Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken

Gr 9 Up–For Charlotte “Charlie” Kraus, the threat of getting caught going with her friends to underground clubs and listening to forbidden jazz was supposed to be the worst thing she faced. That and dealing with the zing she feels whenever her best friend Angelika Haas grabs her hand. Little does she know the worst is yet to come, as Hitler soon invades Poland. Living under the Nazi regime in Germany makes going to the club even riskier, but how can you stop going to a place where you find acceptance and freedom and are surrounded by those who also resist? Tyndall presents a captivating story about coming of age during World War II. Starting before the war begins and ending after it does, the book is broken into sections after different lengths of time. Charlie faces not just the struggles of the war and of being against the Nazi regime but also complications in her family, friendships, and romantic relationships, particularly because she’s attracted to girls. Those looking for an action-packed WWII novel will be disappointed, as the time period is the setting more than the war itself. German words and phrases are translated and explained throughout the book, while others, such as BDM standing for Band of German Maidens, are left to the reader to discover outside the text. All characters are cued as white.