About the Book:
Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war.
My Comments:
Set in Holland toward the end of WWII, this story is about a young man who learns that war is not romantic and glorious. While people may be heroic, war involves death, even to the innocent, and not just from the bad guys. He also learns that some good guys can be very bad, and that some of the bad guys have good in them.
The book was originally published in Dutch in the 1970s and has evidently become somewhat of a classic over there. I found the story to be engaging but, probably because it is a translation, the writing to be clumsy at times. Still, I highly recommend it, particularly to teen readers seeking to learn about life during WWII. Grade: B+
This sounds very interesting. I think it would be interesting to read a classic from another country.
ReplyDelete...and the movie is very good too.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of the movie but had no idea it was based on a book. I'm always looking to add to my WWII collection, so I'll definitely keep this one in mind. Will link to your review on War Through the Generations.
ReplyDelete