The Safest Lie

Nine-year-old Anna Bauman is one of the Jewish children whom Jolanta (code name for the real-life World War II resistance spy Irena Sendler) smuggles out of the Warsaw ghetto. Anna, given a new name and false papers, must keep her true identity secret, first at a Catholic orphanage and then with a foster family. Ironically, she discovers that the most difficult part isn't remembering her new identity, but trying not to forget the old one. A 2015 Best Children's Book The Guardian, 2016 Notable Social Studies Book for Young Readers, 2015 Jewish Book Award Finalist, Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Older Readers 2016 & SCBWI's Crystal Kite Award 2016.