A Coming Evil

Perhaps the most written about time in history is World War II. It seems that there a dozens of books written about this war, dozens of books with many stories to tell. After all, many different countries, cities, towns, and people were affected by World War II. It's no wonder that their stories are constantly resurfacing and being put to print. The time of the Nazis' regime was perhaps the bleakest in human history, a time when no one knew what tomorrow would bring, a time when people feared an evil power that was taking over the world, and a time when heroes were made - brave men and women who would not let darkness snuff out light. A Coming Evil by Vivian Vande Velde tells the story of one of these heroes, the story of a girl who wouldn't give up.

Lisette hated the country; she hated everything about it. She couldn't believe that her parents would send her away from Paris to live on a small farm with the aunt she barely know and the cousin she couldn't stand. Lisette couldn't find a reason to enjoy any of it, but then it only gets worse. Unknown to herself and her parents, her aunt has been secretly housing and caring for five children, three Jews and two Gypsies. If the Nazis find them, the children will be taken away and Lisette's aunt will be killed. And now that Lisette knows too, she will be punished as well. On top of all that, the hill near Lisette's aunt's house is said to be haunted. Lisette says she doesn't believe in spooks, but what will happen when she comes face to face with a ghost?

This book was very strange. It felt like the author didn't quite know what sort of story she wanted to write. It seems to be two completely different stories, one about the real life heroism of normal people during World War II, and a second about older history and a ghost hunt. Either story could have been good on its own, but lumping them together doesn't work. Also, I will not give it away, but the final plot twist in chapter 20 made no sense and actually angered me a bit. The twist seems like an afterthought and left me with more questions than answers. That said, technically this book is well written aside from a few chapters where Vivian Vande Velde dumped too much information to the page. I would advise that parents exercise caution when letting their younger children read this book; after all, it is set during World War II and talks a great deal about the Holocaust. Like I said before, this was a strange book and, while a younger reader might enjoy it, it is not for everyone.

*****
RJ