The War Outside
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers · Paperback · October 1, 2019
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Girl in the Blue Coat, comes an extraordinary novel of conviction, friendship, and betrayal, when two teenage girls meet in an American internment camp during WWII.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A prestige-leaning read for following the author and the category shelves.
- Genres
- 20th-Century US YA, War & Military, Prejudice & Racism for Teens
- Published
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, October 1, 2019
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
DisplacementKiku Hughes64% matchShares 20th-Century US YA
Four-four-twoDean Hughes63% matchShares 20th-Century US YA and Prejudice & Racism for Teens
The Peach RebellionWendelin Van Draanen61% matchShares 20th-Century US YA
The Color of the Sky Is the Shape of the HeartChesil58% matchShares Prejudice & Racism for Teens
The Paper Girl of ParisJordyn Taylor60% match
They Went LeftMonica Hesse66% match
This Light Between US: a Novel of World War IIAndrew Fukuda66% matchShares Prejudice & Racism for Teens
Orphan Monster SpySaskia Maarleveld, Matt Killeen64% match
For younger readers: Allies, The Night War
For older readers: Family of Spies
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Join the waitlistAbout this book
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Girl in the Blue Coat, comes an extraordinary novel of conviction, friendship, and betrayal, when two teenage girls meet in an American internment camp during WWII. It's 1944, and World War II is raging across Europe and the Pacific. The war seemed far away from Margot in Iowa and Haruko in Colorado—until they were uprooted to dusty Texas, all because of the places their parents once called home: Germany and Japan.
Continue reading
Margot and Haruko meet at the high school in Crystal City, a "family internment camp" for those accused of colluding with the enemy. The teens discover that they are polar opposites in so many ways, except for one that seems to override all the others: the camp is changing them, day by day and piece by piece. Haruko finds herself consumed by fear for her soldier brother and distrust of her father, who she knows is keeping something from her. And Margot is doing everything she can to keep her family whole as her mother's health deteriorates and her rational, patriotic father becomes a man who distrusts America and fraternizes with Nazis. With everything around them falling apart, Haruko and Margot find solace in their growing, secret friendship. But in a prison the government has deemed full of spies, can they trust anyone—even each other?
Why This Clicks
A prestige-leaning read for following the author and the category shelves.
Come here for
- Monica Hesse’s name on the spine
- serious YA with historical weight
Expect
- YA war-and-Holocaust framing
- sustained, immersive reading
Where it sits
| Prejudice & Racism for Teens | 80% |
|---|---|
| War & Military | 44% |
| 20th-Century US YA | 42% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- War & Military YA
- 21st-Century US YA
- Historical YA Romance
- Prejudice & Racism for Teens
Show all 5 publisher categories
- Thrillers & Suspense
- Authors
- Monica Hesse
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Published
- October 1, 2019
- Format
- Paperback
- Reading lane
- War & Military YA