Spotlight of Beneath The Canopy by Lynda Riggers

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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BENEATH THE CANOPY

LYNDA RIGGERS

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR.

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A middle-grade historical novel set in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden and the Hunger Winter.

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August 27, 2026

Vanguard Press (UK)

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PRAISE FOR BENEATH THE CANOPY:

Thank you for writing this book. I absolutely loved it. I'm a better person for knowing your in-law's story (well part of it, anyway). :)~Jennifer Senick

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Those looking for historical fiction that brings overlooked moments in history to life will want to read it. I believe this novel deserves a place in homes, classrooms, and libraries. Johanna and Rein show what it means to keep moving forward despite fear.~Jennifer Senick

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What makes this historical children’s tale so moving is the author’s choice to shift the focus away from soldiers and onto the innocent perspectives of children. She explores the hard truths of the wartime famine with a quiet sensitivity, keeping the historical background easy for young minds to follow. The story really grabs your attention as it highlights the small, unexpected acts of kindness the characters encounter along the way. By anchoring the plot in themes like family loyalty, resilience, and survival, Riggers creates a story that’s both educational and heartfelt. The pacing is natural, giving young readers enough room to understand the story’s historical moments without getting lost in any complex political subplot. Ultimately, it’s a poignant tale that reminds us how compassion can still bloom in the darkest corners of history. Very highly recommended.~Robert Collier III

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At the center of it all is human decency in the middle of ruin, the unspoken bravery of children, and the stubborn sense of togetherness when things get bleak. ~Carmen Tenorio

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Riggers writes with direct sensory language, and alternating viewpoints keep each child’s experience readable and firmly situated in history. Overall, this is a moving, evenly paced historical novel that suits readers both young and young at heart.

~Asher Syed

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ABOUT BENEATH THE CANOPY:

September 1944. As Allied forces launch Operation Market Garden, twelve-year-old Johanna Lodewijk lives in Arnhem, where every day is measured by air-raid sirens, ration cards, and the desperate hope that liberation is finally within reach. Across the Netherlands in Apeldoorn, nearly twelve-year-old Rein Wolters survives largely on his own, scavenging for food while his family is scattered by war. Though separated by miles, both children are shaped by the same brutal occupation, where ordinary choices can mean the difference between life and death.

When the battle for Arnhem devastates Johanna's home, she and her family are forced to flee into an uncertain future. Rein, meanwhile, becomes increasingly entangled with the realities of resistance, collaboration, and survival. As hunger tightens its grip on the Dutch population during the infamous Hunger Winter, both children discover that courage is rarely found in grand gestures but in the quiet determination to protect those they love.

Their paths eventually cross, forming an unexpected friendship that offers a rare glimpse of hope amid relentless hardship. Through shared losses, impossible decisions, and small acts of kindness, Johanna and Rein learn that even in the darkest seasons, compassion can endure. Yet the war leaves scars that cannot be seen. Each must confront the emotional cost of survival while searching for a future beyond the occupation that has defined their childhoods.

Inspired by the true experiences of the author's in-laws, Beneath the Canopy blends historical fact with carefully crafted fiction to illuminate a lesser-known chapter of World War II history. Rich in historical detail and grounded in authentic human experience, the novel explores the resilience of ordinary families caught in extraordinary circumstances. Rather than focusing on battlefields and generals, it tells the story of war through the eyes of children forced to grow up too soon—children who discover that hope can survive even when everything familiar has been stripped away.

At its heart, Beneath the Canopy is a story of endurance, family, first love, and remembrance. It serves as both an engaging work of historical fiction and a poignant reminder that the consequences of war extend far beyond the battlefield, echoing across generations long after the fighting has ended.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

My articles have appeared in Elephants and Tea and Patient Power.

I am the author of two nonfiction books, Voices of Cancer and Voices of LGBTQ+, and a women’s fiction novel, The Placeholder, published by Amplify, an imprint of Mascot Books.

Voices of Cancer has been translated into Chinese and supported educational initiatives for medical students in Taiwan.

I have worked as a paralegal in the legal field for over three decades and am currently at work on my next manuscript.

My previous work was published under the name Lynda Wolters.

I'm a mom, a newer grandma (love my SJ!), learning to navigate single life as a near-60-year-old, a cancer warrior, and a lover of animals and humans.

I'm a voracious reader, a ballroom dancer, a cancer warrior, and a loud voice for injustice.

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