Archives

My Friend The Enemy by Dan Smith

May16

The Souvenir

My Friend The Enemy by Dan Smith is a powerful children’s historical novel that completely consumed me. It is perfect for ages ten years and over. Whatever your age, this is a great read.

The book is set in 1941 in a village in the north east of England. All the action is seen through the eyes of twelve year old Peter, and is written in the first person. The reader becomes intimately acquainted with him. For the duration of the novel, I ‘became’ Peter.

We see how hard war is for everyone. Peter’s father is away at war; his friend Kim’s brother is fighting; and a German plane crashes near the village. Plus, there are raids and rationing. War touches everyone.

Peter’s mother functions as a single parent whilst his father is away. We witness the difficulty of trying to feed herself and Peter, and of being both mother and father to him.

The air raids are vividly portrayed. Bombs fall on the village as German planes shed their loads before flying home. A plane crashing in a field causes panic amongst the locals as a parachutist was seen minutes before but is nowhere to be seen. Hunt the Nazi becomes the latest craze.

Continue reading →

A Song Of Silence by Steve N Lee

May14

The Love Remains

A Song Of Silence by Steve N Lee is the most powerful and heartbreaking historical novel that totally consumed me. It is set in Poland beginning in 1939 as war breaks out. The roots of the story are grounded in fact, being based on the very brave Janusz Korczak who ran an orphanage. I knew about this real life incredibly brave man, so I had an idea where the book was going.

The reader witnesses the Nazis walking into a village where the lead character Mirek Kozlowski has his orphanage. It was a time of great horror. Families were desperate to escape but “there was nowhere to run.” The author has conveyed the fear and the horror. It is a horror that gets deeper and darker as the grip of the Nazis intensifies.

Mirek Kozlowski is a well-rounded, fully believable character. His heart is huge. He turns no one away from his orphanage and is well loved by all.

Mirek Kozlowski practices sacrificial love. Every action he undertakes is for the good of the children in his care. He doesn’t want to lose even one life – but the Nazi war machine breaks his heart.

As a lead character, Mirek Kozlowski faces many choices. His choices are always for the good of the children.

Continue reading →

The Wall Between Us by Dan Smith

Apr28

History Comes Alive

The Wall Between Us by Dan Smith is a powerful historical children’s novel that totally gripped me. I just could not put it down and read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep.

The novel is about the erecting of the Berlin Wall in 1961. This literally divided families as the wall split Berlin in two. The Berlin Wall was actually 155Km long with just three checkpoints, the most famous being Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. West Germany was divided from Soviet controlled East Germany, which was a very different place to live.

All the action is seen through the eyes of two twelve year old cousins who lived either side of the street that the wall cut in two. They were like sisters and best friends, nothing had ever divided them before, they even shared Otto the cat.

The action is written in the form of letters, notes, diary entries and reports. History literally comes alive for the reader. We can ‘feel’ the fear and the disappointment. It is easy to empathise with both girls.

This was a time of mistrust, distrust and betrayal. Anyone could be an informant. It was best to trust no one and to keep one’s opinions private. It was also a time where bribery and coercion were used. A young girl’s openness and innocence is manipulated as she becomes a pawn in a dangerous game.

Continue reading →

The Stars Are Our Witness by Siobhan Curham

Apr28

Of Magic & Miracles

The Stars Are Our Witness by Siobhan Curham is an inspiring, heartbreaking historical read that consumed me for a few hours.

The novel opens in Warsaw in 1940. It is an occupied city where the Nazis are gradually exterminating the Jewish population. Those who were previously counted as friends are shunning their Jewish neighbours – except for one brave sibling pairing. Kindred spirits cannot be torn apart.

We witness the bravery and daring of even the very young in the fight back against the Nazi occupation. As the grip tightens and the violence escalates, so does the bravery.

The fight back and the resistance looks very different for different characters. They all have very different skill sets – some are called to fight, some to smuggle, and yet some use their feminine wiles to extract information and weapons. Codes of morality blur in times of war.

Continue reading →