• Age: 10 to 18
• Grade: 5 to 12

The inspirational true story of how twenty-two-year-old Henny Sinding courageously helped smuggle hundreds of Jewish families in occupied Denmark to safety in Sweden during the Holocaust. A middle grade nonfiction novel-in-verse by award-winning author Susan Hood.

It wouldn’t be easy, but they had to try.

It was their only chance to survive.

In 1943, Henny Sinding, only twenty-two years old, and the crew of Gerda lll, a lighthouse supply boat, risked everything to smuggle their Jewish compatriots across the Øresund strait to safety in Sweden during World War ll. In Henny’s words, “It was the right thing to do so we did it. Simple as that.” But what happened when their operation’s cover was blown and it was Henny’s turn to escape?

This incredible true story in-verse about courage, community, humanity, and hope is perfect for fans of Lifeboat 12, Alias Anna, and Alan Gratz.

Includes extensive back matter with primary sources, additional information, further reading, and photographs.

A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION!

Susan Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Alias Anna, Lifeboat 12, Ada’s Violin, Brothers in Arms, The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics, Shaking Things Up, and Titan and the Wild Boars. She is the recipient of an E. B. White Read-Aloud Picture Book Honor, the Christopher Award, the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Golden Kite Award, and the Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, given annually for “a distinguished work of nonfiction.” Visit her at susanhoodbooks.com.

Susan Hood's profile page

• Bank Street Children’s Best Books of the Year
• Junior Library Guild Selection

Focusing on Henny Sinding (b. 1921), daughter of a respected Royal Danish Navy commander, Hood’s expansive verse recounting of the WWII Danish resistance movement builds a strong sense of shared Danish values while encompassing Nazi Germany’s 1940 invasion and its deportation of Danish Jews after years of “peaceful occupation. Effectively unadorned free verse from Hood (Alias Anna) capably renders the suspense and danger in numerous scenes of Sinding at work. Numerous excerpts from Sinding’s and others’ first-person accounts personalize the history, while the format helps to funnel a wide breadth of material into an accessible narrative. — Publishers Weekly

Harboring Hope is a masterful telling of the heroic escape of the Danish Jews. Through thoughtful and beautiful verse, Susan Hood has captured the intricacies of this special story for future generations. — president and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Hood’s impeccable research and engaging text immerse her readers in the true story of Danes' courage, decency, and modesty during World War II. In our challenging times, she offers young people hope and confidence in the enduring goodness of humankind. — Cynthia Levinson, author of Sibert-Medal winner The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art

Susan’s vibrant storytelling gives us a sense of hope that in stormy waters good will prevail. — Peter Armstrong, President of Mystic Seaport Museum

"Henny is one of the coolest people I’ve ever read about. Cheers to Susan Hood for this thrilling, inspiring book!" — Steve Sheinkin, author of the Newbery Honor winning and National Book Award Finalist Bomb

The hero­ic acts of Hen­ny Sind­ing and her col­leagues?—?as well as the resilience of Denmark’s embat­tled Jews?—?present pos­si­bil­i­ties for defy­ing author­i­tar­i­an terror. — Jewish Book Council