On the night Nazi soldiers come to her home in Czechoslovakia, Miladas grandmother says, "Remember, Milada. Remember who you are. Always." Milada promises, but she doesnt understand her grandmothers words. After all, she is Milada, who lives with her mama and papa, her brother and sister, and her beloved Babichka. Milada, eleven years old, the fastest runner in school. How could she ever forget?Then the Nazis take Milada away from her family and send her to a Lebensborn center in Poland. There, she is told she fits the Aryan ideal: her blond hair and blue eyes are the right color; her head and nose, the right size. She is given a new name, Eva, and trained to become the perfect German citizen, to be the hope of Germanys future-and to forget she was ever a Czech girl named Milada.Inspired by real events, this fascinating novel sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi agenda and movingly portrays a young girls struggle to hold on to her identity and her hope in the face of a regime intent on destroying both.

June 1942: Lidice, CzechoslovakiaA few weeks after my birthday, Terezie and I got permission to stay up late, look at stars, and plan her upcoming party. The night was warm and clear, and it seemed that every star in the universe could be seen. I showed Terezie how to use the telescope, and after looking through it for a while, we lay down on the grass to talk. "I want dessert too, of course," Terezie said when we began to talk about the food for her party. "But Id really like a cake,-a cake with frosting. I dont know if that will be possible with so little sugar, but . . ." She stopped talking when Jaroslav suddenly appeared. "Dont let me interrupt your dreams of sugar and cakes," he said with a smile. "I just came outside to enjoy the night air." "Go away, Jaro. Were talking about Terezies birthday." Despite how nice he had been to me at my party, he could still be a pest. "No, Milada, let him stay." Even though I couldnt see in the dark, I knew Terezie was blushing. It was no secret she had a crush on Jaroslav. He sat on the grass quietly as we finished planning. By then it was late, so Terezie and I said good-bye. After she left, I went to bed and fell asleep, thinking about stars and birthday parties. A few hours later I was awakened by a loud, angry pounding on our front door that sent a sickening feeling down into my stomach. Something was very wrong. Suddenly, the door banged open and the pounding was replaced by the sounds of heavy boots, barking dogs, and fierce shouting in German. Throwing my covers aside, I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs to find our living room filled with Nazi soldiers. "Papa!" I cried. He held out a hand to stop me from coming any farther. I felt my whole body shaking. Nazis. Up close they were even more frightening than when I had seen them in Prague. And now they were in our living room. Jaro stood quietly next to Babichka, with an arm around her shoulders. In the other room I could hear Mama taking Anechka out of her crib. I looked from Jaro to the Nazis. The soldiers seemed almost as young as my brother, and a few of them swayed on wobbly legs. The reek of stale whiskey hung in the air. The Nazi nearest me barked a command in German, pointing upstairs with his gun. "Go upstairs to your room, Milada," Mama said as she entered the room with Anechka in her arms. "They are saying we must leave the house. Get dressed and take some of your things. Pack enough for three days." I couldnt understand the soldiers words, just the fear he was causing, but Mama understood German. I turned to go upstairs, trying to get my legs to move, and suddenly the soldiers and dogs were gone. They had left the front door open, and silence stood in their place. In school Terezie and I had once read a poem about "loud silence," and we had laughed at what the author had written. How could silence be loud? But that night, right after the Nazis left, a loud silence was

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Excerpted from Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf
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