The World War Two Orphanage Series: Book 2
Publication Date: November 29, 2024
‘The lorry is ready to take you to the train station,’ the soldier announced, and Marta clung to her little sister. ‘I want to stay with her,’ Marta said, voice shaking. ‘It is not possible. You belong in the Reich,’ the officer said. ‘And she does not.’
Poland, 1944 When twelve-year-old Marta and her little sister Joanna are snatched while out shopping for food and pushed into an army truck with a swastika on the door, they are heartbroken. Terrified they will never see their mother again, the little girls cling to each other as the truck full of stolen children rumbles through the countryside.
But worse is yet to come. When they arrive at their strange new home, tears streaming down their cheeks, Marta is sent into a separate room. As she is measured, her blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed over, she doesn’t realise she has seen her sister for the last time. Later, as she sobs alone in the chilly dormitory, her only crumb of comfort is the memory of a kind German nurse who took a photo of the two sisters, and promised Marta she will do what she can to find Joanna.
Berlin, 2005 In her cosy sitting room, seventy-year-old Marta freezes. The woman on her television talking about lost children is someone she could never forget. Margarete Weiss is the nurse who took the photo of her and Joanna, the photo with the secret message on the back…
Marta has never been able to find her younger sister and has buried herself in work so as not to be haunted by the ghosts of her past. But, seeing Margarete’s blue eyes again, a shoot of hope takes root in her heart. Margarete may not have been able to prevent the sisters being separated during the war. But might she be able to help Marta find out what happened to Joanna now?
A beautiful and emotional read about finding hope in the darkest corners. Fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, Before We Were Yours and The Orphan Train will lose themselves in this beautiful and heartbreaking book.
Many of the stories from World War II focus on the atrocities Hitler committed regarding the Jews. However, as part of an initiative to create an Aryan nation, children from surrounding countries were rounded up, forced to participate in medical exams, and indoctrinated into the Nazi culture.
Author Ann Bennett delivers the second installment in The World War Two Orphanage series in The Stolen Sisters. While reading The Orphan List, the first in the series, is not required, it adds helpful background information that sets the tone for the series.
The story focuses on two Polish sisters, Martha, 12, and Joanna, 10. Grabbed in the town market by the Nazis, they are transported to a facility with other children where medical tests reveal whether they have Aryan blood. If so, they will be sent to a youth camp for more tests and then, if successful, will be sent to Germany as German citizens. The sheer horror of these young children being stolen from their loved ones and treated like cattle comes to life within the pages.
Nurse Margarete Weiss, who also appears in the first installment, tries to make the transition as easy as possible for the young children, but her resources are limited. Ultimately, the young sisters must find their own way as they navigate hunger, deplorable living conditions, and a constant threat of punishment. It is a sad yet beautiful story that will leave readers teary-eyed.
The Stolen Sisters illustrates the atrocities that took place during World War II while celebrating those who played a role in reunification efforts.
Ann Bennett is the author of several historical novels about the second world war in South East Asia, inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of the Japanese on the Thai-Burma railway. She has a Law degree and works full time as a lawyer, but is fascinated by India and South East Asia. Since her early twenties she has spent as much time as possible travelling in the region. She’s married with three sons and lives in Surrey.
