The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree

Gr 5 Up--Based on her grandmother's experience, Abendanon delivers a gem for middle grade historical fiction and World War II fans. Opening in 1942 in Batavia, Dutch West Indies--present-day Jakarta, Indonesia--the story features 12-year-old Emmy and her father, a rice exporter, who live among Dutch expats and Indonesians employed as their servants. When the Japanese invade, the Indonesians believe they have been liberated, and the Europeans--Emmy among them--are captured and sent to live in internment camps, where they remain until the end of the war. Alongside women and children with whom she becomes fiercely close, Emmy must persevere through terrible living conditions and hunger in hopes she will find her father after the war. Loyalty to her fellow prisoners gives Emmy the courage to overcome the internment and the atrocities enforced upon them. Abendanon brings a whole new perspective for readers who clamor for WWII stories, such as Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War That Saved My Life. They will love Abendanon's work, especially because it is based on true events. Back matter is provided to answer questions that will undoubtedly be on readers' minds. VERDICT An absolute must-have in all middle grade collections.--Kim Gardner

A privileged, implied-white European tween's life collapses as WWII encroaches on what is known today as Jakarta, Indonesia, in Abendanon's engrossing debut. Before her mother's death in an accident, 11-year-old Emmy dreamed of studying singing at Marlborough, an exclusive all-girls school in Kent, England. When her acceptance letter arrives, however, she hides it, desperate to remain with her father in Batavia on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies, even as war nears. Papa, a rice exporter, books passage for them to evacuate, but Emmy, disbelieving rumors of an impending Japanese invasion, thwarts Papa's plans, causing them to miss the boat. After the Japanese army arrives, Emmy and Papa are separated, and Emmy is sent to Tjideng, a prison camp run by cruel Captain Sonei. Overworked and starved, Emmy plots her escape, even as she grows closer to other Tjideng prisoners. The author juxtaposes Emmy's advantageous upbringing with that of her Javanese housekeeper's son who, when Emmy claims that he's her best friend, replies, "We are not friends. We have never been friends. I work for you, that is all," highlighting complex issues surrounding colonialism, racism, and subjugation. Steady pacing and well-developed characters with credible flaws round out this harrowing, high-stakes tale, based on Abendanon's grandmother's experiences. Further information concludes. Ages 10-15. Agent: Thérèse Coen, Susanna Lea Assoc. (Jan.)

"Steady pacing and well-developed characters with credible flaws round out this harrowing, high-stakes tale, based on Abendanon's grandmother's experiences." —Publishers Weekly