The Upstairs Room

At the farmhouse, the girls meet Johan Oosterveld, his wife Dientje, and his mother Opoe (Granny). Mr. Hannink leaves, promising to return in a week or two. The Oostervelds have a radio, and because of the news broadcasts, Johan believes the Germans will be defeated soon. When everyone retires upstairs, the girls learn that the back bedroom is too cold in the winter, so Annie sleeps in the bed with the couple, while Sini sleeps on a mattress on the floor. Because the room is in the front of the house, the girls need to be careful near the windows. Also, the house has no bathroom, so the girls must use a chamber pot.

Johan and Opoe rise early every morning to tend to the farm. A few days a week, Johan travels to neighboring town, Boekelo, to work. After breakfast, Dientje brings a bowl of water for the girls to wash up, emphasizing how dangerous it is to hide the girls. Sini and Annie say nothing until Dientje leaves. When Dientje comes back, they ask for books to read. Later, Opoe sits with them and darns socks so that they aren’t lonely. Sini helps with the socks. For dinner, Dientje brings a bowl of meat, potatoes, and beans. Realizing that the meat is pork, the girls don’t eat it. However, when they learn that the potatoes and beans were cooked with the pork, Sini agrees to try it next time.

After a few days, Dientje prods Johan about when Mr. Hannink will return for the girls, frequently reiterating that their lives are in danger. Johan demands that she stop asking. Soon after, Dientje takes Annie’s measurements to make her a new dress. Johan declares that he doesn’t want the girls to leave, and Annie and Sini are relieved. Then, he locks the doors and draws the shades so that they can all go downstairs. Pulling a radio from the ceiling, Johan listens to the news with the girls. Later, when Annie asks about a book, Johan says that the minister has some and that Dientje can borrow one from him.

When Dientje suggests a hiding place for the girls in case German soldiers come, Johan builds one in the bedroom closet. He cuts the closet in half, creates a hiding space and erects a wall with movable shelves in front of it. The Oostervelds leave it open so that the girls can get in quickly if necessary. They also decide that someone must always be home to put the shelf back in place once the girls hide. Every day, Annie and Sini practice getting into the space quickly.

After a month at the Oostervelds, Opoe brings the girls a calendar to mark off the days. They learn that Opoe will turn 71 next Sunday. Then Annie realizes she doesn’t know what the outside of the house looks like because they arrived in the dark. The next day, Dientje returns from the minister’s house with a book for the girls to share. She was hesitant to ask the minister for more lest it look suspicious. However, Dientje was happy to do something for the girls. Annie and Sini take turns reading the book until Johan invites them downstairs to listen to the news. They learn that the Russians defeated the Germans in Stalingrad and are ecstatic. Later that night, planes fly overhead, keeping them awake, and Sini’s excitement fades as she realizes that the war isn’t ending.

On Opoe’s birthday, Johan gets extra cloth from work for the girls to give her. Then, they all have an early dinner downstairs. Instead of drawing the shades, they close the gate so that they can hear any visitors arrive. Used to days filled with nothing to do, Annie thinks their life is now exciting. As they feast on chicken, Annie takes in the room and is drawn to a picture of birds and a horse, which Opoe made 50 years ago. Opoe insists that Dientje make an apron for her out of the cloth the girls gave her. Johan is thankful to be a farmer because food is rationed, and folks in the city aren’t getting much to eat. Opoe wishes the girls could stay downstairs, but then the gate opens, so the girls must hide.

The Hanninks visit Opoe and then go upstairs to see the girls. Annie and Sini ask about Rachel and their father, who rarely write. Also, the girls learn that “Hendrik,” whom Opoe mentions all the time, is her late husband. When more visitors arrive, the Hanninks must go, and the girls listen for hours while more people arrive to celebrate Opoe’s birthday. Opoe sneaks cake upstairs to the girls, and they quietly light a fire in the stove.