The Enemy

Written by Sara E. Holbrook

A girl faces Cold War fears and school drama, seeking truth amid secrets and rumors.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 257 ratings

224 pages· 61,120 words· Est. 7 hour read

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1950s Detroit, twelve-year-old Marjorie navigates a world shadowed by Cold War fears. With a volatile home life and a new German classmate, she must choose between friendship and loyalty. As rumors swirl and tensions rise, Marjorie struggles to discern truth from prejudice. Can she find her voice and identify the real threats in a world filled with suspicion and secrets?

From the publisher

Winner, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award A young girl navigates family and middle school dramas amid the prejudices and paranoia of the Cold War era in this “excellent example of historical fiction for middle grade readers” (School Library Journal) World War II is over, but the threat of communism and the Cold War loom over the United States. In Detroit, Michigan, twelve-year-old Marjorie Campbell struggles with the ups and downs of family life, dealing with her veteran father’s unpredictable outbursts, keeping her mother’s stash of banned library books a secret, and getting along with her new older “brother”–the teenager her family took in after his veteran father’s death. When a new girl from Germany transfers to Marjorie’s class, Marjorie finds herself torn between befriending Inga and pleasing her best friend, Bernadette, by writing in a slam book that spreads rumors about Inga. Marjorie seems to be confronting enemies everywhere–at school, at the library, in her neighborhood, and even in the news. In all this turmoil, Marjorie tries to find her own voice and figure out what is right and who the real enemies actually are. Includes an author’s note and bibliography.