02/28/2022
Employing two alternating voices, McCrina returns with an engrossing tale of WWII, set in the same territory and time period—and with similarly life-and-death stakes—as 2020’s Traitor. In the summer of 1944, Soviet forces are just entering long-contested Galicia—a region also claimed by Polish and Ukrainian nationals—in the wake of the ousted German army. Maria Kamińska, 16 and Polish, has recently escaped from doing forced labor at a German factory. Kostyantyn “Kostya” Lasko, 17 and Ukrainian, has spent the past few years working as an unwilling courier for a nationalist paramilitary group. Thrown together in the aftermath of a violent incident (most of the novel’s horrors happen just off the page), the cued-white teens form an alliance that endures—often uneasily— as the story ricochets between threats, betrayals, and occasional glimmers of altruism and romance. A central plot element is set in motion as Maria works to rescue a member of the Silent Unseen, a group of special operations agents trained in England and clandestinely returned to the region. Though a single reading may not clearly reveal the rapid-fire, twisty plot’s many secrets, absorbing its suspense and vividly wrought emotional arc doesn’t require an immediate grasp of every last detail. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennie Kendrick, Red Fox Literary. (Apr.)
School Library Journal Best Young Adult Books of the Year
Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year
“McCrina soars in her writing as she depicts this complicated piece of forgotten history. Well researched, accurate, and smartly written, this is a page-turner, weaving together the horrors of war and its psychological consequences beautifully. With a touch of romance thrown in, this suspenseful thriller is . . . a must-buy.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“[A] well-researched, thrilling account of two teens in 1944 Poland . . . Clever plot twists highlight this fast-moving tale of espionage, loyalty, and survival, plus a budding romance. Readers will no doubt be drawn to the Ukrainian element, given current events, and better appreciate that country's situation in light of its history.” —Booklist
“Fierce and astonishing. It has the sweep and scale of a big historical novel, yet is filled with exquisite nuances that make this a powerfully affecting work. You will finish The Silent Unseen glad for what you have heard and seen in this quietly devastating yet ultimately uplifting novel.” —Andrew Fukuda, author of This Light Between Us
“Taut, twisting, and eloquently gritty, The Silent Unseen brings the shifting realities of post-war Europe to harrowing, heartbreaking life.” —Sharon Cameron, author of The Light in Hidden Places and Bluebird
“Maria and Kostya are complex characters with realistic romantic chemistry, maintaining different agendas and using lies to get what they want in a world where surviving is more important than romance . . . A historical, high-stakes novel with a fitting romantic subplot.” —The Bulletin
“Vividly wrought. ” —Publishers Weekly
“McCrina paints a vivid post-war world that expertly shows the true and ugly complexities of conflict, told in such a gripping way that readers will race through each page to find out the fate of characters that quickly become beloved . . . She is a master of YA historical fiction.” —Cindy Otis, former CIA analyst and author of True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News and At the Speed of Lies
“The Silent Unseen is an exquisite tale filled with terror and beauty on every page. McCrina’s fully-realized characters search for moments of mercy amidst their desperate circumstances, and find compassion for their enemies in the face of great suffering. A powerful piece of WWII history that is richly and painfully brought to life.” —Carolyn Tara O’Neil, author of Daughters of a Dead Empire
“The Silent Unseen transported me to a corner of Eastern Europe during World War II and its forgotten slice of history. With the two main characters pitted against each other and the reader immediately pulling for both of them, this fast-paced story drew me in from the first page and refused to let go. Absolutely riveting.” —Kip Wilson, author of White Rose and The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin
“A haunting gem of a story, steeped in sorrow and hope. McCrina draws you into a perilous world of heartbreak and hope—and keeps you ensnared until the very last page.” —Cory Anderson, author of What Beauty There Is
“The Silent Unseen is a historical fiction that is both incredibly immersive and well researched. McCrina has spun a haunting and captivating tale.” —June Hur, author of The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, and The Red Palace
Praise for Traitor:
“Alive with detail and vivid with insight, Traitor is an effortlessly immersive account of a shocking and little-known moment in the turbulent history of Poland and Ukraine—and ironically, a piercing and bittersweet story of unflinching loyalty. I think Tolya has left my heart a little damaged forever.” —Elizabeth Wein, #1 New York Times–Bestselling Author of Code Name Verity and The Enigma Game
“A complex plot full of double crosses and unexpected alliances . . . Deftly explores poignant questions about the nature of loyalty in desperate circumstances.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Nonstop action and intrigue keeps readers on the edges of their seats and makes this a great title to hand to those looking for a meatier historical novel.” —School Library Journal
“Fans of Wein’s Code Name Verity won’t want to miss this powerful story about the desperate actions we take in the name of loyalty and survival.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
★ 04/01/2022
Gr 7 Up—It is 1944, and WWII rages on. Maria Kami ska, 16, has spent the last two-and-a-half years as an Ostarbeiter (slave worker) at a German factory. Maria, of Polish descent, was ordered away in 1942. She escapes the factory and is desperate to get to her home in Bród, Poland to see if her parents have survived the war. Worlds collide when she saves a Ukrainian boy's life in her family's old barn. The NKVD (Soviet police) think he is UPA (Ukrainian nationalists) and are torturing him for information. Although the Polish and Ukrainians have been at war, Maria decides to help Kostya. As they journey, the Polish Resistance picks them up and Kostya becomes a prisoner. One of the Polish soldiers turns out to be Tomek, Maria's brother who her family had thought dead since 1939. Tomek is a "Silent Unseen," Polish by definition—a special-ops agent trained in England on direct orders from the war ministry in London. McCrina soars in her writing as she depicts this complicated piece of forgotten history. Well researched, accurate, and smartly written, this is a page-turner, weaving together the horrors of war and its psychological consequences beautifully. VERDICT With a touch of romance thrown in, this suspenseful thriller is an excellent addition to YA historical fiction collections; a must-buy.—Gretchen Schulz
2022-01-11
As World War II winds to a close, Soviets, Poles, and Ukrainians struggle for the upper hand.
Sixteen-year-old Maria, recently escaped from a German slave labor camp, and 17-year-old Kostya, a reluctant member of the UPA (Ukrainian nationalist partisans), are separately trying to return to their mutual hometown of Bród in Poland as the Red Army takes over from the German occupiers in August 1944. They’re on opposite sides: The UPA and the Polish resistance have been working against each other throughout the German occupation. When Maria stumbles upon members of the Soviet secret police about to kill an injured Kostya, she shoots them and saves Kostya’s life before learning of his background. Then, while trying to find him medical care, she encounters a group of Polish resistance fighters led by her brother, Tomek, whom she’d thought dead. After that, the plot gets a little confusing. This novel, like McCrina’s previous book, Traitor (2020), explores an interesting and relatively unexplored side of history, and the sentence-level writing is compelling. However, the author sacrifices clarity in her effort to produce excitement: She doesn’t provide enough background or write in a way that readers can easily keep track of what’s going on—and without fully understanding the action, it’s difficult to care very much about the characters.
Could have been excellent but misses the mark. (historical note, map, list of military and paramilitary forces, list of characters, author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12-18)
