One night, as 12-year-old Emmi lies awake in her grandparents’ house, she hears a noise in the attic. What she finds there changes her summer forever: a dormouse has made itself comfortable in an old stove – and hidden right behind it is the diary of her great-great-grandmother Elsa. Fascinated, Emmi immerses herself in Elsa’s world in 1940s Germany. She reads about a time when a single wrong word could be life-threatening. And she learns that Elsa nevertheless found the courage to speak her mind. Meanwhile, Emmi befriends a Sint girl from the neighbourhood. Shortly afterwards, she witnesses Bianca being subjected to racist abuse by two boys. Emmi senses how unjust this is, and fear tightens her throat. Can the diary help Emmi find her own courage?
A moving novel about friendship, the power of memory and the courage to stand up for others. With Elsa’s words in her heart, Emmi learns that courage does not mean not being afraid – but acting anyway. Based on the true story of the Esser family from Hamburg in the Resistance. With an afterword by Bernhard Esser, Elsa’s grandson. Exceptionally illustrated by Bea Davies.
