The Enemy's Daughter

By: Anne Blankman

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

In the spirit of Lauren Wolk and Ruta Sepetys comes the tale of a girl fighting her way back home after surviving the sinking of the Lusitania—and learning to think for herself rather than accept the prejudice of wartime.

The year is 1915 and the world is at war. Marta and her father are passengers on the Lusitania, desperately trying to get back home to Germany. While aboard, they must keep their identities hidden or risk being mistaken for enemy spies. Then the Lusitania is attacked by a German submarine. They just make it off the sinking ship, but her father is discovered and detained. Marta suddenly finds herself alone in enemy land.

To survive, Marta must draw upon a deep well of bravery she never knew she had. Fortunately, she meets Clare, a young Irish girl who can talk a mile a minute, and her kind family. Believing that Marta is a Dutch refugee, they welcome her into their home. She can't risk letting her new friends know she's actually from Germany—the very nation that the Irish and English are fighting against. But could these people who have shown her nothing but kindness truly be her enemy?

Sweeping from the Irish Sea to a cathedral city in England, this story shows us that friendship, especially in times of war, may be the greatest gift of all.

Critic reviews

★ "In this thrilling tale of escape and intrigue, Marta and Clara learn lessons about discrimination, the cruelties of war, and the potential dangers of patriotism."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Themes of prejudice, friendship, kindness, truth, and wartime inhumanity thread this heartfelt story."—Kirkus Reviews

"The well-paced story offers a look into WWI history from the seldom-told perspective of a child whose native country is often depicted as the enemy."—Publishers Weekly

Storytelling at its finest.

This book was assigned to my fourth grader, but the whole family was wrapped up in Marta’s journey from the start. The narrator does a beautiful job of breathing life into these sensitive characters. The writing is flawless, free of excess.