ODETTE’S SECRETS (Bloomsbury, 2013)
Written by Maryann Macdonald
Grades 5 through 8

While living in Paris, Macdonald became intensely interested in what life was like for French Jews during WWII. She was particularly drawn to the lives and stories of Jewish children. She began reading avidly about this time period and discovered that more Jewish children survived in France than in any other European country during WWII.

She learned that many of the children escaped to the countryside and hid in plain sight by assuming the identity of a French Christian child. And in the way that fate works, it was at this point that Macdonald stumbled upon the autobiography of Odette Meyers, entitled DOORS TO MADAME MARIE, which told her story of growing up a French Jew in Paris and then fleeing to the countryside and posing as a Christian in order to survive.

Needless to say, Macdonald was hooked on Odette’s story and learned everything she could about Odette’s life. Unfortunately, Odette passed away in 2002 so Macdonald couldn’t talk to her directly. But she contacted one of Odette’s sons who provided her with as much information as he could about his mother and her life during and after WWII.

Macdonald went on to visit the Paris apartment that Odette grew up in as well as the two country locations where she lived for the duration of WWII. Macdonald knew that she had to tell Odette’s story for today’s children, and Odette’s son agreed, giving her rights to tell his mother’s story. At first Macdonald planned to write a biography of Odette for young readers, but she felt this was too dry and didn’t capture the essence of Odette.

It was at this point that Macdonald began work on what would become ODETTE’S SECRETS, a free-verse historical-fiction/fictionalized biographic novel of Odette. Macdonald constructed the novel around everything she had learned about Odette and imagined what might have happened in the spaces in between. The use of free-verse poetry was a natural choice as Odette grew up to be a poet and a professor of French literature. The result is a moving and beautifully written novel in verse that captures the spirit of Odette while also providing readers, young and old, insights into life in France during WWII.

ODETTE’S SECRETS begins with Odette’s nearly idyllic life in Paris filled with visits to the cinema and warm crepes. She lived with her mother and father in a small apartment. The thing that Odette loved best about their apartment building was Madame Marie, the building’s caretaker. Madame Marie had known and cared for Odette since she was a baby and called herself Odette’s godmother. She taught Odette how to sew and always provided her with a warm and comforting place to be. But perhaps, most importantly, she was instrumental in protecting Odette and her mother long enough for Odette to escape to the countryside.

Once in the countryside Odette had to adapt quickly to this new life, including learning how to be a Christian. Odette eventually became comfortable with this role but it would cause her to question her own identity; who was she really? Was she Jewish or Christian? Was she a city girl or a country girl? Not only did she struggle with this identity crisis during her time in hiding, but also when she and her mother returned to Paris after France was liberated.

Cross-Curricular Connections: Social Studies/History, Language Arts/English/ELA

Ideas for Classroom Use:

Assumed Identities

Macdonald marveled at the ability of young children to assume a new identity in order to survive. Many of us have different roles or identities that we play throughout our days, but sometimes we are forced to pretend to be someone we are not in order to protect ourselves. We may not be protecting ourselves from death, but social ostracism, at certain points in our lives, can seem just as overwhelming.

Ask students to write about a time when they felt like they had to hide who they really were or had to hide some aspect of themselves. For example, a talented female athlete may have downplayed her basketball skills when playing a one-on-one game with a guy that she likes. This writing can lead into important discussions of bullying, difference, segregation, historical events, self-acceptance and many more pressing topics.

Map of Nazi Occupied Areas

In order to visualize Odette’s world and the growing Nazi presence in it, construct a map of Europe that illustrates all of the Nazi occupied areas. The class could be divided into groups with each creating a map for a different period of time in order to show how the Nazis advanced across Europe and were then pushed back by the Allies. I think, and I could certainly be wrong, that many people don’t realize that Paris and France were as impacted by the Nazis as they were; we seem to be more familiar with the Nazi presence in Germany and Poland. Perhaps the creation of maps will allow students to see the full extent of the Nazi reach at its height.

What’s Your Format?

As mentioned above, Macdonald’s decision to write ODETTE’S SECRETS in free-verse was appropriate as it reflects Odette’s later life as a poet. Have students think about the following question: If someone were to write an autobiography about you, what format would be most appropriate? The idea of format should be broad and include such formats as a graphic novel, a playbill, a rap song or disciplinary referral form.

Ask students to think about what format encapsulates part of who they are. In addition to deciding on a format and providing a rationale for their selection, students could also be required to write a portion of their autobiography in this format. This could be limited to a few years or a moment in their life to make the project more manageable.

A Research Plan

The strength of ODETTE’S SECRETS comes from the foundation Macdonald built based upon her research into Odette’s life. Research is often the most important task that writers, of all genres, need to undertake before writing, but for some it is often the most dreaded. Some students may also not understand the importance of looking beyond the Wikipedia page on a topic. In this activity, have students create a plan for how they will research a particular topic or person. For example, Macdonald started with personal experience by living in Paris and seeing the remnants of WWII. She then began reading and narrowed her reading down to a single topic and person. Finally, she reached out to Odette’s son to gather more information from a personal source.

Students can begin by brainstorming all of the places information might be found on their chosen topic. Then, in constructing their plan, they should think about which sources to start with, which sources can provide a broad understanding, and which sources they would consult towards the end. Although this could certainly be a place to begin writing something rooted in research, I believe just the act of creating a research plan, whether or not the research is actually gathered, could be a helpful activity to teach students about the research process.

Additional Resources and Activities:

ODETTE'S SECRETS Book Trailer
Book trailers are a great way to interest readers in new books. I think of them as modern day book talks. This is a nicely done book trailer for Odette’s Secrets that includes haunting music and images from the book.

I NEVER SAW ANOTHER BUTTERFLY: CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS AND POEMS FROM TEH TEREZIN CONCENTRATION CAMP, 1942-1944
This powerful book collects poems and drawings from some of the thousands of children who passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp. These poems and drawings reveal the horrors of what the children experienced, but also highlight the courage and hope that sustained many of them. I have found that the insights of children are often the most powerful as they don’t yet have the self-consciousness of adults that limits their expression.

Putting Books to Work: Jacobson and Colon’s ANNE FRANK: THE ANNE FRANK HOUSE AUTHORIZED GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY
I wrote a previous Engage post about this graphic biography of Anne Frank by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon. Odette and Anne Frank were contemporaries. Anne famously wrote about her life in hiding while she was in hiding, but she didn’t survive to tell us about her life after the war. Odette, on the other hand, did not write during the war, but rather wrote about her life after surviving the war in her autobiography, DOORS TO MADAME MARIE (published under her married name, Odette Meyers).

RESISTANCE (Book 1), DEFIANCE (Book 2) and VICTORY (Book 3) by Carla Jablonski
This graphic novel trilogy tells the story of a French country town during WWII and its citizens that resist, and even, subvert the Nazis. These books would make a great pairing with ODETTE’S SECRETS because the main characters are children who want to become involved in the French Resistance movement. However, they have to convince the adults that children can play an important role in the resistance. The trilogy has been well received and has earned acclaim from such sources as Bank Street College.

Aimee Rogers is a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota studying children’s and adolescent literature.  Prior to her return to school, Aimee taught high school students with special needs, in a wide variety of settings, for ten years.  She misses working with adolescents but has developed a passion for working with undergraduate pre-service teachers.  She is interested in graphic novels for children and young adults and has made them the focus of her dissertation.