Mathilde remained in my mind when I wasn't reading this book, and long after I finished. She is a lovely character, full of caring for others: sisters Kammi and Tye; parents; best friend, Megs: and now, at a military outpost, Rainer, a captured Tyssian soldier. Mathilde is a person I'd like to know if she was real.

Mathilde doesn't know why she was the only child in her village chosen for the military outpost. She is not super-smart like Megs ,who wasn't chosen, or like the other children at the outpost who are brilliant at strategy, prediciton, leadership and more. When she is assigned by the Examiner to talk to the prisoner, she is confused as to why she was chosen for this task. Days of visiting Rainer yield nothing but his name and his scorn. Until the Examiner asks Mathilde questions about her classmates that Mathilde answers easily. She is an observer of people and knows how to help them. She realizes that what she has to give is herslef. The next day, as she's leaving Rainer in his cell, alone, she says: "I like green." (She had asked his favorite color a few days before.) Before the door shut behind her, she heard Rainer reply, "I like blue." By giving of herself, , she received a response.

My love for this novel is rooted in the way author Suzanne Lafleur builds Mathilde's character so the reader grown and learns about herself along with Mathilde. Lafleur is subtle and gentle in her revelations. This is a story to read again and savor language and story. ( )

Even though Sofarende, where twelve-year-old Mathilde lives, is at war, and there are bombings and sirens and constant food shortages, she is content. After all, she has her family and her best friend Megs by her side. But when the army offers money and safety to families whose children help in the war effort under very strict rules and secrecy, Megs and Mathilde’s parents sign papers for their daughters to take the army’s aptitude test. Surprisingly, Mathilde is chosen and Megs is not, and she soon finds herself alone in a strange, unknown place masquerading as a school. She doesn’t understand why she was chosen or what to do. Finally she is given a surprisingly difficult, secret assignment; she has to talk, just talk, to Rainer, an imprisoned enemy soldier, every day. Facing danger, Mathilde must choose between safety or kindness and friendship even in the face of the enemy. I was frantically turning pages in this suspenseful and warmhearted tween novel to discover Mathilde’s fate. Warning: there’s a bit of a cliffhanger ending and an upcoming sequel titled “Threads of Blue” (which I will be reading).

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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Twelve year old Mathilde loves her family. And twelve year old Mathilde loves her friend Megs. Their country is at war. Slowly the surrounding areas are confiscated. Each night the remaining people of Sofarende hide in shelters as the sound of bombs pounds their ears.

Resources are scarce, and as the enemy encroaches, food is more scarce each day. The military has a plan. They make a very complicated test that school children whose parents allow can have a chance to give their parents more food and resources. A college education is promised, if the selected children returns when the war is finished.

And increasingly as the bombs hit, it is questionable who will die and who will live. Megs is the brightest in her school, but Mathilde is the one who passes the test.

Mathilde is hidden away with other gifted children. Each child possesses a unique gift. Mathilde's assignment is to daily meet with a young enemy soldier who was captured. As she grows to know the enemy, she questions if there is a right and wrong to war.

Well written and engaging.

Three stars ( )

While this book received starred reviews and various positive mentions, I did not find it particularly engaging. It lacked depth of characterization and narrative action. This book is yet another young adult novel that looks at the effects of war on society and a young girl. It details the ravages war brings, and the sacrifices that everyone must make during a time of war. The protagonist is Mathilda, a twelve year old with a great deal of sensitivity and loyalty to her family. Mathilda takes the test for the army so that her family will have more money and thus enough to eat. Mathilda's friendship with Megs, and her experiences in the army constitute much of the book. The book attempts to bring forward the hardships that war brings on a whole society.

I would recommend this in the library to students who enjoy depictions of dystopian societies. I would also recommend this book to readers who enjoy sympathetic female characters and friendships. I can see this book being used in a history class to look at the effects of war on innocent citizens. I could see this having a place in a literature and war class. ( )