Hunger in Holland
YA-The engrossing story of daily life in occupied Holland, told by a Dutch woman who was a young teen at the time. Fuykschot's memoir begins on the day German paratroopers descended from the skies over the Netherlands. There are few heroics here; instead, readers see the ongoing tactics adopted by a people for whom existence grew steadily more precarious through the war years. The author's matter-of-fact style gives her narrative poignancy and even immediacy; there's an unspoken determination to do whatever is necessary to survive. Corrie, 11, is given a bicycle for her birthday, her first, on which she will be able to get to school on the other side of town. Through the years, it becomes increasingly important to the family as conditions worsen. A wealth of fascinating details about gradual adjustments downward, the coping skills developed by all, and the small acts of cooperation and kindness between neighbors and strangers are included. A good read for young teens, especially as the story is told from the point of view of an adolescent who was forced to mature early in order to help her family.-Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VACopyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.