For children grappling with prejudice or seeking to understand empathy amidst conflict, this diary offers a heartfelt journey of friendship during wartime.
A parent might reach for this book when their child is grappling with social exclusion or trying to understand how to be a good friend when peer pressure demands otherwise. It provides a safe, historical lens to explore the difficult emotions tied to prejudice and loyalty. Set in Australia during World War I, the story is told through the diary of twelve year old Emma Shelldrake. Her world is upended when she befriends Karl, a boy from a German-Australian family, just as anti-German sentiment sweeps through her town. The book powerfully explores themes of empathy, the injustice of xenophobia, and the moral courage it takes to stand up for what is right, making it an excellent conversation starter for upper elementary and middle school readers.
Includes themes of social ostracism, bullying, loss, and the anxieties of war.
ViolenceMild
Depicts vandalism of a family's business and scenes of bullying, but no graphic physical violence.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly with racism, xenophobia, and bullying. The approach is secular and grounded in historical reality. The persecution is not glossed over and includes verbal abuse, property destruction, and intense social ostracism. The resolution is realistic and bittersweet: friendship endures, but the family suffers significant, lasting harm. It acknowledges that doing the right thing does not erase the pain or injustice, offering a nuanced, rather than a simple, hopeful ending.
Ideal Reader
The ideal reader is a thoughtful 9 to 12-year-old who is beginning to question social norms and injustices. It is particularly resonant for a child who has witnessed a friend being bullied or excluded, or who feels like an outsider themselves. It also strongly appeals to young readers who enjoy historical fiction and character-driven stories.
Parent Prep
Parents should be prepared to discuss the historical context of WWI and the concept of anti-immigrant sentiment. Previewing the chapter where the Mullers' bakery is destroyed would be wise, as it's a pivotal and upsetting scene. The book can be read cold, but a brief, non-spoiler conversation about the pressures of wartime can enrich the experience. A parent has just heard their child express confusion or distress about a social situation at school, for example: "Everyone is being mean to the new kid because she's from another country." Or, the child asks, "Why do people hate other people just because of where they're from?"
Age Experience
A younger reader (9-10) will primarily connect with the story of a forbidden friendship and the clear unfairness of how Karl is treated. An older reader (11-12) will better appreciate the complex themes of nationalism, propaganda, social conformity, and the personal cost of integrity. They can analyze the motivations of the different townspeople with more nuance.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many children's books focused on the battlefields of major wars, this story’s power lies in its focus on the 'home front war' of prejudice and suspicion. The diary format offers an intimate, immediate look at how large-scale geopolitical conflicts filter down into the daily lives and moral choices of children, making a vast historical event feel personal and profoundly relevant.
Read plot summary
This historical novel, presented as the diary of 12-year-old Emma Shelldrake, chronicles life on the Australian home front in 1915. As World War I fuels patriotic fervor, Emma develops a secret friendship with Karl Muller, whose German immigrant family runs the local bakery. The central conflict is Emma’s internal struggle between her loyalty to Karl and the intense social pressure from her community, school, and even her own brother to treat the Mullers as the enemy. The story follows the escalating persecution of Karl's family, from social shunning to violent vandalism, forcing Emma to make a difficult moral choice.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Emma often feels like she is two different people: one who is loyal to Karl, and one who wants to fit in with everyone else. Why is it so difficult for her to be both at once?
2
Emma’s teacher, Miss Williams, says, 'There are no enemies here.' Why was this a brave and risky thing for her to say in front of the class and the headmaster?
3
When the townspeople destroy the Muller family's bakery, they believe they are acting as patriots. How can people do something so wrong while believing they are doing the right thing?
4
Near the end, Emma understands that 'the war had made monsters of ordinary, everyday people.' What do you think she means by this? Do you think this is true?
5
The book doesn't have a perfectly happy ending for the Muller family. Why do you think the author chose to end the story this way, instead of having everything work out perfectly?
