Bluebird, by Sharon Cameron, raises questions right from the start. Unless you are a history expert on the period right after World War II, I recommend reading her back matter before starting the book. In 1946, Eva comes from Germany to the United States after having been indoctrinated in Nazi propaganda. She has a personal agenda that she defines as justice, but others think she knows things that will help them.
She carries a secret begun in the concentration camps that is even more important than she knows. The Americans and the Russians, in the struggle for world power in the aftermath of the this war and the beginning of the Cold War, both want the information for Project Bluebird. She also brings a dependent friend who has been traumatized by the war and its experimental activities.
The book, chosen by our de Grummond Book Group as its February selection, is filled with intrigue, including Eva’s struggle to learn the truth about those in control, but also about who she and her friend really are. The book is listed for teens and young adults, but I would call it a crossover into the adult section. With intense narrative and compelling questioning about the secrets, betrayals, and injustices from governmental powers on both sides of the Cold War, it makes a good book club book, a classroom read-aloud for older teens, or a personal read. One word of warning – don’t expect it to lull you into a good night’s sleep since the more likely result is a long string of “one more chapter” decisions.