Harlow, Joan Hiatt. The
Watcher. Margaret K. McElderry
Books (Simon), 2014. $16.99. 288 pages. Content: G.
Wendy Taylor appeared in another of Author Joan Hiatt Harlow’s
books, Shadows on the Sea, and she
disappears with her newly discovered mother, Adrie Dekker. The
Watcher begins with Wendy arriving in Berlin. Her real mother, Adrie, was a Nazi spy that
was discovered so they had to leave United States in a U-boat. Wendy grown up believing that Adrie was her
beloved aunt and when she asked Wendy to come with her, she did. Life in Berlin was not quite what Wendy hoped
for. She doesn’t speak any German and the
other girls aren’t nice. She receives a
German shepherd dog from an SS officer who is training dogs and her dog is too
nice. Wendy names the dog “Watcher” and
is grateful to finally have a friend. Her
mother makes her volunteer at a Lebensborn facility where she helps with the children
and babies. She grown attacked to
Hunfrid, a small Polish boy, who was taken from his family because he was
Aryan. She makes friends with a
detainee, Johanna who is a Bibelforscher (a German citizen who is a Christian
and will not participate in the war efforts or heil Hitler as a god). She also makes friends with a blind young man
named Barret, whose grandfather tells Wendy a terrible secret about her true
identity. Wendy must decide if she can
stay with her mother or if she will risk her life to leave. The publisher’s recommended ages for the book
is 8-12 years old; Wendy is just turned fifteen-years-old and is unbelievably naïve. Her actions and thoughts seem more on part
with the younger age group recommended by the publisher. She hears and sees terrible things but doesn’t
want to believe that they are really happening all around her. Her friend Barret tells her, “Don’t hide from
the truth, Wendy.” When Wendy finally
decides to accept what she sees and hears is true is perhaps the strongest part
of her character development. I enjoyed
the reading about Lebensborn and learning more about Bibelforscher’s. The
Watcher is a gentle introduction to young readers about some of the horrors
of the Nazi regime.
EL-ADVISABLE.
Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
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