A novel in verse about Sophie Scholl and the anti-Nazi White Rose Movement in Germany during World War II begins with the arrest of Sophie and her brother Hans, caught distributing anti-Nazi leaflets. The story then moves back and forth between Sophie’s interrogation (sections labeled “The End”) to her young adulthood and growing activism (“Before”), which include her romance with Fritz, a young man not unsympathetic to her feelings about the Nazis but also a lieutenant in the Germany army, to her actions on the day she and Hans were arrested (“Day Zero”). Dates on the first poem in each section clarify where the story is in time. The Nazi search for the creators and distributors of the leaflets encouraging German citizens to resist the Nazi regime, and the perspective of Sophie’s interrogators are also part of a work that builds incredible tension even when the final outcome is known. A final “Before” section shows Sophie at her youngest in the narrative, at a time when she didn’t question the Nazi youth activities in which she and Hans participated. It’s a striking contrast to what come next: a young woman walking to her death with her brother and a fellow conspirator, not necessarily without fear, but without regret. A brief, soaring epilogue is followed by notes and sources. (Age 12 and older)