The Orphans of Amsterdam

Amsterdam, 1941. My name is Betty. Until a few months ago, I was just like every other nursery teacher in the city – singing silly songs with the toddlers, sharing lunch with friends, smiling at the handsome stranger on the rickety tram ride home to my family each evening. Until the Nazis came and tried to take our children away…

Now, our humble nursery is part of a Nazi deportation centre for little ones and their families. My heart pounds when I hear the rumours about what awaits them at the end of the forced transports across the border, to Auschwitz.

My eyes fill with tears when I see my old friends and neighbours turn their faces away, pretending not to see. None of them want to risk themselves, even to save a child’s life. So, at the nursery we form a plan, though I know it’s horribly dangerous. The Germans shoot anyone who crosses them and there are spies everywhere. But each time I smuggle the warm, innocent bundle of a sleeping baby past the watchful guards and into the arms of the underground network, I know it’s worth the risk.

What I don’t know is if – when the Nazi soldiers discover what I’m doing and come for me – I’ll be able to save myself from the same, terrifying fate…

Based on the heart-wrenching true story of an ordinary young woman who risked everything to save countless children from the Nazis. A heartbreaking and gripping read that will have you reaching for the tissues. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Nightingale.