"Book clubs will find a lot to discuss in Hilde’s story, and educators won’t need to work hard to generate conversations about equality, authoritarianism, and the role of minorities in democracy. The free-form verse is inviting and masterfully captures the mood and times in sparse poetry, making this work equally appealing for pleasure reading." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wilson crafts a beautiful coming-of-age story that captures the joy of young independence against a backdrop of fear and foreboding on the precipice of the Third Reich. The story, as well as the author’s note and extensive resource list, highlights the positive, liberated experience of queer people in Weimar-era Berlin before its abrupt and devastating end...An essential purchase for YA collections; recommend to fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo." — School Library Journal (starred review)
"This poignant verse novel packs its punches, allowing readers to feel the emotional highs and lows of the girl’s journey as she clings to a fraying thread of hope through impossibly hard times. Much like in Wilson’s White Rose, the historical setting is exquisitely done, weaving in references to popular culture...and providing well-researched insights into the relative freedoms queer people experienced during the Weimar Republic. Hilde is impressively relatable to a modern audience...queer teens may glean comfort in her Café Lila found family—but everyone could stand to gain from Hilde’s resilience against the odds in an uncertain world." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“The language is as shiningly beautiful as the leading characters, Hilde and Rosa, and an absolute pleasure to read. A brilliant addition to the canon of LGBTQ young adult literature.” — The Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S CHOICE
"While Hilde’s predictable internal growth is disarmingly joyous, it’s the era’s politics—and their connection to the present day—that give the Cabaret-tinged story its urgent momentum. Readers eager to learn more about queer life in the Weimar era will find plenty of avenues to explore in the densely packed author’s note." — Publishers Weekly
"This first-person novel in verse moves along briskly, judiciously weaving in bits of Hilde's past and historical events. Hilde is a relatable, accessible protagonist, and readers will respond to her feelings of being an outsider, celebrate her hard-won successes, and reel from a few gut-punching betrayals. Ultimately hopeful, this is a story of growth and affirmation set in an intriguing time and place." — Booklist
"This gorgeous book will put your heart in your throat and tears in your eyes, and keep you rooting for its heroines against all the odds." — Sherri L. Smith, author of Flygirl and The Blossom and the Firefly
Praise for White Rose: ★ "[T]imely and relevant....This tale based on the real life of a young activist, supported by extensive back matter, belongs in all collections serving young teens." — School Library Journal (starred review)
Praise for White Rose: ★ "[M]oving and inspiring....this is a model of well-researched and riveting historical fiction." — Booklist (starred review)
Praise for White Rose: ★ "Real events made deeply personal in an intense, bone-chilling reading experience." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Wilson’s (White Rose, rev. 7/19) fluid free-verse novel aptly conveys the liberation and artistry of the time and place (Weimar Republic–era Berlin setting, in all its gritty, smoky glory), while also making the pages fly. Fans of Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club (rev. 3/21) will enjoy this similarly themed work. Back matter includes an author’s note, selected sources, and a German glossary. by JENNIFER HUBERT SWAN — The Horn Book
★ 03/01/2022
Gr 9 Up—In this historical novel in verse, 18-year-old Hilde moves out of her Berlin orphanage in 1932 in search of a home to call her own. Struggling to find her footing in the turbulent Weimar Republic, she fortuitously wanders into Café Lila, an LGBT-friendly club in the neighborhood of Charlottenburg. Here she finds a new job as well as an accepting adoptive family. Rosa, a waitress and singer who is Jewish, takes Hilde under her wing and provides the shelter and companionship Hilde so desperately needs. Through her work at Café Lila, Hilde finds the courage to be herself, a queer woman, both onstage and off. Just as Hilde is finally finding her footing, the political climate in Berlin reaches a tipping point with the fateful election of 1932. Suddenly everything Hilde has come to know and cherish—her home with Rosa, their blossoming love, and Café Lila's liberated atmosphere—hangs in the balance. Wilson expertly uses short, poetic chapters to set the tone of the novel. While the prose is minimalist, it shines with evocative descriptions, poignant emotions, and authentic German phrases (clear in context and found in the glossary). Wilson crafts a beautiful coming-of-age story that captures the joy of young independence against a backdrop of fear and foreboding on the precipice of the Third Reich. The story, as well as the author's note and extensive resource list, highlights the positive, liberated experience of queer people in Weimar-era Berlin before its abrupt and devastating end. VERDICT An essential purchase for YA collections; recommend to fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.—Mary Kamela
