The house by the lake
(Book)

Thomas Harding adapts his adult memoir of the same name for younger readers, tracing the shadow of war as it falls across a one-story cottage and the people who share it.

Houses can hold mysteries, as most children know. Around this truth, Harding has built a story about one particular house in Germany that witnessed history. Outside of Berlin, this home with blue shutters, beside a lake, holds a great deal of appeal, and readers will relate to the various children who lived there, played games on its lawn, swam in the lake, and interacted with the natural world. Teckentrup's illustrations are light and soft-focused in these peaceful spreads, but each change of the house's occupants is characterized by pages steeped in gray and brown--soldiers send the first owners away, others flee before armies, and a wall is built during another family's tenure, separating the house from the lake. Finally, the house, crumbling, is visited by the great-grandson of the first owners, Jews who ultimately fled Germany. He--the author, it turns out--takes on the task of restoration, and readers will be happy to learn it now serves as a center for education. A story of hope for children interested in history and how it relates to the present. Karen Cruze. Booklist Online. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2020.-- Booklist, 07/01/2020

Grades 2-5.

Age level: 7-10 years.