Ever wondered what German people who couldn’t actually fight in the Second World War got up to between 1939 and 1945? Nope, me neither, until I started Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. It is focused on one man’s modest and dogged anti-Nazi protest, which is strangely effective and bristlingly terrifying in its consequences. Based on real-life events, his counterattack takes the form of one dropped postcard a week, undermining the war effort.

Jo Klaces is creative agent at Queensbridge School in Moseley, Birmingham. Send your What I’m Reading to features@tes.co.uk.