Title: The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

Reader: Jaya, Grade 10

Rating: 5 Stars

In The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron, Stefania Podgorska is a cheerful, Catholic, 16-year-old, Polish girl living with a Jewish family, selling chocolates in their grocery store, and enjoying a secret first romance, right up until the Nazis invade Poland during World War II. Starting by just trying to help her beloved employers when they are taken to the Jewish ghetto, Stefania eventually makes the courageous decision to save Jews from extermination or camps by hiding them in her home while also trying to care for her younger sister and deal with Nazi surprises. The Light in Hidden Places is a heart-wrenching story that is very realistic in showing the horrors and stress that Stefania witnessed and suffered. Because it is based on a true story, I constantly found myself wondering what I would have done in those situations and whether I could have been as brave and selfless as Stefania. The book reminded me of a reverse The Diary of a Young Girl/The Diary of Anne Frank, where a teenage girl is experiencing a lot of firsts in life during Nazi occupation, but in this case, Stefania is the savior hiding others, rather than the one hiding. I give the book 5/5 stars and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.