I recently read a thought-provoking and entertaining novel, Sarah’s Key, authored by Tatiana de Rosnay.  Sarah’s Key is a page turner full of history, drama, and surprises.  The novel starts out in Paris, France, in the year 1942.  A young Jewish girl, Sarah, and her family are living during the time of war.  The Jews in Europe were captured and sent to concentration camps.  When the police come to Sarah’s house, she locks her three year old brother in their secret cupboard to keep him safe, promising to come back for him later.  Her and her parents are then taken to the famous Vel’ d’Hiv with the rest of the Jews in their community, to later be sent to concentration camps.

The novel then switches to the year 2002, also set in Paris.  This switch between years happens throughout the novel.  Now set 60 years later, an American journalist, Julia, living in France with her French husband and daughter, is assigned an article focusing on the anniversary of the Vel’ d’Hiv.  As Julia begins to research the horrific, historical event, she becomes deeply interested and spends a lot of time on the subject.  She has the help of her photographer, boss, and Parisian citizens.  Julia discovers a family secret involving her future apartment, which was once her father-in-law’s.  He confides in Julia about his long kept secret in which he came face-to-face with Sarah when he was a young boy.  Together, Julia and her father-in-law try to track down Sarah, who would now be a grown woman.  On this long and adventurous journey, Julia learns about Sarah and her tragic childhood involving the Holocaust, loss of loved ones, and how she tried to move on.  Along the way, Julia takes a look at her own life, and tries to figure out if she is truly happy.  The novel, Sarah’s Key, is a book I would recommend for teenagers interested in history and drama.