In My Enemy's House

by Carol Matas

"They won't kill everyone in the ghetto right away," he continues, his voice matter-of-fact. "They still need workers. But not for long. After all, they have us Poles to work for them, don't they?" He paused then, and looked at me. It was frozen like Polish winter. It was cold right through into my bones.

"You know Miriam," Mr. Kraszenski suggested, "you could be one of us."

With her blue eyes and blonde hair, Marisa could be a Polish Christian girl. But living a lie can also be a horrible burden for a young woman to bear.

Writing in the same dramatic style as her other outstanding Holocaust stories, Carol Matas has outdone herself with this realistic, poignant story set in World War II Poland and Germany. 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Holocaust, Historical, World War II, Fiction, Childrens

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[shekainah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Jenna (Falling Letters)]

This was one of my favorite books back in the day. I wonder how it holds up.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Work of historical fiction would fit well with the (Manitoba) grade six Social Studies program. As I look back at my first two groups of grade four students, there are few who who would be able to fully appreciate Carol Matas's tale of Marisa as she does whatever she has to do to outsmart the Nazis and stay alive. While the historical detail enriches the plot line, the reader I gains some insight into what the young Jews endured through that horrific period in the history of mankind. At the gr. 4 level I would have to consider many factors before allowing a student to take on this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 7-10 167pgs

WWII, Poland / Germany. After most of her family is rounded up and murdered, 15 year old Marisa, who has blue eyes and blonde hair, pretends to be a Christian, Polish girl and is sent to work as a house servant with a Nazi family in Weimar, Germany.

Like "Code Name Kris" because of certain situations in the story, I think this book is also a better fit for an older reader.

[Kayla Krest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the first Holocaust books I ever read and it drew me in. This book is one of my favorite books of all-time and has the drama needed in a book for teens but also accurately portrays the heaviness of the era.

[Valentina M · Rating 4 out of 5]

In My Enemy’s House is a story about Marisa who is a Jewish teen girl that is stuck in World War II who has to go and clean at a german office with her sister fanny and her friends. They make Marrisa and the other girls work all day and after cleaning all day have to walk a long way to get home. Marissa one day sees that she has started falling in love with her step cousin Shamul but one day her dad sees them holding hands disagrees of the relationship. The next day her dad goes to Samuel's dad to tell him and never comes back. Then next week she comes back from work and finds her family gone. She needs to save herself before the Natiz come back. So she makes a plan to go and run away with Fanny, Yehuda her brother and Shamul before they come. They stay in several barns and find food for several days. Until one day Shamul and Marisa go to get food and find her siblings gone. They never find them so remember a offer that Marisa’s neighbor gives her. Marissa looks like a Pole and is given an a choice to go to work as a Polish slave but will have to leave Shamul and will probably never see him again. She arrives at a farm where the don't treat her with respect. She was given another offer and takes it. She gets to the very respective family but finds out a disturbing fact about the family. After she finds this out she could never look at the family the same way. Marisa starts becoming close with the Reymann family and especially close with their daughter Charlotte. One day at dinner Marissa finds out that she as to go work at this factory as a Slave in berlin and has no choice. When Marissa gets to the factory she starts to have a real friendship and finds a real best friend. When something bad happens in Berlin both of them escape. Well her best friend Renatta has to go find a job Marisa goes back to the Reymanns. After the War is over Marissa decides to go back home but finds nothing except one of the people that she was thinking about in the whole war.

I really loved this book. I feel that I am a very picky person when it comes to books and if I don't find a book that really really interests me I will not read it unless I have to. With this book I found that I was actually picking up the book and wanting to read it without force. I was happy because I don't often find books like that. The other thing that really surprising was that I don't like warfare books at all, so I was so surprised that i liked the book. Why I liked the book was because there was a lot of tension and I kind of liked that there was romance and friendship involved in the book as well. The ending was forsure my favorite part of the book. When Marisa found a friend was also of of my favorite parts of the book because she go to be a real teen girl when she found Renatta they got a real adventure. I thought this book was a really good book and I would recommend this book to people.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

War, devastation, and history. Carol Matas includes all these in her writing "In my Enemy’s House". Marisa, a Polish Jew, whose blonde hair and blue eyes make it easy for her to pass as a Christian during WWΙΙ. With her family murdered and scattered by the German Nazis, Marisa disguises herself as a polish worker and travels to Germany in an attempt to find work. In Germany, Marisa finds work for a Nazi family. Marisa is hiding in plain sight in her enemy's house.
I liked how short and simplistic the book was. In the first 30 pages of the story, so much of the plot has already unfolded. I also liked how well the story describes the hardships Jews had to go through during the WWΙΙ. I learned a vast amount of the rough living conditions in historic settings. I only wish the book was written for a more mature audience, it seems written for a younger audience.
I would recommend this book to my younger brother. He loves learning about history and reading personal stories. I feel he would enjoy the style the book was written in. I would not recommend this book to my mother, for she probably would not be interested in reading a book about WWΙΙ, she prefers scientific fiction more.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marisa, a blonde, blue-eyed Jewish girl, passes as a Polish girl and works for a nazi family in Germany. Will Marisa survive working in her enemy's house? Will someone discover her secret?

This book was good but not great. It's well-written and well researched, and I appreciate all the historical details the author put in. There's a predictable romantic subplot, and all the characters are pretty paper thin. Even the main character, Marisa. I felt like I never really knew her. She mentions wanting to be a scholar, but this is mostly told and not shown. The book hints at some interesting ideas- like Marisa growing close to the nazi family, and feeling morally conflicted about it- but they're not explored with any real depth.

Overall, I think this is a good book for older children and younger teens wanting to learn about the holocaust.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult novel set in Poland just as the Nazis move into her town and start to round up the Jews. Miriam is blue-eyed and blond so she makes the difficult decision to leave her siblings and try to pass as a Christian. She comes face-to-face with the virulent anti-Semitism of ordinary Germans and faces dangers of being exposed or giving herself away, eith er by accident or by trusting the wrong person. A young person reading this book would learn agreat deal about the treatment of hte Jews (and Poles) during the Holocaust. More importantly, the novel's themes of identity, courage, faith and trust are important life lessons. The book is easy to read with enough depth and excitement to satisfy any reader.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is DEEP. And SUPER difficult to read emotionally. Not for under 15 because of mature elements. It taught me about the common German people then and PERFECTLY captures the Nazi brainwashing techniques. The same kind of techniques used during the Cultural Revolution in Red China. The theology in this book is very, very close to being correct but it isn't entirely. I say that from a non-denominational Christian standpoint. The horror of the Nazi Regime is illuminated clearly and starkly in this book.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible inner struggle to know the balance of intellect and faith. 10/10 recommend! Use judgement on what age read this, it's filled with details that are hard to take in.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was sad, but I loved it. The way it was written was beautiful simply beautiful. Between the word choice and overall how it was written, it was spectacular.

[Karly Loar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and simple read. The story never fully drew me in.

[Junia · Rating 5 out of 5]

🥳💓💗😢

[Janice Corturillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for a middle schooler. Makes you wonder how far you would go to stay safe and care for your family.

[Carla Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this in 6th grade this was a fire ass childhood book i should buy it again and read it

[Pat B]

Recommended by Kelsie Anderson 5/29/25

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marisa, a blond, blue-eyed Jewish girl in World War II Poland passes as a Polish peasant and gets a job working for a Nazi family. She experiences a predictable romance with a rebellious cousin and eventually obtains work in Germany.

[06danielc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Clark
Period: 3

In my enemies house was a well made book about the holocost. There are three reasons why I thought it was interesting about this book. First what she has to do to survive. Second was what her siblings do to her. And last but not least what happens at the end. I think you will find these things as interesting as I did.

In order to survive the main girl Marissa has to sign up to do labor work to survive. To her advantage she has blonde hair and blue eyes so she looks polish rather than Jewish. She has to do labor work for Germans. The first house she is put in the family hits her and treats her as if she is less worth than an animal. The family hates her and thinks that she is dumb. Luckly there is a different girl there but this girl is treated much better she is able to talk to her about things that she could not say to anybody else. But soon after the girl leaves and luckily Marissa gets released from that family and gets to go to a different much nicer family if they don't find out her biggest secret that is. This next family is the total opposite of the family that she was first with. They treat Marissa and the other laborers kindly. There is only one thing that Marissa is worried about. The new families father is a Nazi and he is looked up too. Luckily he never find out about it.

In the book before she is a laborer her younger siblings look just like Jews so they always have to hide. Marissa has to provide food for them but it's very hard. The kids decide that they think they are holding their older sister up. So while there sister and there sisters friend Shmuel are sleeping they run away so that her sister will have an easier life. When Marissa woke up she notice they were gone and started to have a panic attack and had to look for them. Sadly they were nowhere to be found.

I like the end because after the war is over she went to look at the records to see who was dead and who wasn't. She first looked for Shmuels name on the dead list but he wasn't there. Then she looked for her brother and sisters name they weren't there. That's when she found the feeling of hope that she hadn't had for a long time

I liked this book and would highly reccomend it for those who like learning abou the holocost. I liked this book because. Marissa has to learn to survive, what her brother and sister do to her, and the end of the book. If you ever get to read this book I hope you will enjoy it.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In My Enemy's House is a historical fiction set in the early 20th century during the Jewish holocaust caused by Hitler. Miriam is a quiet Jewish girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has many friends, a kind family, and a helpful neighbour called Mr. Kraszenski who Miriam's family helped hide when the Russians were deporting soldiers to Siberia. Miriam is a very kind girl who has common fainting attacks and is likes her cousin. She lives in a small neighbour where most people knew each other. The houses were pretty big and the roads were not too dirty. Though made of dirt, the road was flattened down so that there wouldn't be dirt flying around. It was a clean area that gave a sense of happiness.
However soon Miriam has to escape from her home in Poland when the Germans begin deporting Jewish to concentration camps and doing public massacres. With many of her friends now dead, her parents gone and running out of money, Mr. Kraszenski helps Miriam and her remaining family survive as a repayment of debt. Not even Mr. Kraszenski can keep them all alive though, so Miriam disguises herself as a polish and goes to work in Germany. She ends up in a Nazi leader's house as a maid to their children. Miriam learns to survive in Germany and makes new friends of the German. Again her life changes as the Americans bomb Germany and she leaves her new German friends to find her old ones. She goes to a camp for the surviving Jewish and find that most of her friends are dead. She does not however see her siblings dead or alive but find her cousin in a camp nearby.
I found this a great book that showed the horrors of living as a Jew in WWII. Based on true facts, it tells the advantages of having the traits of what Hitler called, 'the ideal Aryan race'. I really liked the character development in Miriam as she learns how cruel the world really is. However there could have been a few improvements on character introduction, as one of the main supporting characters barely has any detail on her. Throughout the beginning and middle the plot moves a little too quickly. whereas in the end, the plot moved a little too slowly. I would recommend it to people who enjoy stories of WWII but do not mind gory details. The person reading should at least be in Grade 4 as the beginning would definitely give younger children nightmares. Overall I enjoyed the book thoroughly and I think I would be great to have another book like this one. (I wanted to rate it three and a half stars but I couldn't, so it's four stars)

[Julia G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 11, and it was one of my first Holocaust books. I remember it being very eye-opening. Recently, I decided to reread it, and I'm glad I did because, as an adult, I gained a new perspective.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, In My Enemy’s House, is captivating to read. It is a historical fiction book that is great for all ages. The storyline and word choices are not too hard for the reader, but will still keep your attention throughout the entire book. The book portrays a different perspective than the viewpoint typically found in World War II and Holocaust books. The book was an interesting glimpse into the life of a blond, blue eyed, Jewish girl, Marisa, who was able to pass as a Polish girl during World War II. With most of Marisa’s family taken by the Nazis, she was forced to make a hard decision to either take the papers of a Polish worker named Maria or to stay with the remaining portion of her family members and risk being taken to a concentration camp. After Marisa makes the decision to take the papers of Maria, the Polish girl, she is sent to different homes and forced to work. The first home is not filled with friendly people. At first, she regrets her decision, but later realizes that there is still hope. The second family that she is sent to is filled with very nice people. This family has three children, including a girl, Charlotte, who is around Marisa’s age. Charlotte views Marisa as more of a sister or close friend than as a Polish worker and is able to trust and confide in Marisa. Marisa soon starts to feel for them, but later learns how the father is actually working for the Nazis. Marisa is in a battle between wanting to accept the family as being different than typical Nazis and wanting to hate them for the father’s job. Will Marisa accept Charlotte as a friend even though she is in a family of Nazis? Will she ever be able to see her family again? Read this book to answer all of your questions!

[Raul Gallardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Historical Fiction book called In My Enemy's House by Carol Matas. This book is very interesting because it is about a Jewish girl trying to survive the Holocaust alone. I've read another book called Number the Stars and it was also about the holocaust and it was very interesting and scary when they were about to get caught. I would really recommend if this book if you are looking for a good book to read or a book about the Holocaust.

[Maka Allgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book through the book speed dating. The cover and title looked interesting so I took a peek on the inside cover where I learned that it was about a Jew trying to survive. I love historical fiction about Jews trying to survive which is why I choose this book.
"In My Enemy's House" is about a Jewish girl named Marisa who because she looks like a polish girl with her blond hair and blue eyes is able to go undercover as a polish servant to escape the Germans. She becomes a servant for a family that treats her like an actual human being, but that doesn't change the fact that that's the home of a high ranking Nazi Official and his daughter Charlotte is a firm believer in the Nazi cause. Even though it seems safe with the Reymanns Marisa can't forget she's literally in the house of the enemy.
I loved this book because while it did take a bit of time before she was actually with the Reymanns the author still made sure there was plenty to keep you going. I loved how Marisa grew(Mentally) through the whole story and the author paced her growth not to fast but not to slow either. "In My Enemy's House" is a great book that keeps you flipping on. I would recommend this book to anyone in middle school because there's a bit of mature content in there.

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a LOT of books about, or at least set during, World War II. My interest started when I was in grade eight and my class did a study of the Holocaust. I started with the classics, like Number the Stars and Summer of My German Soldier, but this one was new to me. And, I might add, deserving of a place amongst the best in children's WWII literature. It is told from the perspective of a Jewish girl in Poland who, uniquely, is able to pass herself off as a Christian due to her blonde hair and blue eyes. Through her eyes, we see what it was like to live through the loss of her family, then live as a slave to the Germans, while ultimately feeling some empathy for her persecutors. Though this is, I think, a work of fiction, it could very easily be a true story. The characters and situations are, at times, shockingly realistic, and all the better for it. While the book is relatively short at 150 pages, the author doesn't waste any pages on Dickensian descriptions, but rather lovingly places each word to the utmost effect. My only minor complaint would be that I would like to have had a more definitive conclusion to the story, but I really can't say anything bad about it. At times hard to read, but a brilliant book.

[Lyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was like reading an outline! Nothing was fleshed out at all. I appreciate when a writer describes the situation so well that you feel like you've stepped into the action. It's nice when they lead you to certain feelings and emotions through creative, detailed language.

I never once got lost in this book. The language was full of, "I went here, I did this, I felt this." It was like talking on the phone not visiting another world!

As readers we all hope for the best for the protagonist of a story. But I can't imagine any reader appreciating the way that every time the main character tried to manipulate a situation, it worked out exactly as she had planned. So annoying!

Also, the whole book is leading up to a reunion of our heroine and someone important. (Anticipating this moment is the only thing that kept me reading.) As soon as she located this person, the book abruptly ends. We don't even get to be there!

No wonder I found this book on a clearance shelf!

[Sarah L · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Enemy’s House by Carol Matas
Historical Fiction


Summary:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like growing up as a Jew during WWII? Marisa, the main character of the book lives in Zloczow, Poland. The Germans have invaded Poland and took her family. Luckily she can disguise herself as a Pole. She is sent to a farm in Germany and works for the Reymann’s as a slave. She has a good time there except for the fact that she is living in her enemy’s house.

Opinion:
The author is really good at describing Marisa's feelings. In the 13th chapter Marisa said ,“Within weeks of arriving at the Reymann’s all I could think about was killing myself. I hated everyone and everything.” When she is writing it feels as if you are in the book and you can feel how she felt. Overall WWII is one of my most favorite categories to read about and this was a really good book and it describes how hard it was for the Jews to live in WWII.

[Corinne Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives the reader a different twist to the World War II story: a young, blond Jewish girl from Poland uses her looks to take on a new identity as a Christian Pole. The story of how Marisa gets to that point and the life she lives as a "non-Jew" is an intimate look at German society during the war.

I liked the book and yet it seemed to skim the surface. I wanted a bit more "oomph" or something. There were scenes of brutality but somehow I never got the emotion I would've expected, although the main character was believable, for the most part. Marisa was a conflicted character, the time and place felt very well researched and the book itself presents an interesting case for keeping love in your heart during extremely challenging circumstances. I think for younger teens, this is a good choice for Holocaust fiction.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because, it was infoming about the Holocost. This was not like the other book about the Holocost. It was not like them because she did not go to a getto, but her family did. She looked enough like a pole to buy someones papers and go to work as a pole. Her family was killed in the gettos, but she dose not know what happend to her younger sister and her younger brother. They were not on the list for alive of dead jews once the war was over. One of the only family members left was her cousin. On her journy she met a couple of pole friends. She got really close to a family, but what was scarry for her is that the dad of the family was a Nazi. She never uncovered her secret. This is a good book if you like historical fiction I would recomend reading this book.

[Laura Guilbault · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only real complaint with this book was that I couldn't quite distinguish the beginning middle and end. The characters were likeable (save for the ones who were meant to be hated) and the story was easy to understand. It had a lot of quotes that I really liked, especially the ones about what makes a person truly evil, and how there is a little bit of good in everyone, even if they have a bad title that some may think badly of. (I think that grammar is correct; sorry, I'm tired today).
Anyways, to conclude this wasn't one of my favorite books, but it did keep me turning the page and I really liked the story.