By Emily Bolcer – News Editor

Every word Tatiana De Rosnay writes is a stroke of art with her novel, “Sarah’s Key.”

Rosney connects the past with the present throughout the novel, showing that we cannot forget our past, good or bad.

The book begins in Paris, France, on July 16, 1942. On that night, Jewish families in France were rounded up and taken to camps located in the suburbs of France.

What makes this round-up more well-known than the countless others is the fact that French police rounded up these families and looked after them at the camps.

The reader is introduced to a little girl from a Jewish family living in France. The book starts on the night of the roundup. Her father, like countless other men, went into hiding assuming that the Nazi’s were after the men, and wouldn’t touch the women and children.

The little girl is taken with her mother and father onto the city bus and from there, taken by train to one of the camps.

Before she leaves her home, the little girl locks her four-year-old brother into a cabinet, promising to come back and get him.

While at the camp, Sarah endures horrible tortures, but luck finally is with her, when she is able to flee from the camp.

She then stumbles upon a rural farm family and they care for her and aid her in accomplishing her goal to get back to her brother.

During Sarah’s tale, the reader is then introduced to present day journalist Julia Jarmond.

Julia is assigned The Vel’ D Hiv roundup and learns about Sarah.

Becoming totally enthralled by the little girl, Julia’s assignment takes over much of her life.

Overall, this book was a magnificent read and would be enjoyed by teenagers everywhere.It deals with the power of the past and explains how it affects the future.

Many students in high school are lost about what to do with their lives, and sometimes reading about the past is what can truly show what the future holds.

Suspenseful, thrilling, with a bit of a plot twist, this novel will never disappoint. Tatiana De Rosnay deserves all the acclaim and credit she is receiving.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

(Photo courtesy: amazedbybooks.com)