The Light In Hidden Places

This gripping historical fiction novel tells the true story of Stefania Podgórska, a sixteen-year-old Catholic girl in Nazi-occupied Poland. After her Jewish employers are forced into the ghetto, Stefania, with her younger sister Helena, makes the extraordinary decision to shelter thirteen Jewish individuals in her attic. The tension is palpable as two Nazi officers are billeted in her home, forcing Stefania to maintain an elaborate secret under constant threat of discovery and death. It is a powerful story of immense bravery, sacrifice, and the enduring human spirit in the face of unimaginable evil, suitable for mature young adult readers.

Sixteen-year-old Catholic Stefania Podgórska has worked in the Diamant family's grocery store in for four years, even falling in love with one of their sons, Izio. When the Nazis came to Przemsyl, Poland, the Jewish Diamants are forced into the ghetto (and worse) and only Izio's brother Max manages to escape. Stefania embarks on a dangerous course: protecting thirteen Jews in her attic, caring for her younger sister, Helena, and keeping everything secret from the two Nazi officers who are living in her house.