The Safest Lie

Gr 3–6—Nine-year-old Anna Bauman has lived in the Warsaw ghetto since World War II began. Her life is torn apart when she is smuggled away and made to pose as a Catholic orphan named Anna Karwolska. She lives in an orphanage until she is taken in by a kindhearted family who help to print a secret newspaper. Throughout all these changes, Anna is troubled by the loss of her Jewish identity. But she realizes that in order to survive, she must be "the best liar in the world." An author's note explains that Anna's tale is based on the true stories of the children smuggled out of Warsaw by Polish spy Irena Sendler, who is renamed Jolanta in this book. The pace is quick enough to cover three years, but there's still room for plenty of dialogue and memorable metaphors. When Anna learns her new name, she says, "The words are heavy and far away, like a stone thrown so far out into the lake that it is impossible to hear the splash." Anna's present-tense narrative voice is vivid, and readers will connect with her from the start. From the moment she recommends her friends for scarce vaccinations to her inquiries about a baby she helped rescue years ago, she demonstrates her loyalty. Fans of Lois Lowry's Number the Stars (HMH, 1989) or Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War that Saved My Life (Dial, 2015) are likely to enjoy reading this book next.