When the Dikes Breached

by Martha Attema

Overview

For sixteen-year-old Klara, a devastating flood reveals a dark family secret.

It is February 1953 in the Netherlands and Klara is expected to marry the son of a prominent farmer. In this small island community, steeped in tradition, the Church controls the lives of its citizens but Klara longs to escape for adventure on far away shores. When a spring tide merges with a brutal northwestern storm it causes the dikes to breach, unleashing death and destruction that will expose a dark family secret.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781553806745
Publisher:	Ronsdale Press
Publication date:	04/03/2023
Pages:	302
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.60(h) x (d)
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

About the Author

Martha Attema’ s award-winning novels are inspired by family experiences and historical events during WWII. Born in Friesland, the Netherlands, Martha moved to Canada in 1981 and settled in North Bay, Ontario. As a kindergarten teacher she wrote stories for her students eventually fulfilling her dream to become a published author.

Editorial Reviews

Selected by CBC as a young adult novel to read in spring 2023

"This is an unforgettable story of survival. If you enjoy human drama set against historical events as much as I do, this is a book for you." - Heather Stemp, author of Under Amelia's Wing

"The backdrop of real historical events lends interest to this tale. The relative simplicity of the language and writing style make the difficult subject matter accessible to reluctant readers. Informative historical fiction written in a quaint, entertaining style." - Kirkus

"An admirable, realistic historical fiction novel for teens." - TIE Blog: Teaching Your Way Around the World

From the Publisher

2023-02-25
Sixteen-year-old Klara must survive numerous obstacles and convince her traditional family to let her go to America.

In 1953, Klara lives on a dairy farm and is the oldest sibling in a very large family. She’s never been off her Dutch island in the North Sea; her abusive, highly religious father fears mainland influences. Her parents insist she must stay put and marry rich farmer’s son Luuc. Then a deadly hurricane causes flooding, changing everything. Thanks to a daring rescue by two fishermen, Klara and her family are evacuated, but their farm is destroyed. When Klara falls in love with Machiel, one of the fishermen, and wants to marry him instead, Father won’t hear of it. With the floodwaters receding and cleanup efforts commencing, Klara must decide whom—or even if—she’ll marry. If she doesn’t choose Luuc, the whole island will ostracize her for bringing shame to her family and not abiding by tradition. But Luuc turns out to be a violent misogynist who will make Klara’s life miserable: She must find a way to save herself, even if it means leaving everything behind. The backdrop of real historical events lends interest to this tale. The relative simplicity of the language and writing style make the difficult subject matter, including patriarchy, religion, misogyny, physical and sexual assault, stillbirth, suicidal thoughts, and mass death, accessible to reluctant readers.

Informative historical fiction written in a quaint, entertaining style. (floor plans, map, author’s note, timeline) (Historical fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews