The Keeper of Hidden Books

It is now August of 1942, three years after the Germans first attacked Poland. The Bandit Book Club continues to meet, but only once every couple of months. Their most recent book was Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina; after Germany and Russia’s alliance dissolved in 1941, Russian authors were banned from the library as well.

The narrative also notes that in January of 1942, Zofia passed her final exam to earn her high school diploma.

Now, in the children’s reading room, Zofia meets with an eight-year-old girl named Ewa and Ewa’s four younger siblings. Ewa’s father is a prisoner of war and her mother is working, so the girl is tasked with caring for her younger siblings. As a result, she had to leave school before she became a confident reader. Zofia now helps Ewa to learn to read, recognizing that stories bring hope to the children. Zofia is also inspired by Janina’s work with the children in the ghetto, and she longs to speak to her friend.

On her walk home, Zofia stops to visit Miss Laska in the library reading room. Zofia has been worried about the old woman’s failing health, and today, she realizes that Miss Laska has scurvy due to a poor diet that lacks fresh fruits and vegetables.