My thanks to Zonderkidz and NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

The thing I liked most about this novel is how intentionally non-tidy the narrative is. Set during World War II and told in alternating POVs - that of a young farm girl in Illinois and a German POW brought to the states to work in the absence of many men and boys who are off fighting - the book never dictates how we should feel. It humanizes the soldier while never insisting that the farm girl should never fully excuse him for past.

There are no sappy "kumbaya" scenes here - just complicated feelings and very hard truths, interspersed with moments of grace. A very timely and measured addition to middle grade shelves.

I really enjoyed this book - touching, raw, and moving way to dive deeper into this period of history. I will definitely be adding this to the Bookopolis recommendations for Historical Fiction for middle grade readers.

It’s October 1944 and Claire’s dad needs help with the orchard - especially since Danny’s off to fight in World War II. With no one responding to the help wanted ad in the paper, he hires a group of German POWs to help with the apple harvest. Claire wants absolutely nothing to do with the enemies, afterall, it’s men like them that are currently shooting at Danny’s overseas. But then she meets Karl, a soft-spoken, hardworking POW and her mind begins to change.

Meanwhile, Karl battles with the role he ended up playing within the lies of Hitler’s regime. After he begins working with Claire, it gives him hope that he can change and become a person he wants to be - not the one that’s been forced on him.

It still surprises me a bit when I read another novel set during WWII that showcases something I wasn’t aware had happened during that time. This one being that the United States had POW work camps on their own soil, and that the POWs would be “lent out” to local farmers.

Besides having a focus on WWII and the POWs in the United States, this also focuses a lot on Claire and her journey and fight for going against the norms for females during that time. Claire wants to continue school past an eighth grade education and her single room schoolhouse that she goes to and go on to become a nurse. Her father is very supportive of this plan, but not everyone else.

Though this book is aimed at Middle Grade readers, I can see everyone enjoying it. The writing provides readers with a compelling and easy to follow format that, even with the word count being low from it being a novel in verse, it still provides beautiful descriptions. I, myself, am going to be keeping an eye out for my own physical copy to purchase.

*Thank you Zonderkidz and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

A powerful, forgotten time in history. I literally had no idea this even happened! German POW’s were shipped to America and basically worked as prisoners. My mind was blown! This story, while based on true events that happened in history, is based on fictional people. It is told from two perspectives. An American girl who lives on an apple orchard and a German POW soldier. A child really, They were so young to be sent to war. This quote is at the beginning and so moving!

“Every war is a war against children.” Eglantyne Jebb, founder of Save the Children Humanitarian Aid Organization, 1919

This story reminds me a lot of Alan Gratz. Devastating events. Two perspectives. The lives entwine with each other and each changes the others life. This book is devastating, refreshing and restores your faith in the human spirit!

This is a novel that while officially categorized as middle grade will find its place on young adult and adult library shelves as well. It’s 1944 and most of the workers on Claire’s family apple orchard, including her older brother, have left to fight in WWII, thus leaving the orchard shorthanded. So Claire’s father hires a group of German prisoners of war to help harvest the apples and keep the orchard functioning. At first Claire is horrified and afraid but eventually she meets English speaking Karl, and they engage in a friendly banter. But could Claire really become friends with the enemy her brother is fighting against? Meanwhile Karl starts to question everything he’s been taught to believe about German superiority and the evil Americans. While all of the characters in the novel are fictional the novel is based on actual historical events. Told in two viewpoints, Claire’s and Karl’s this novel in verse is not to be missed. A great addition to the school curriculum studies of WWII. Highly recommended for all ages. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a beautiful book about human nature and belonging during wartime. The main character realizes he’s not a true Nazi but was raised to think terribly about the world, and the other main character Claire sees the good in him in time. I do wish the ending was a little longer because it seemed to end abruptly. What a great addition to a school library.

Enemies in the Orchard provides an intriguing look into a little-known experience on the American home front during WWII and it uses one of my favorite forms, the prose-poem novel.
The story is told from the viewpoint of two narrators: Karl, a German prisoner of war who is starting to question what the Nazis have taught him after he is captured and taken to work on an American farm, and Claire, a young teenager who is not so sure that she wants to have German prisoners working at her family’s apple orchard in Michigan. The novel-in-verse format, with its compressed language, makes for a quick read, with carefully chosen words that pack an emotional punch.
I was especially interested in this book because my hometown is in a rural area in Southern Colorado, and my family has stories about the German prisoners who came to work on their farm.
Just as in this book, the family and the prisoners grew to value their shared camaraderie. And just as in the book, my grandparents had sons who were fighting against the Germans in Europe at the same time they were hosting German prisoners at their dinner table. (They weren’t supposed to be feeding the prisoners, but my grandparents had German heritage and could speak German, and they enjoyed talking with the boys who worked on their farm.)
Author Dana VanderLugt handles the story well, and we come to care for both Claire and Karl and to understand how they are trying to make the human connection in the face of the antagonism of being at war. I found it interesting to learn Karl’s story. When the ship he is on pulls into New York harbor, he learns that his German commanders were lying to him when they told him that the United States was a bombed-out ruin. And it is easy to sympathize with Claire, who was uncomfortable working with people who have served in the army that is fighting against her brother who is deployed overseas, and yet finds that the soft-spoken Karl can be a friend.
Since it is set during a war, readers are exposed to deaths of characters they care about, and people recommending this book to children need to know that there are events that could make readers quite sad. Such is life, and such is war. Many of the events are based on actual occurrences in Michigan, and readers will be left with a much deeper understanding of World War Two and the toll it took on families.
I received a review copy of this book in return for an honest review.

In the fall of 1944, war is raging in Europe, and everyone left behind in the United States is doing what they can to keep the country afloat. Thirteen-year-old Claire DeBoer is the only child left on her family’s orchard after the departure of her sister to marriage and her brother to the war theatre. But Claire alone is not sufficient to help her dad with everything that needs to be done in the orchard, so when a collection of German P.O.W.s is deposited in a camp nearby, it provides the perfect solution to the labor shortage. But as the Germans and the Americans begin working more closely together toward a shared goal, many of the stark lines that existed initially are blurred, and everyone is left questioning the truths they thought they knew.

This fascinating novel in verse beautifully portrays a lesser-known piece of World War II history. Told from the alternating perspectives of Claire—an American—and Karl—a German, this book shows readers the realities of both sides of a true and uncomfortable situation. Interestingly, Claire’s text is all left aligned while Karl’s is all right aligned, which helps readers to know who is speaking at any given time. Karl’s contributions include many German words that add an authenticity to Karl’s voice that is important to the story. Occasionally, newspaper clippings and letters are found within the text that both interrupt the verse flow of the story and provide additional context for the narrative.

Though written for a middle grade audience, this book has far reaching appeal in its plot and delivery. Lovely writing provides readers with a narrative that is compelling and easy to visualize despite the relatively few words it entails. An author's note and a list of resources at the end enhance the substance of this book while also making it well suited to be discussed and analyzed in a classroom setting. Readers who enjoy World War II history will appreciate both the care given to provide appropriate and sufficient details into this story and its unique delivery. This is an excellent addition to historical fiction and poetry collections for middle grade readers and up.

I had hugely high hopes for this reading in a similar style to Sarah Crossan but it was not to be. I found the style lacking in fluency and very difficult to read. I couldn’t pinpoint who the book was aimed at, with complex language and basic, simple sentences mixed. One of the very few books I DNF.

Enemies in the Orchard felt like a refreshing take on the World War 2 story. Written in verse with perspectives from both sides of the war it shows the personal impact on the individual during a war torn time. As soon as I picked this one up, I couldn't stop reading it until I finished. The writing style as well as the characters themselves just kept me hooked and I had to finish the book in one sitting. In some ways it reminded me of Magic of the Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel but for a younger reader. Both novels showcased the lesser known parts of World War 2 and shared similar themes/setting. I can see this becoming really popular for middle graders. Since it still shows the impact of the war, but isn't as gruesome of an introduction for younger kids. I will say that the ending felt very abrupt and in some ways felt like it lacked closure. But overall, I found myself really enjoying the story and the friendship that was built.


*Received though Netgalley for my honest opinion*

“Enemies in the Orchard” is a wonderful debut by Dana VanderLugt. I have read several realistic fiction books centered around WWII, but was not aware of the fact that POW’s were brought to the United States to work. The alternating voices of Claire and Karl are beautifully done and the use of verse to tell this story made it even more powerful. It is a heartbreaking, but uplifting story and the characters will stay with you long after the last page. I would recommend this to my teacher friends, students, and adults. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A fascinating look at a lesser-known aspect of WWII. Claire's family takes the government up on their offer of German POW's work on their family orchard. Meanwhile, Karl, a very young German soldier just out of Hitler's Youth is confronting the many lies he has long believed, including that Germany completely demolished many of America's thriving cities, and what that means for the many other lies they've been fed.

Prior to reading this story, I did not know that enemy soldiers were housed in midwestern camps, and farmed out to work where American young men were now absent because of WWII. This story is based on a true story at the author's family's orchard. I felt conflicted over how quickly Claire and Karl's friendship grew, because of his history as a low level Nazi soldier. But I felt the author did a decent job showing his de-programization from the propaganda he'd grown up in, and his character arc from one who just stands by and lets things happen to actively resisting the fellow prisoners who were out to do harm. I feel like she could have pushed this whole theme further, especially with how much disinformation we all face these days.

The writing is lyrically stunning. Beautiful lines that took my breath away. And I had no idea about the twist coming. It completely threw me. I was fascinated by the author's personal history with this story. And appreciated the author's note at the end where I learned more about the history referenced in the story.

Wow. Just- wow. I couldn't put this one down. And when Karl and the girl start to become friends, and then not, and then friends again? That was so good! And then the end was this major plot twist that was so well written, but I never saw it coming!

A heartbreaking story set at the close of World War II. Claire is a 13 year old American girl, whose dream is to someday become a nurse. Her brother is serving in the war against Germany and her sister is married, leaving Claire the only child left at home. As such, Claire is responsible to help her parents tend to their family's apple orchard. Meanwhile, a choice number of German soldiers are laying down their arms in surrender to the Americans, hoping to make a better way for themselves. Almost a dozen of these soldiers are sent to Claire's family farm, and many more are sent to farms surrounding that area. The German POW are put to work in the orchard, helping Claire and her parents with the harvest. Eventually, Claire befriends Karl, a German POW working at her father's farm. Karl teaches Claire many things, including the power of forgiveness. The ending is so sad, yet challenges you to love others, despite their background or their history. Teaches you to forgive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zondervan for the chance to preview this book!

I read this book with my eldest daughter and we both found it beautifully moving and knowledgeable. I loved that there were to speakers through out the whole book telling the story of themselves and others around them, the page layout was a nice change from other books we have read, the English translation of Karl’s pages was also a nice touch. We both found the information about POWs working in America insightful as neither of us knew this happened and has took us both on a path off looking into it further. I have also suggested this book as one off my schools history and literacy reading books for our young readers book club as I think reading the story from both points off view will have the same effect on them as it did my daughter - to understand history more and see both perspectives from such tragic events in time. This is a Throughly enjoyable book for all ages !!

Enemies in the Orchard is a fast-paced lyrical novel perfect for upper middle grade readers that offers a new perspective into what it means to be an enemy and how we see and can also forgive others.