Five young people join the Dutch Resistance against the Nazis in this YA historical fiction book featuring:
- Hope and trust in the goodness of God 🌷
- Light in the darkness 💡
- Difficult decisions and doing what’s right no matter the cost 🙏
- Action and adventure 🚂
- Strong family relationships ♥️
- World War II resistance and lots of real history woven in 🌆
From the back cover:
May 1940. When Germany invades the Netherlands, the land of windmills and tulips is taken over by an evil greater than most could have imagined. Trains carry away Jews and any who resist the Nazis to concentration camps.
A theology student, his artistic sister, a young farmer with a passion for justice, a Jewish veterinary student, and a spirited teenage girl all find themselves involved in the Dutch Resistance movement. But standing against the Nazis carries a cost–and for some, it will cost everything.
Perfect for fans of The Hiding Place, God’s Smuggler, and A Bridge Too Far, Trains and Tulips is a story of resistance, courage, family, friendship, light in the darkness, and hope in the goodness of God.
Watch the Lego trailer
Trailer created by Levi McCrary.
Book details:
496 pages.
6″ x 9″ trim size.
Over 50 hand-drawn interior illustrations.
Available in e-book and black and white paperback on Amazon.
Signed copies available to purchase from me.
Full-color copies are currently unavailable, but I’m working on it!
An audiobook narrated by the author is also available.
What People Are Saying:
“Trains and Tulips is an extremely well-researched novel with deep themes and a cast of delightful characters. In this stirring tale, Savannah Jane McCrary allows the reader to experience both the tragedies and the triumphs of life in the Netherlands during WWII. She tackles difficult topics sensitively, creating an educational story that the whole family can enjoy!”
–Amy Ullrich, author of the Heroes of Wessex series and founder of Christian Wordsmiths
“The Netherlands isn’t a place I often think of when I’m looking for stories set in WWII, but this book not only aroused curiosity; it revealed an in-depth look at the world of college aged men and women at the time of the Nazi occupation, and the sheer bravery, love, and compassion that can be exhibited in the worst of circumstances.
I loved McCrary’s unique cast of characters, showing perspectives from all sorts of walks of life that all intertwine together into a marvelous story, though my favorite had to be Pieter. He reminded me a lot of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his kind, soft nature was truly refreshing. Other characters included his determined sister, Marit, a reckless farmer named Gerrit (poor guy), and a Jewish veterinary student, David. McCrary completely immerses you in the worlds of these wonderfully broken people. The messages are also beautiful, reminding us that ultimately not even death is as strong as God, and that we have a reason for hope no matter what. And that’s an incredible feat, seeing as many of these sweet characters went through horrible things and one in particular doesn’t live to see the other side!
I also can’t leave without mentioning just HOW MUCH I loved the attention to detail both during the story and in the design of the book. If you’re like me and love to have good indexes and maps while reading, this books absolutely delivers. There are maps of the countries involved, a word and character index, and art throughout as well as a few pages featuring good books for further reading. It excited the homeschooler in me, and personally, if you are a homeschool mom looking for a book for your teen, let me go ahead and say that this is a wonderful novel that I think would appeal to homeschooled teens at large.”
-L.E. Levens, author of The Jewel of Berlin
The story behind the story:
I first came up with the beginnings of this story after watching the movie Return to the Hiding Place (it’s an excellent movie, but I wouldn’t recommend it to young children, and be aware that there is a bit of disturbing/upsetting content in it.) Watching movies can have quite an impact on me!
After nearly five years of researching, brainstorming, writing, and editing, Trains and Tulips was finally finished.
The book follows five main characters: Pieter (a theology student) Marit (Pieter’s sister, an artist), Gerrit (a young farmer who’s engaged to Marit), David (a Jewish veterinary student), and Elsje (a teenage girl whose life is turned upside down by a Jewish baby).
When I first began the book, I didn’t intend for the goodness of God to be the main theme, but as I planned and wrote, somehow, the truth that God is good, always, became the main message of this story.
It’s definitely my favorite of the fictional stories I’ve written thus far!
Read the Prologue
Click the button below to read the prologue for free!
What age level is this book for?
Obviously, this book is about World War II and the Holocaust, so it deals with some heavy topics–war, anti-semitism, concentration camps, executions, etc. While there are some very sad parts and characters face some serious moral dilemmas (such as: when is it justifiable to kill to save others?), I refrained from going into graphic detail and tried to keep it appropriate for readers as young as early teens. I was homeschooled and have many fond memories of my parents reading aloud to me and my siblings, and I still enjoy read-alouds with my family. My vision for this book includes teens and adults enjoying it on their own or with family and friends, and younger kids reading it with a parent. Overall, it’s a very clean read, but I know it won’t be for everyone! Click the button below for a detailed content breakdown, so you can see for yourself if it would be a good fit for you/your family!
The Heart Behind the Story
There are several reasons I chose to write about this time period, but I will share two of the main reasons I am so passionate about sharing the stories of World War II and the Holocaust and a bit of the heart behind this story.
- I want to remind people that God is good and give them hope.
As I’ve read the stories of real heroes from World War II, one of the things that has stood out to me the most is how they kept hoping, kept believing in the goodness of God, in even the very darkest of circumstances. They found beauty and light in even the worst places and never stopped hoping. I personally have experienced the goodness of God and the incredible hope and joy and peace that comes from trusting Him, and I want to share that with my readers. - I want to remind people that life is valuable.
Another of my biggest takeaways from my World War II heroes is that every life is precious.
During World War II, the Nazis sought to exterminate Jews, the disabled, and anyone else they deemed “unfit.” Two-thirds of the Jewish population as a whole in Europe were killed by the Nazis, and approximately 90% of Jewish children in Europe were murdered. Thousands of disabled children and adults, Russians, Romani people, and others were also systematically killed. This is a horrific tragedy that should not be forgotten.
While there were many Christians in Europe who did nothing in the face of such evil, there were also many Christians such as Corrie ten Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hans Poley, Diet Eman, and others who worked to rescue those persecuted by the Nazis and spread the truth that God values life.
While today, we thankfully don’t have concentration camps and gas chambers, there is a disturbing disregard for human life, evidenced in the wide acceptance of abortion, human euthanasia, and doctor-assisted suicide. And in the past few years, antisemitism and crimes against Jews have risen alarmingly.
All of this convinces me that these stories must be told. We must remember and learn from our history. While the practicals will look different for us than they did for the Dutch Resistance during World War II, as we’re not living in an enemy-occupied country in wartime, we can still work to rescue the needy and vulnerable as they did. I desire to use my writing to be a voice for those who have no voice–the unborn, the sick, the elderly, the orphan, the persecuted, the enslaved, those with special needs. I want to share the truth that every life is created by God in His image, and therefore has great value.
Lest you think this story is all seriousness, though, let me assure you that there is humor interspersed in it as well! I like to describe my writing as “infused with a hearty dose of hope, truth, and beauty, plus a dash of humor.” I love to laugh and think serious subjects should be lightened up with a bit of fun!
You can learn more about the real stories that inspired this book and the lessons from my World War II heroes by reading these blog posts:
The Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Lessons from My World War II Heroes Part One: God Still Does Miracles
Lessons from My World War II Heroes Part Two: Find Beauty in the Dark
Lessons from My World War II Heroes Part Three: Give Thanks
Lessons from My World War II Heroes Part Four: Every Life is Precious
More reviews:
“This is such a good book; so full of research, cool historical tidbits, lots of action, and solid spiritual messages… I really love Savannah’s heart in this book; she does honor to the heroes of the Resistance and pleads for the value of human life. Oh, and did I mention encouragement?? SO much light even in the worst places! There’s a cast of five solid characters, but they’re all distinct and never get confusing. I love their courage, self-sacrifice, and devotion…
I both grinned and teared up while reading. Multiple times.
I had to ask myself, how would I respond if I were in these characters’ situation? What would I have done? And honestly, I don’t know, because I’ve never faced anything like what they did. But I do know this; the same good God who guided them, gave them light in their darkness, and upheld them in distress, would be with me as well, because He never changes.”
–Phoebe Hinkle, author of We Gave Our Tomorrows
“5 stars. Wow! I think the first thing to say is this book impressed me. My hat is off to the author for the amount of time she spent researching and writing this—mostly researching, because that was very obvious to me (I recognized a lot of pieces inspired by The Hiding Place, haha). I’ve read so many WWII novels, especially set in the Netherlands, and this one, I think, best covered the day-to-day life and decisions of Christians during that period. This was well represented by the characters, from impulsive Marit, to stubborn Gerrit, to conscientious Pieter, to patient Elsje, to passionate David. Through their eyes and conversations you get to see how different people viewed the war and the resistance. While I didn’t agree with the characters on everything, or how they chose to respond to certain things, I came away challenged, encouraged, touched, and with a lot to consider. I really, really appreciated how much Christianity bled through the pages—these people were Christians, and lived as Christians, and it was refreshingly obvious. I also was very impressed by how the author managed to speak of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and impress the reader with the intensity and danger, she also didn’t over-detail things, keeping this age-appropriate for a MG. Overall, I definitely recommend this novel, and I am so excited to hear of another WWII work by this author!”
-Katja Labonté, author of A Noble Comfort
“Trains and Tulips reads as a story that’s not meant to just be a novel-instead, the historical depth combines with an epic, truth-filled story that reveals the account of WWII through the eyes of followers of Jesus. It will delight both history-lovers and those who want to enjoy an adventurous story of courage. The story portrays an example of true Christianity in which God’s people take strangers into their home, adopt children, and risk their lives, love stories, and what they hold most dear to serve Jesus, and those believers show true love to their enemies, hold fast to truth, and extend the Gospel to people of varied cultures and religions, no matter the danger. It’s a call for the Christian to stand up, declare truth, and love God and others radically. The novel displays that God is good, period, and invites readers to see His goodness in a deep, rich way, especially in the midst of darkness and trial, because in WWII and in today, we are invited to praise the Lord and be part of His work.”
-Hosanna Emily, author of The Torch Keepers and The Way of the King
“There were a lot of things about this book that I enjoyed, but my favorite of them all was simply the respect and love with which it was written.
I have read a fairly large number of Christian historical fiction books, and I have gotten very tired of casually written books that promote harsh and/or hurtful worldviews that disrespect the historical times and people they are written about. I’ve also read a large number of Christian books that show God as a sort of magical lottery ticket that turns horrible circumstances into sunshine and flowers.
And so it delights me to say that this book is none of the above. The care with which it was written was absolutely lovely, and I nearly cried in several occasions while reading it — a rarity for me. It was moving, as a good WWII story is, but never in a way that left me depressed and heavy as so many books do. I greatly appreciated the author’s gentleness and focus on light even in incredibly dark times.
There were no shortcuts or easy ways out for the characters, just like in real life, and yet they still found ways to focus on the goodness of God, even when their lives were torn apart. I loved that. I loved how honest and truthful it was, and I loved how it was also very encouraging. This book found me at just the right time.”
-Goodreads review
Savannah Jane McCrary 