Song of a Blackbird

By Maria van Lieshout

FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
A Michael L. Printz Honor Book
A National Book Award Longlist Selection
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR for Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, Book Riot, and more

"This is essential, illuminating reading." --R. J. Palacio, bestselling author of Wonder

Fight hate. Make art.

In 1943 Amsterdam, Emma Bergsma's world changes when she witnesses Jewish families being forcibly deported to concentration camps. That pivotal moment lights a fire within her, and she decides to join the Dutch Resistance. Before long, Emma is drawn into a clandestine world of printing presses and counterfeiters, with thousands of lives on the line.

In 2011 Amsterdam, teenage Annick's world has changed as well. A search for a bone marrow donor for her beloved oma leads to a shocking revelation: her grandmother was secretly adopted as a child. The only clues to finding their lost family are a series of art prints hanging on the wall--each signed by a mysterious "Emma B."

This timely graphic novel weaves together two timelines to reveal how art, in the face of political upheaval and nearly insurmountable adversity, can become our greatest lifeline.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 125086982X
• ISBN13: 9781250869821
• Release Date: January 2025
• Publisher: First Second
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary