Enemies in the Orchard

Set during WWII, this beautifully written verse novel presents the perspectives of Claire, a young girl on her family’s farm in the Midwest, and Karl, a German prisoner of war working there, as their lives intersect amid the war's upheaval. Through alternating first-person poems, the story explores their hopes, struggles, and the possibility of understanding across enemy lines, amid the tensions of home front life and wartime realities. Inspired by real historical events, the novel delves into themes of connection, trauma, and hope in a poignant and compelling way.