Hesse writes with tenderness and insight about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive and the ways we cobble together family with whatever we have. When the plot twists come, they are gut punches—some devastating, others offering hope.

Praise for They Went Left:
A New York Times and IndieBound bestseller
A Sydney Taylor Honor Book
Edgar Award Nominee, Best Young Adult Mystery
An NPR Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Best Book of the Year
Booklist Editor’s Choice

"Hesse writes with tenderness and insight about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive and the ways we cobble together family with whatever we have. When the plot twists come, they are gut punches—some devastating, others offering hope... Crucial."—New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully tragic...an incredibly impressive novel about a timeframe and group of people that history often forgets. Their stories will stay with me forever."—Hypable

* "A heartbreaking and heartwarming story of survival, loss, and renewal. Sure to please a variety of readers; those interested in historical fiction, romance, and mystery will not be able to put this book down."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "Hesse again proves to be a master of verisimilitude, bringing the realities of existence in the immediate postwar period to visceral life through painstaking detail. Her beautifully realized, highly empathetic characters come to life, too, in the pages of this superbly crafted novel...like real life, there is heartbreaking sadness here but also hope that life, finally, will be whole and fine, A to Z."—Booklist, starred review

* "Hesse's meticulous research is evident on every page but never distracts from her propulsive plot. Combining history, romance and mystery, They Went Left is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of what it takes to survive after trauma."—BookPage, starred review

* "Compelling."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Featuring factual locations and covering a period of time not often focused on, this is an excellent book to add to a Holocaust collection. ...This book would be valuable for all high schools and should be considered a must-purchase."

—School Library Connection, starred review

“Expert plotting and some gorgeous prose make They Went Left a standout of Holocaust literature. This is not just a story about death and survival—it’s also about choosing to live on, even in the face of genocide, trauma and devastating loss. And what could be more relevant to our world today?” —Sharon Cameron, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light in Hidden Places, writing in The New York Time

"A heartbreaking, gorgeously written story...The ending left me breathless and awed by its expression of enduring love."—Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys

"Zofia's harrowing journey to find Abek and the fellow survivors she meets along the way will stay with the reader—particularly the echoes of the present evoked in a narrative of the past."—Refinery29

Select Praise for The War Outside:

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick
A BCCB Bulletin Blue Ribbon Title
A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
 
"Once again, Monica Hesse delivers an incredibly compelling and beautifully researched novel. The War Outside vividly brings readers into an underrepresented and dark period of American history. A must-read for fans of historical fiction."—Ruta Sepetys, #1 New York Times bestselling author

* "Superb.... A satisfying and bittersweet novel, perfect for those who enjoyed Markus Zusak's The Book Thief."—SLJ, starred review

"Monica Hesse takes a setting we think we understand and shifts it in an important way...a tightly plotted exploration of the consequences of fear."—The New York Times Book Review

"Timely...[Hesse] again uses a well-researched historical backdrop to tell a powerful coming-of-age story."—Washington Post

Praise for Girl in the Blue Coat:
The Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Mystery Novel 2017
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens of 2016
An Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2016
A Booklist Best Young Adult Book of 2016
A Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Selection 
An Indies Choice Awards Finalist for Best Young Adult Book
A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
A Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award Nominee
A Washington, D.C. Capitol Choices List recommended title
A Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award Nominee
All Iowa Young Adults Read

"Girl in the Blue Coat is a powerful, compelling coming-of-age story set against the dark and dangerous backdrop of World War II. It's an important and page-turning look at the choices all of us—including young adults—have to make in wartime. A beautiful combination of heartbreak, loss, young love, and hope."—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale

"A tapestry of guilt and acceptance, growing responsibility, and reluctant heroism, Hanneke's coming-of-age under heartbreaking circumstances is a jarring reminder of how war consumes and transforms the passions of ordinary life. Every devastating moment of this beautiful novel is both poignant and powerful, and every word feels true."—Elizabeth Wein, New York Times bestselling author of Black Dove, White Raven; Rose Under Fire; and the Printz Honor-winning Code Name Verity

"Taut and intelligent.... the historical setting is rendered the way only an expert can do it."—Washington Post

* "Riveting.... A gripping historical mystery."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A heartbreaking, gorgeously written story...The ending left me breathless and awed by its expression of enduring love.

* "Riveting.... A gripping historical mystery.

beautifully tragic...an incredibly impressive novel about a timeframe and group of people that history often forgets. Their stories will stay with me forever.

* "Hesse's meticulous research is evident on every page but never distracts from her propulsive plot. Combining history, romance and mystery, They Went Left is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of what it takes to survive after trauma.

* "Hesse again proves to be a master of verisimilitude, bringing the realities of existence in the immediate postwar period to visceral life through painstaking detail. Her beautifully realized, highly empathetic characters come to life, too, in the pages of this superbly crafted novel...like real life, there is heartbreaking sadness here but also hope that life, finally, will be whole and fine, A to Z.

Monica Hesse takes a setting we think we understand and shifts it in an important way...a tightly plotted exploration of the consequences of fear.

Hesse takes a setting we think we understand and shifts it in an important way…A tightly plotted exploration of the consequences of fear.”

Zofia's harrowing journey to find Abek and the fellow survivors she meets along the way will stay with the reader—particularly the echoes of the present evoked in a narrative of the past.

Taut and intelligent.... the historical setting is rendered the way only an expert can do it.

A tapestry of guilt and acceptance, growing responsibility, and reluctant heroism, Hanneke's coming-of-age under heartbreaking circumstances is a jarring reminder of how war consumes and transforms the passions of ordinary life. Every devastating moment of this beautiful novel is both poignant and powerful, and every word feels true.

Hesse again proves to be a master of verisimilitude, bringing the realities of existence in the immediate postwar period to visceral life through painstaking detail…[a] superbly crafted novel.”

Hesse writes with tenderness and insight about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive and the ways we cobble together family with whatever we have. When the plot twists come, they are gut punches—some devastating, others offering hope... Crucial.

* "Compelling.

* "A heartbreaking and heartwarming story of survival, loss, and renewal. Sure to please a variety of readers; those interested in historical fiction, romance, and mystery will not be able to put this book down.

Combining history, romance, and mystery, They Went Left is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of what it takes to survive after trauma.”

Featuring factual locations and covering a period of time not often focused on, this is an excellent book to add to a Holocaust collection.”

* "Superb.... A satisfying and bittersweet novel, perfect for those who enjoyed Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.

Those interested in historical fiction, romance, and mystery will not be able to put this book down.”

2020-01-07
Well-researched historical fiction about what happened after the Holocaust ended.

So many books tackle experiences in the camps or the resistance movements, but what happened to the people liberated at the end of the war? Jewish Zofia, liberated from Gross-Rosen and then hospitalized, has trouble remembering things, like the last time she saw her younger brother, Abek, but she knows he is all she has left and that she needs to find him. Her journey takes her from Poland to Foehrenwald, a refugee camp in Germany. In Foehrenwald, Zofia begins to rediscover that life holds joy and opportunity. There, she connects with other people who have lost everything and yet have found purpose, including Zionists preparing for kibbutz life. She also meets Josef, to whom she is immediately attracted, and continues to follow leads to find Abek even as her patchy memory circles uncertainly around memories that hide something. Despite the well-researched setting and some genuinely touching emotional beats, the novel never really gels due to absences: intriguing side plots trail off, Zofia has little identity beyond her search for Abek, and the romantic subplot is needlessly convoluted. Judaism plays a minimal role in the Jewish characters' lives.

Notable for exploring an oft-forgotten moment but ultimately succeeds mostly as a history lesson. (note on history and research) (Historical fiction. 13-18)