Wunschkind--a German word for a "coveted child"-- offers the story of a young girl born into and indoctrinated by a Nazi family under Hitler. Liesel Appel's auto­biography, here rendered especially for young readers, follows her early childhood and adolescence and her violent awakening to the realities of her family's beliefs. Shocked to the core to learn of Kristallnacht from a Jew upon his return to his hometown, Liesel begins her journey into adulthood bearing the unspeakable weight of knowing she was given birth as a service to the very people whose actions she abhors. Since the publication of her first book, The Neighbor's Son, Appel has continuously toured, speaking to audiences about the value of multiculturalism and love in a world prone to prejudice and hate. In Wunschkind, she brings her message for the first time to young readers.