Jewish. So we, as readers, are also on the outside looking in. Again, it was interesting.

The Good: Girl in the Blue Coat was an extremely engaging novel. For me particularly because I've been going through one hell of a reading slump where it takes me forever to get into a book. Girl in the Blue Coat hooked me rather quickly. I also found this book refreshing because Hanneke isn't that much of a likable character in the beginning. She's cold and aloof and completely hesitant to get involved in any part of the resistance or anything that's going to put her directly in danger. It was realistic because I have a feeling that those who were involved in the resistance must've had numerous doubts in the beginning. Some might have wanted to join the resistance, but didn't because they were scared. It's refreshing that we have a character who knows what the right thing to do is, but is hesitant to do it because of how it would affect them personally. Slightly selfish? Yes. Realistic? Hell yes.

The Eh: Seeing as how Girl in the Blue Coat is told from Hanneke's point of view, we're only privy to her thoughts. Due to this, we don't get to know much of anything when it comes to the supporting characters, not even the girl in the blue coat. They're all kind of blank slates. I would have loved to know more about Hanneke's relationship with Elsbeth, more about her parents, more about her clients. We're given brief glimpses into who they are, but not enough for it to be satisfying. I would have liked to know a bit more.

Overall, I liked Girl in the Blue Coat. It wasn't the best Holocaust book I've read, I'm sure it wasn't the worst. Ultimately, I find this to be more of a 3 1/2 star read, but seeing as how this is the first book that I've enjoyed in a while, I'll up it to four stars instead of downgrading it to three.

It's 1943 and the Germans have arrived in Amsterdam. They are a constant presence on every street corner. Hanneke is just an ordinary girl who finds and delivers black market goods so that her and her parents can eat and survive another day. On one of her routine deliveries, her customer Mrs. Janssen, asks her to find a Jewish girl, Mirjam, that vanished from the secret room she was staying in. Hanneke realizes the task is very dangerous and at first balks at accepting but the more she learns about her friends, neighbors, Mirjam and herself, she feels like that's the least she could do.

All I can say is anytime we think we have it hard today, we need to remember what those who lived during World War II went through! This was a very moving and powerful story and will make you appreciate the freedoms that we enjoy today.

The story is part historical fiction but it's also a locked room mystery which I was thrilled about and enjoyed trying to solve. I didn't though- didn't even come close actually. There were some good twists that will definitely keep you guessing. The only reason I didn't give it a full five stars was because I felt like the ending was rushed. I would have liked to have heard what happened with the rest of the main characters in the story. It was still a great story though and worth the read if you enjoy war stories or mysteries.  

This YA novel is set in Amsterdam during WWII and hooks the reader in right away. The narrator, Hanneke, is eighteen and supporting her parents through her work as a purveyor of hard-to-find black market items as her own forms of resistance to the occupation of her country. But Hanneke's main preoccupation is in her grief from the loss of her boyfriend, Bas, and her estrangement from her best friend. When Hanneke is asked by a customer to find a fifteen year old girl who had been safely hidden away, but has disappeared from her spot. This brings Hanneke into a more active role in the resistance.

It's a fairly fast-paced read, though the end is not as satisfying as for Hanneke's own character growth, but overall it is an entertaining read set against a dramatic background. The angle of the Dutch resistance feels fresh and though the youth of the characters adds to the YA feel, I think adult readers will enjoy this too (I know I did!). The plot definitely holds some surprises, too!

It's hard to find engaging books about the Holocaust that are appropriate for teens and tweens. Geni.com lists the names and families of 1,705 of my great-grandmother's Amsterdam blood relatives murdered by Nazis. This book helped me better understand the horror they went through after living peacefully in the Netherlands for over 300 years. I felt comfortable sharing it with my kids. Never forget.

This book was a birthday gift. I felt that it was either the best book of 2016 or one of the best. So well written. The words just flowed. Historical setting of WW11 that told of young people doing what they could do to survive and also to help others survive. The characters were developed as well as the plot. Also, how someone young can make a foolish mistake and pay so dearly for that mistake. Much research went into this book. Would like to read more from this author

While "Girl in the Blue Coat" is marketed as YA, I'm several decades past being a "young adult" and still found it compelling and well done. While I wouldn't put it up there with "All the Light We Cannot See," it's still a well researched, well written, and intriguing novel.

This is a fictional story about a real time. . . WWII. I think it’s a enlightening tail about a very important time in world history. I think it’s important for young readers to read such a book.

This is not a “happy” book. It’s a “sad” book. There will inevitably be comparisons to The Diary of Anne Frank. But whereas The Diary of Anne Frank deals more with the “Jewish experience”. . . this book deals more with the “Christian experience” during the same time period.

Overall I liked the book. There are a LOT of twists in the last third of the book. But I must say that I could have done with a LOT is mentioning of “Bas”, the deceased boyfriend. He is brought-up on almost every single page of the book.

A story of how life changed yet stayed the same when the Nazis occupied Holland during WWII. The author describes how people struggled to find normalcy while resisting the Nazi invaders. Sad but very poignant. A terrifyingly real tale of horrors that are hard to believe.

A great coming of age story. The main character in this story is a young woman who is trying to cope with the tragic loss of her boyfriend, while trying to do her part in resisting the Nazis; to find a missing Jewish teenager. This novel is so moving because the main character used her emotions and understanding that she had in her relationship to find the missing girl.

I read a lot of historical fiction, mostly surrounding WWII. This was my first book with Holland as the location. I found the teenage characters captivating, their fears and mistakes balanced by their courage and hopefulness. There are twists in the book that might appeal to the mystery audience. There is love and loss. The book does NOT focus on the horrors of the Nazi regime as many books do of this genre so a young person could safely read it without losing sleep.

Since my tween years, I've read a great many historical fictions about resistance to Nazis and holocaust survival. Just finished THE GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT, and it feels particularly exceptional. Riveting portrayal of people whose normal feelings get swept up and magnified by events, who are sometimes petty and sometimes heroic and always human. Really chewing on this one.

For a novel centered on WWII Amsterdam, this was a passible read. I felt the author was truer historically to what was occurring at that time particularly in the occupied countries where Jews had been unable to escape in time and had resorted to hiding. I also felt that Ms. Hesse did a fine job of describing the sense of fear, guilt and caution even a non-jew lived in. All were under scrutiny and all were possible/capable of a criminal act while living in a fascist police state.

I suppose where I quibble is the lack of suspense.

When asked to find a missing Jewish girl where it has been firmly established that time is of the essence Hanneke winds up losing a lot of time being bamboozled into joining resistance meetings and bullied for her Black Market connections. Rather than propel the story forward with added urgency, the descriptive verbage and unnecessary arguements between characters,for every instance actually weighs down the story and it begins to drag. It also doesn't help that large portions of the novel focused so much on the resistance and depicted even from a journalists view that by the time it came back around to Miriam missing I felt like I was reading two different books.

There were times when I wondered if Hanneke would actually solve the mystery of the missing girl or just feel bad about not accomplishing anything.

This is a tale about beautifully, conflicted characters in times of uncertainty. Set in WWII, it follows a girl who deals in the black market. She gets sucked into finding a missing 15 year old Jewish girl. Along the way, she is thrown into scenarios she would never have imagined she would find herself being a part of. This books has twists and turns from start to finish.
Beautiful story, wonderfully done.

Hanneke procures and delivers black market goods in Amsterdam during WWII. When one of her customers asks for her help in finding a person, Hanneke is both shocked and intrigued. What unravels is a delicate tale of survival, passion and the horrors of war.

This book was well written and engaging. I didn’t want to put it down and wanted more when it was finished. I will definitely be looking for other books by Hesse. Overall, highly recommended.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I LOVE World War II historical fiction. That being said, when I heard about this book (which was actually not that long ago surprisingly), I knew I had to get my paws on it. Thank goodness for #booksfortrade!

Hanneke is a seventeen-ish year old girl living in occupied Amsterdam in 1943. She has a job as a receptionist for an undertaker and a side job finding black market items and making deliveries to her customers to bring in money to take care of herself, her mother and her father.

One day, while going to make a delivery to a newer customer, she gets asked to find something rather unusual, a person. Mrs. Janssen was hiding a fifteen-year-old Jewish girl with a sky blue coat in her pantry, but she has inexplicably gone missing. Hanneke tries to refuse because of the potential danger to her and/or her family, but eventually ends up agreeing to try and find the girl.

This mission brings Hanneke to places she never thought she would end up. While looking for a lead on her missing girl, she finds herself among members of the resistance who are trying to save Jewish people. They try to recruit her, but she denies them, only willing to put herself out there for just the one girl she was asked to find.

But as she begins to learn more and more about what is happening to the Jewish people, she is more and more willing to do more for the resistance while also doing everything she can to find Mirjam at the same time.

It's a dangerous thing she gets herself into, but she is smart and brave and more than capable of pulling it off.

Along with being a great historical fiction novel, this is kind of a mystery/thriller type book. Mirjam Roodveldt, a Jewish girl who would not be safe anywhere else, left a perfectly safe hiding place and no one can figure out how she got out or why. She no longer has any family to have gone to, most of her friends are probably already either gone or in hiding, it just makes no sense for a girl with pretty much no one to leave a safe place, but she did and Hanneke has to find her and figure it out.

Hanneke is such a brave girl. Before the war started, she used every opportunity to talk politics and talk down about Hitler and the Nazis. Since the war started and the love of her life died, she has not been so outspoken, but she rebels in her own little ways by working in the black market. She eventually gets caught up in the resistance and rebels in slightly bigger and far more dangerous ways. She knows that these small rebellions could lead to her getting in trouble or worse, but the more she learns, the more important it becomes to take those chances.

This is not a book that revolves at all around romance. In fact, there is very little romance in this book at all. Hanneke's boyfriend, Bas, died at the start of the war trying to protect Holland from the Nazi invasion. A lot of this book is Hanneke trying to deal with her feelings of guilt over his death and the part that she feels she played in it. When she starts seeing a lot more of Bas's brother, Ollie, a lot of these thoughts and feelings get brought back up and she has a hard time dealing with them. But beyond Hanneke's reminiscing about Bas, there is practically no romance.

This book felt like a really fast read to me. It took me a few days to read, but it felt like when I was reading it, I just flew through the pages that I read, which was good and bad. I really enjoyed this book and wanted more! It kept me turning the pages because I just wanted to know if Mirjam is found safe and sound and if any of the situations Hanneke finds her in end poorly!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book! If you like WWII era historical fiction and mysteries, you will definitely like this one!

This was a good read that kept me interested and wanting more. But when I got to the end I actually had to turn back to make sure I hadn't accidentally skipped some pages. This book ends with almost no closure.

I’m not sure how this book made my radar, but what I do know is that Elizabeth Wein’s blurb sealed the deal for me. I was amazed how quickly I got sucked into this story and wanted more. I’m notoriously horrible when it comes historical fiction because, as everyone knows, World War II is my historical jam. However, I’m glad I got over myself and read The Girl in the Blue Coat. I see this book as a historical game changer.

Hanneke, our protagonist, doesn’t know who she is anymore. It’s clear to me, as a reader, that she’s the heart of this novel and she’s a historian in the making (says a historian!) Hanneke is carrying around a lot of guilt, and this guilt has changed her. After her boyfriend, Bas, dies in the war she is dealing with the fact she convinced him to enlist, and how she can do her part to help in the war. When Bas died, part of her died too.

Her duty, is part of my favorite part of the war movement, the Resistance. Besides the fact that my graduating capstone was on women in the Resistance, Hanneke is everything I loved about the movement. She’s seemingly innocent, she becomes obsessed, she wants to do her part. What works is that this doesn’t differ from her life before the war. Before the war Hanneke was a firecracker who was never used to keeping her head down. The guilt of Bas’ death however changes her. What I enjoyed was how Hesse used that guilt to drive Hanneke into a mystery that shocked me until the final page.

Hanneke looks like a poster girl for the Nazi party with her long limbs, blonde hair, clear skin, and good health. Hanneke isn't a member of the Nazi party nor a Nazi sympathizer, when the story begins her rebellion is limited to serving as a courier and procurer in Amsterdam's black market. She works her job at the funeral home and continues with her deliveries; she knows she isn't part of the resistance, but sees her blackmarket work as subverting Nazi rules. She's in mourning for the loss of her boyfriend who died fighting the German advance.

When one of her best customers asks her to search for a missing girl, Hanneke's first reaction is to refuse. Searching for a missing Jewish girl while under Nazi occupation is a huge step from finding sausages and cigarettes, but Hanneke begins to care for about the missing fifteen-year-old. Hanneke reaches out to friends and gets her first exposure to the Resistance and learns more about the dirty secrets of the occupation. Hanneke finds it harder and harder to keep her old life together.

Monica Hesse drew me into the story of Hanneke and her life under Nazi rule. She gives us a glimpse into Amsterdam and the constraints that the Dutch faced. When Hesse tells the story of the collaborators and the Resistance, she does it from the point of view of a practical, sympathetic, charismatic fifteen-year-old girl, Hesse makes this horrible time in history come alive in clear detail. A lovely read!

Many twists and turns in the plot of this story keep the reader guessing to the very end. It's interesting to read an historical fiction story set in Amsterdam during the Holocaust. You will read this in one sitting with your heart in your chest to the end.

While I definitely appreciate the historical research and elements in this story, I didn't really fall in love with the story itself. What I did like was how it portrayed everyday life during that particular time and in that particular place. A good addition to any history class or bookshelf.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I LOVE World War II historical fiction. That being said, when I heard about this book (which was actually not that long ago surprisingly), I knew I had to get my paws on it. Thank goodness for #booksfortrade!

Hanneke is a seventeen-ish year old girl living in occupied Amsterdam in 1943. She has a job as a receptionist for an undertaker and a side job finding black market items and making deliveries to her customers to bring in money to take care of herself, her mother and her father.

One day, while going to make a delivery to a newer customer, she gets asked to find something rather unusual, a person. Mrs. Janssen was hiding a fifteen-year-old Jewish girl with a sky blue coat in her pantry, but she has inexplicably gone missing. Hanneke tries to refuse because of the potential danger to her and/or her family, but eventually ends up agreeing to try and find the girl.

This mission brings Hanneke to places she never thought she would end up. While looking for a lead on her missing girl, she finds herself among members of the resistance who are trying to save Jewish people. They try to recruit her, but she denies them, only willing to put herself out there for just the one girl she was asked to find.

But as she begins to learn more and more about what is happening to the Jewish people, she is more and more willing to do more for the resistance while also doing everything she can to find Mirjam at the same time.

It's a dangerous thing she gets herself into, but she is smart and brave and more than capable of pulling it off.

Along with being a great historical fiction novel, this is kind of a mystery/thriller type book. Mirjam Roodveldt, a Jewish girl who would not be safe anywhere else, left a perfectly safe hiding place and no one can figure out how she got out or why. She no longer has any family to have gone to, most of her friends are probably already either gone or in hiding, it just makes no sense for a girl with pretty much no one to leave a safe place, but she did and Hanneke has to find her and figure it out.

Hanneke is such a brave girl. Before the war started, she used every opportunity to talk politics and talk down about Hitler and the Nazis. Since the war started and the love of her life died, she has not been so outspoken, but she rebels in her own little ways by working in the black market. She eventually gets caught up in the resistance and rebels in slightly bigger and far more dangerous ways. She knows that these small rebellions could lead to her getting in trouble or worse, but the more she learns, the more important it becomes to take those chances.

This is not a book that revolves at all around romance. In fact, there is very little romance in this book at all. Hanneke's boyfriend, Bas, died at the start of the war trying to protect Holland from the Nazi invasion. A lot of this book is Hanneke trying to deal with her feelings of guilt over his death and the part that she feels she played in it. When she starts seeing a lot more of Bas's brother, Ollie, a lot of these thoughts and feelings get brought back up and she has a hard time dealing with them. But beyond Hanneke's reminiscing about Bas, there is practically no romance.

This book felt like a really fast read to me. It took me a few days to read, but it felt like when I was reading it, I just flew through the pages that I read, which was good and bad. I really enjoyed this book and wanted more! It kept me turning the pages because I just wanted to know if Mirjam is found safe and sound and if any of the situations Hanneke finds her in end poorly!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book! If you like WWII era historical fiction and mysteries, you will definitely like this one!

This was a good read that kept me interested and wanting more. But when I got to the end I actually had to turn back to make sure I hadn't accidentally skipped some pages. This book ends with almost no closure.

I’m not sure how this book made my radar, but what I do know is that Elizabeth Wein’s blurb sealed the deal for me. I was amazed how quickly I got sucked into this story and wanted more. I’m notoriously horrible when it comes historical fiction because, as everyone knows, World War II is my historical jam. However, I’m glad I got over myself and read The Girl in the Blue Coat. I see this book as a historical game changer.

Hanneke, our protagonist, doesn’t know who she is anymore. It’s clear to me, as a reader, that she’s the heart of this novel and she’s a historian in the making (says a historian!) Hanneke is carrying around a lot of guilt, and this guilt has changed her. After her boyfriend, Bas, dies in the war she is dealing with the fact she convinced him to enlist, and how she can do her part to help in the war. When Bas died, part of her died too.

Her duty, is part of my favorite part of the war movement, the Resistance. Besides the fact that my graduating capstone was on women in the Resistance, Hanneke is everything I loved about the movement. She’s seemingly innocent, she becomes obsessed, she wants to do her part. What works is that this doesn’t differ from her life before the war. Before the war Hanneke was a firecracker who was never used to keeping her head down. The guilt of Bas’ death however changes her. What I enjoyed was how Hesse used that guilt to drive Hanneke into a mystery that shocked me until the final page.

Hanneke looks like a poster girl for the Nazi party with her long limbs, blonde hair, clear skin, and good health. Hanneke isn't a member of the Nazi party nor a Nazi sympathizer, when the story begins her rebellion is limited to serving as a courier and procurer in Amsterdam's black market. She works her job at the funeral home and continues with her deliveries; she knows she isn't part of the resistance, but sees her blackmarket work as subverting Nazi rules. She's in mourning for the loss of her boyfriend who died fighting the German advance.

When one of her best customers asks her to search for a missing girl, Hanneke's first reaction is to refuse. Searching for a missing Jewish girl while under Nazi occupation is a huge step from finding sausages and cigarettes, but Hanneke begins to care for about the missing fifteen-year-old. Hanneke reaches out to friends and gets her first exposure to the Resistance and learns more about the dirty secrets of the occupation. Hanneke finds it harder and harder to keep her old life together.

Monica Hesse drew me into the story of Hanneke and her life under Nazi rule. She gives us a glimpse into Amsterdam and the constraints that the Dutch faced. When Hesse tells the story of the collaborators and the Resistance, she does it from the point of view of a practical, sympathetic, charismatic fifteen-year-old girl, Hesse makes this horrible time in history come alive in clear detail. A lovely read!

Many twists and turns in the plot of this story keep the reader guessing to the very end. It's interesting to read an historical fiction story set in Amsterdam during the Holocaust. You will read this in one sitting with your heart in your chest to the end.

While I definitely appreciate the historical research and elements in this story, I didn't really fall in love with the story itself. What I did like was how it portrayed everyday life during that particular time and in that particular place. A good addition to any history class or bookshelf.

This book was a recent pick for our book club, and it did not disappoint! I loved how it showed her own character development, and how she struggled to see the war for what it really was. Our group appreciated that the author fact checked herself to make sure her readers were told honest, chilling truths about how the war was for those on the outside.

This was pretty good, although the ending was weak and the characters not very clearly defined. Still, worth reading and I liked the Dutch setting. I didn't know that much about that part of WWII, and that made this book interesting.

If you're looking for a light, feel good read, this isn't the choice for you. However, if you are looking for something thought provoking and deeper, it just may fit the bill. Offering an unusual look at WWII history, from the perspective of a teen girl (very strong willed) living in Amsterdam through a horrendous time period in world history. She makes black market deliveries for the mortician she works for, and finds herself in the middle of the Resistance when she agrees to help find a missing Jewish girl. Well written and quick moving, this was an interesting story, but not a feel good book if that's important to you!

A beautifully written novel that grips you with every word and compels you to turn the next page. You fall in love with each flawed, albeit relatable characters and find yourself wrapped up in the mystery of what happened to Mirjam.

Fantastic read! As a history major and social studies teacher I’m always on the lookout for a new, original piece of historical fiction. Girl in the Blue Coat is addictive and keeps you engaged throughout the whole story. It’s a must read for fans of historical fiction!

Centered in Amsterdam during World War II/Holocaust era, this novel features a strong-willed, passionate girl by the name of Hanneke. As she works with the black market to exchange goods for cash to provide for her family, a lot of responsibility and independence was forced upon her. When approached by an elderly customer of hers, Hanneke is requested to complete a dangerous task- hunt down a missing Jewish refugee. She has to battle between staying safe or risking her life to retrieve this girl before she ended up dead by the Nazis.
As she realizes where her heart is, she makes a decision and looks past the consequences to do the right thing to save this girl. Along the way, Hanneke makes connections, and eventually friends, to help her out through the perils of the Holocaust time period. This book truly captures the raw emotions and actions of a teenage girl during such a despicable period. Due to the serious topics in this book, I recommend it for mature young adult readers that can appropriately understand the plot and such a time in history. From grief and love to courage and selflessness, "Girl in the Blue Coat" is a captivating and evocative read that will change your perspective.

I really really liked the way this book was written and I was using it for a literature class for my homeschool co-op. It is all interwoven with small stories going on between the main one; however, what ruined the book and author for me was toward the end it comes out that two boys are homosexual. Nothing happens between them, it is just one saying he loves the other but it pretty much ruined the book for me. In a world so full of sin where this type of behavior is being forced on us to be accepted as normal I cannot give this book more than two stars even though I think it is greatly written.

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten!

Maybe I’ve finally overdosed on World War II YA fiction? There are more than just a few examples of novels that fit that category, but I don’t think I’ve been so underwhelmed by such a novel as I am with Girl in the Blue Coat. It’s… Well, finding words to describe what’s wrong here is so hard, but in general, the novel takes the story away from the Jewish people in Amsterdam and makes it about the non-Jewish people helping them. They have nowhere near the voice they deserve as the group suffering most during the Nazi occupation of both Amsterdam, the wider Netherlands, and the whole of the Nazi regime.

Since the story is set in Amsterdam in 1943, those of you who recognize the city and year from somewhere will immediately think of one name: Anne Frank. Anne doesn’t make an appearance in person or even in name, but anyone with even a vague knowledge of The Diary of Anne Frank will feel her spirit through this novel. (Admittedly, I have never read her diary. I hope to rectify this one day.) However, this novel is not about a fictional Anne Frank. It’s narrated by and about Hanneke, a non-Jewish girl and small-time delivery girl in the black market when a client asks her to find Mirjam, a Jewish girl Hanneke’s age who disappeared from her hiding place.

Beautifully written the novel is, but the characters aren’t very engaging and some very important bits of information weren’t stated very clearly. Multiple times, I got confused about something because the narrative skipped right over the establishment of a fact or I inadvertently skipped over it due to Hanneke’s dry narration. All of this on its own can make for a boring read, but Girl in the Blue Coat made me shiver with a quiet sort of fury a novel shouldn’t want to incite in a reader.

What bothers me deeply about Girl in the Blue Coat is its overwhelming focus on non-Jewish people and their efforts to save the Jewish population from Amsterdam. Their efforts are admirable and offer hope for readers who want to see that Jewish people weren’t so easily given up to the Nazis, but these non-Jewish voices rule the novel, leaving the Jewish characters as asides in the story of their suffering even when we see them in hiding and they talk about what they’ve suffered through that Hanneke probably never will. Some supporting characters are Jewish, but we get their feelings through the filter of Hanneke. In the end, it seems that the stories of all these Jewish people matter not on their own terms but for how they make Hanneke a better person.

NO NO NO NO NO.

Even the title speaks of Mirjam as a nameless figure: the girl in the blue coat. Her identity and the girl she is don’t matter in the grand scheme of the novel. What matters is how Hanneke changes during the course of her search for Mirjam on her client’s behalf. No marginalized group, especially Jewish people during World War II, should serve as a narrative device or catalyst for character growth in the story of someone like Hanneke, a white Dutch girl who is in no danger from the Nazis for being who she is. It’s utterly unacceptable.

This problem could have been fixed by making this a dual POV novel with Hanneke as one narrator and perhaps Mirjam as the other, but considering a last-minute twist, I find even that idea iffy. These twists toward the end come off as emotional manipulation rather than natural events that follow one another.

Girl in the Blue Coat would do very well as a supplementary novel paired with The Diary of Anne Frank in schools to show the multiple points of view through which we achieve the most accurate version of history, but it’s a borderline offensive failure on its own. All I’d like to do is forget that this book ever happened.

I knew when I agreed to review this book that it was a young adult novel by a secular publisher. The majority of my reading material is Christian fiction, but I will occasionally read a secular children's or young adult book to screen for my kids.

So, take my 2 stars with a grain of salt.

I am always disappointed to see profanity - books, television, otherwise - in material geared especially for younger people. Beliefs aside, it is vulgar and unnecessary to hear people talk in such a way. Granted, I read 3/4 of the book and only came across two instances, but it still bothers me.

I was trying to get into Hanneke's story, though the excitement and depth I usually get from a WWII novel wasn't very strong, but what made me finally put the book down for good was the mention of a homosexual relationship among Hanneke's peers. I did not want to read farther to see if more detail was given. Such behavior goes against my personal beliefs.

Unfortunately, Girl in the Blue Coat is not a book I would allow my teens to read, despite the historical value of young people's role in the Resistance during WWII.

Sorry, but the author had to ruin what was an okay book, and have one of the main characters, a young man, declare his "love" for another young man. Just a warning for other parents who like their kids reading good books

"I wanted to tell a story of small betrayals in the middle of a big war. I wanted to illustrate the split-second decisions we make of mortal courage and cowardice, ande how we are all heroes and villains." - Monica Hesse, the author, on Girl in the Blue Coat.

Wow, I did not expect that ending. Or any of the twists leading up to it.

I just have to say that I loved how this story didn't have a happy ending. Hanneke did get over Bas, but didn't get a love interest in any way. Hanneke didn't even try to repair her friendship with Elsbeth. Her relationship with her parents is so splintered as well. Then, there's that whole ending, which I won't say because of spoilers, but it's not happy. It just shows that things in WWII were really bad. That it wasn't happy. It's life, not some story.

"Fear. ... That's the smell of my beautiful, breaking country."

I love the unreliable narrator, slowly finding out what's happening. I love the whole mystery aspect of it, the exhilaration. I loved getting to know more about The Netherlands, its culture, and the involvement in the war. (I believe this is the first book I've read that's set in The Netherlands.)

this book was fantastic. I woke up at six this morning, started reading, having previously read about 20% the day before, and finished at eight, never moving or thinking about other things. I was hooked.

Five out of five stars. I highly recommend.

I came across this novel through Overdrive, and I was happily surprised. <b>Girl in the Blue Coat</i> is a great turn on historical fiction, grounding its narrative in Nazi occupation during the world wars. Hesse sets up the primary conflict, a tense and emotional mystery, early in the story and every scene pushes the reader closer to the truth. I would absolutely recommend this title for readers in grades 5-8, depending on reading level, and it would pair well with classic Holocaust literature like <i>Night</i> and <i>The Diary of Anne Frank</i>.