THE ENEMY by Sara Holbrook.  Honesdale, PA:  Calkins Creek Books, 2017.  255p.  ISBN 978-1629794983 hc. $17.95    Gr. 5-8    JUV FIC

The cold war between the U.S. and Russia was at its peak in 1954, as evidenced by air raid drills at school, war veterans in almost every family, German families suspected of having ties with Nazis, and a constant fear of Communist spies.  This was Marjorie Campbell's world when a new student, named Inga, showed up in her sixth grade classroom one day.  All the girls, especially the very popular Bernadette, voiced their suspicions about Inga.  If she moved to the U.S. from Canada, why did she speak German instead of English?  Marjorie's natural curiosity about Inga, along with her parents' support of Inga's family, help her stand up to Bernadette and demand fair treatment for all the girls in class, regardless of ethnicity or religion.  There are a lot of moving parts in this story, including a slam book, foster care, the post-war auto industry in Detroit, and post traumatic stress disorder - which was undiagnosed in soldiers at the time.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI