I love Lynn Austin's writings, she knows how to bring historical fiction to life. I always love her characters and the time periods that are brought alive, but this one struck me as odd. The "main character" is Penny, but I don't like her. I thought, "Really? Why such an unlikeable character? I really want to like this book but not with this character!" I did stick with the book and it soon became evident that the real story was about Penny's transformation throughout the story. It turns out that Lynn has done it again and created a beautiful story of journey set in the later part of WWII and seen through the eyes of Esther and Peter (a brother and sister whose mom has died and whose dad enlists for the war), Penny (the family neighbor who volunteers to take care of Esther and Peter while their dad is gone) and Jacob Mendel (the children's Jewish landlord who lives in the first level of their house and whose wife died in the same accident as their mother). These 4 all undergo change as they endure the end of WWII. Excellent book!