Lisa's War

Matas offers a powerful account of a young Jewish girl who fights back after the Germans invade Denmark in 1940. Lisa, 12, and her brother Stefan join the Danish resistance when the Germans invade Copenhagen. Stefan is deeply involved in the movement, undertaking missions to sabotage German-run factories, while Lisa and her friend Susanne distribute pamphlets published by the resistance. When Susanne's parents are killed by the Germans, Lisa, too, becomes as involved as Stefan. Over the three-year period that this book documents, thousands of Danish Jews must flee their country to save themselves; Lisa and Stefan risk their own lives helping hundreds of Jews escape safely to Sweden. Lisa describes her experiences in the first - person present tense, creating a potent immediacy. Through the riveting narration, the rising tension in the country is effectively conveyed. An unsettling, important novel. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)