Can you keep a secret? - Anne De Cintra

A good versus evil children's morality tale, illustratingthe importance of honesty, reliability and trustworthinessagainst the backdrop of war-time resistance in occupiedFrance.Set in a rural town in south west France during 1940 to1944, the story examines the impact of the occupation byforeign invaders on the community, as seen through theeyes of a 9-year-old child. Living with a teenage brother,papa and mama, who own the cafe in market square, thechild regularly escapes to a secret world in the forests toplay with friends.The atmosphere in the town progressively darkens. Thefall of Paris and the establishment of the Vichy governmentlead to occupation of the town by the German army. Thecafe becomes central to the operation of the local blackmarket and the growing resistance movement.The child's curiosity is aroused by the arrival of amysterious female guest who takes a room above the cafe.When the child decides to follow the mystery guest intothe woods and is discovered, the adult world of a secretagent and the child's world of secret hideouts becomeinextricably entangled. The child's ability to keep a secretis repeatedly tested by a shadowy cast of characters fromresistance fighters to fugitive airmen whilst deliveringsecret messages, following escape routes and hidingweapons drops.