The Wrong Boy

“Being kissed by Karl Jager was devastating. And beautiful. War makes you do dangerous things.”

Hanna Mendel liked to know what was going to happen next. She was going to be a famous concert pianist. She was going to wear her yellow dress to the dance on Saturday night. But she didn’t plan on her street being turned into a ghetto. She didn’t plan on being rounded up and thrown in a cattle truck. She didn’t plan on spending her sixteenth birthday in Auschwitz, in a wooden barrack with 200 other prisoners. Most of all, Hanna didn’t plan on falling in love with the wrong boy.

What happens when a Jewish girl falls in love with the German son of the camp commander? Award-winning Australian author Suzy Zail’s young adult fiction book, The Wrong Boy, paints a story of identity, romance, hate and loyalty alongside the historical backdrop of the Holocaust. This gripping novel about a teenage girl coming to terms with first love amid the confronting realities of a war-torn world will leave readers wanting more.

Short-listed in the Older Reader’s category of the 2013 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards

“A compelling picture of life in a prison camp from the point of view of a determined but naïve teenage girl. Recommended.” – Aussie Reviews

“Four stars … From its opening page, the reader will feel empathy and heartache for those who suffered during this violent era.” – Read Plus

“A roller-coaster ride … This is a must read for any teenager or adult interested in the past, the tragedy of war or what happens when humans believe they are superior.” – Kids Book Review

“Compelling reading … Zail uses a deft hand.” – Buzz Words magazine

“An addictive read, well-written and, in spite of the horrow, warm-hearted.” – ­Around the Bookshops