The Boy Who Dared Book Review

Imagine being in favor of your fatherland, Germany, and believing Hitler was such a good guy when you were 8-years-old.  When you grow older you are required to join the Hitler Youth, but you complete your duties as best you can.  On top of that, your mother begins to date and later marries a high-ranking Nazi officer.  Then, you notice the poor ways the Jews are treated, the cruelty emanating from SS officers, the propaganda-filled fliers and soon the radios that only broadcast carefully worded German news.  You were not raised to believe in this... and so you decide to do something about it.

I know, I know, the book has been out for awhile.  But, sometimes its good to give refreshers of great books (at least I think it is).  I enjoyed Susan Campbell Bartoletti's narrative of the life of main character, Helmuth, during the rise and rule of Hitler in Germany.  History is much easier for me to learn if I get to read a narrative or the topic is brought to life in some other way for me.  From this book, I gleaned information I hadn't known about Germans and Germany during this time period.

Bartoletti ran across Helmuth's story while gathering information for another book, Hitler Youth.  The novel represents the experience of many in Germany who put effort into resisting the Nazis and Hitler.  The compelling aspect of Helmuth is that he was so young, but demonstrated such courage and heart to make his voice and the truth heard at 17 years of age.

This book would be a perfect middle school read extending to high school.  Additional resources located here.



Image from Scholastic.com

It’s a Bloody War

Recommended for grades 3-6

     My sister asked me what books I had managed to read over winter break and I was proud to rattle off at least six titles. It surprised me that the title I went to town explaining was The Civil War, the first book in the Profiles series.  This colorful nonfiction series with photos and illustrations takes six people from a particular part of U.S. history and gives 10-15 page biographies on them.  There is more in-depth detail pertaining to the specific event, in this case—The Civil War—the individuals were all connected with.  The end of the book contains an index and websites for further studies.  The figures profiled in The Civil War are Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, George McClellan, Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, and Matthew Brady. 

     I will readily admit I’m not the best when it comes to history (but, a lot better than I used to be).  My sister made a point the other day when she asked my mom and me if we knew anything about history that didn’t have to do with the Jews and the Holocaust.  That’s why I like reading children’s books about certain periods of history—the majority of authors know how to make it intriguing enough to absorb.

     I knew some things about Abraham Lincoln and Matthew Brady since I studied some photography in college.  I did like the little facts that I learned about the rest of the figures.  For instance, I didn’t know that Robert E. Lee was originally asked to lead the Union army, but he felt great loyalty to his state of birth, Virginia, and decided to serve the Confederate army (and later, people would want him tried as a traitor).  I also can’t believe how many generals Lincoln went through during the Civil War; McClellan was just one of several. 

     An easy to swallow version of the war is explained, too.  The smart thing about this novel is that it takes prior information from the beginning of the novel and intertwines with each individual’s profile, making for a deeper connection.  At the end, there are two pages that give cause and effect relationships for the actions taken by each figure and how they affected the Civil War and each other.

     I will be looking for the others in this series to read.

Rosenberg, A. (2011). The Civil War. New York, NY: Scholastic.