The Key Is Lost

Plot

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-This simply told, understated story is based on the author's own experiences during World War II. The novel follows 12-year-old Eva and 9-year-old Lisa Zilverstijn, two Jewish-Dutch sisters who must separate from their parents, as they move from one hiding place to another, staying one step ahead of the Nazis. Much of the story deals with how the girls spend their time in hiding: knitting socks for one of their host families, taking imaginary "walks" through their old neighborhood, playing with the lice they find in their hair, and putting on a puppet show. Permeating the story is their underlying fear of getting caught, their worry about their parents, and their growing reluctance to form attachments to their protectors. Except for occasional references to people they knew who were captured or died, there isn't the all-pervasive Nazi presence that characterizes other memoirs and novels about this era. The novel ends on an upbeat note: the girls are reunited with their parents after the war. Vos effectively introduces the Holocaust through the experiences and childlike voices of the sisters. What the story lacks in sustained action and suspense, it makes up for in its clearly etched and believably developed characters.