Song of a Blackbird

FIVE STARRED REVIEWS!

"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.

Author: Maria Van Lieshout
Publisher: First Second
Published: 01/21/2025
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781250869814
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/14/2024
School Library Journal 11/01/2024 pg. 76
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2024
Booklist 01/01/2025 pg. 43
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2025
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2025 pg. 85
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Maria van Lieshout was born and raised near Amsterdam, where she spent many weekends in a Museum Quarter row house with her artist aunt and metalsmith uncle. Drawing while her aunt painted, and pecking stories on a typewriter while her uncle soldered metals inspired her love for creating. After high school in Leiden, Maria studied Visual Communications at GWU in DC. In 2000, Maria became an illustrator full-time. She has illustrated/written several picture books. Song of a Blackbird is Maria's first graphic novel.