Berlin in the 1930s, during the rise of Nazism, is the dramatic setting for this novel told from the perspective of teenager Karl Stern. Growing up in a secular middle-class home, he has always ignored his Jewish identity until he is expelled from school, the Hitler Youth harass him, and his father arranges for Karl to have lessons with the famous German boxer Max Schmeling.  Boxing has never been one of Karl’s interests, but it quickly becomes his main focus. Prior to his humiliation at school, drawing cartoons was his passion and they are cleverly interspersed in the story.

This compelling book offers a unique perspective on the Holocaust with complex characters, gripping history, and intense emotion.

London, 1838. Sixteen-year-old Liza’s dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady’s maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant’s world below-stairs as well as the trickery above.