ANNEXED

by Sharon Dogar

Andersen Press

By guest reviewer Robyn Southam

A fictional work based on the incredible story of the boy who loved Anne Frank.

Sharon Dogar has written something pretty special here - an extraordinary piece of writing from the point of view of Peter van Pels who shared Anne's hiding place, and who played such a central part in her diary.

The writing rings with such an authentic voice and intimately betrays the emotions of the hidden families in a quite different way from Anne's diary.

We learn of the events that are so familiar to us from a different viewpoint , that of a young boy struggling to come to terms with them himself and just trying to do his best.
He comes across as loyal, sensitive, at times out of his depth, and really brave.

The descriptions of the break-ins to the Frank's warehouse and Peter's courage are compelling and the tension almost unbearable as we reach the inevitable sad and brutal ending.

I loved this book - it will stay with me for a long time.

Footnote
Following a successful teaching career Robyn Southam joined the publishing industry and is a senior excecutive with Scholastic NZ.