The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss, is a book set in Holland during World War II telling a story from the very beginning of the war to the end. It all starts out when Annie and her Jewish family are restricted and abused by German soldiers that have taken over their town. Soon Annie and her sister Sini are taken in to hide from the Germans by the Hannicks, and within weeks they are living with the Oostervelds, a sweet, gentile family of three. Living with Opoe, Johan, and Dientje, Annie and Sini live in a cold, drab, upstairs room for nearly three years. When German soldiers come and create a German headquarters out of the Oosterveldís living room, they must be more quiet and careful than ever before. One day, the Germans flee from sight and are chased by Canadians back to Germany, and Annie and Sini must start a new life.

I thought that The Upstairs Room was an overall pretty good book. I liked the fact that I had never read a book quite like it before, or heard a story similar to its style of text. The detail of the characters and situations was good, not excessive, and the author didnít just skim over what happened. What I really liked in the story was all the interesting conversation between the characters that lasted all throughout the course of the story. The characters were good, well defined, interesting, and realistic, especially Opoe, with her stubborn attitude towards tradition. The author set the cold, familiar feeling among the house by describing each room. The plot was interesting, even though throughout the middle when Annie and Sini were in the upstairs room all day long got kinda boring. I especially liked the end when they all ran outside, even Opoe who protested quite a bit, and watched the Canadians wave their flags as they declared peace in Holland. All in all, I would recommend this book any day to anyone who wants to read to read about a different part of the world.