New Book Highlight - Song of a Blackbird

Last week, at the International School Librarians of Europe (ISLE) conference, Ms. Kate Smith and I got to spend a day with the author of Song of a Blackbird, touring the locations mentioned in her book. 

Maria Van Lieshout, is a Dutch-American illustrator and graphic novelist. She was born and raised near Amsterdam, and her graphic novel Song of a Blackbird is inspired by historic events, including those that affected her own family, during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. Maria lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their son.

After her grandmother’s death in 2011, Maria stumbled upon documents written by her grandparents about their experiences during the Nazi occupation, and she discovered how a group of artists helped pull off the greatest bank heist in European history to fund the Resistance, right under the noses of the Nazis.

Fictionalized but based on true events, Song of a Blackbird has two intertwined timelines: one is a modern-day family drama, the other is a thrilling tale of that bank heist carried out by Dutch resistance fighters. Maria van Lieshout weaves a tale about family, courage, and the power of art. Deeply personal yet universal, Song of a Blackbird sheds light on an untold WWII story and sends a powerful message about compassion and resistance.

Awards won: 

• Michael L. Printz Award Honor
• National Book Award Longlist
• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award (x2)
• Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Award
• Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
• Publisher's Weekly Best Young Adult Books
• Kirkus Best Young Adult Books
• The Horn Book Fanfare Best Fiction
• School Library Journal Best Graphic Novels
• Chicago Public Library Best Teen Graphic Novels
• The Children's Book Review Best YA Books
• International Literacy Association Notable Book for a Global Society
• Common Sense Media Teen Selection

 

Our tour group, with the author, outside one of the buildings where events took place that are featured in the book. 

 

 

 Accessible, haunting, and immaculately researched, this work will claim its place beside graphic novel classics such as Art Spiegelman's Maus and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis."
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

 

Ms. Van Lieshout's novel celebrates the incredible bravery of everyday people living under impossible circumstances..."
— Wall Street Journal

This is essential, illuminating reading."
— R. J. Palacio, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A visually stunning dive into history, family, and the awesome power of art."
— Steve Sheinkin, National Book Award finalist, Newbery Honor Recipient.

 

 

 

 

Our library copy, (signed by the author!) of Song of a Blackbird is in processing. If you'd like to check it out, drop us a note and we'll add you to the waiting list for it. 

Mrs. Tricia Fraser

tfraser@icsbudapest.org

 

Photos, quotes, and text from Van Lieshout Studio. Van Lieshout Studio, https://www.vanlieshoutstudio.com. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.