Author: Lois Lowry
(Instead of Contemporary Fiction, read for original Author Study project, considered Historical Fiction)
This is an incredibly great short historical fiction book that all students should read. It takes place in Denmark during Nazi Germany's occupation. Annemarie is a young ten-year-old girl who must grow up quickly and be courageous to save her Jewish friends. I like how the chapters are divided up to be fairly short and often are titled with a question that comes up somewhere in the story. It is not written in first person, but rather third person where Annemarie is the obvious main focus. In the beginning, Annemarie, her best friend Ellen, and her younger sister Kirsti, only notice the presence of German soldiers on their streets and the shortage of goods such as coffee and butter. This book really pulls you into the common lifestyle of the Danish at this time, living in a small apartment with little to eat, but always with great pride for their country. I had never known of King Christian X, who rode through towns on his horse everyday in Denmark with not protection except his people. The quote "All of Denmark is his bodyguard," is so powerful and truly exemplifies the pride and courage of the Danish people. The story goes on to show the continued invasion of Nazi German forces as the push through Denmark, chasing all of the Jewish residence out. Annemarie and her family are extremely brave and great people that help their neighbors and best friends who are Jewish, along with others, escape to the free lands of Sweden. I thought it was interesting for Annemarie to learn the lesson that it is not always for the best to ask questions and know everything, she learned that sometimes it was better to lie or withhold the truth to keep others safe. She also learns about the Resistance forces with in Denmark, and how her older sister, Lise, had been a brave and strong part of the Resistance and was killed by the Nazis years before. Even still, Annemarie is young and scared as any normal child would be in her position, but she is able to show her true courage in the end and save her best friend's family, other hiding Jewish Danes, and quite possibly her own family. This is an outstanding story about friendship, family, and great bravery.
I also really liked how Lois Lowry included an Afterword, in which she discussed what was fact in the book, and what was fiction. The characters and story line were all created from her imagination, however, much of the scenarios and characteristics about the time period were true. Even the great quote about the Danish King was an actual documented event, which gives a great feeling. I was also surprised to learn that the trick used to confuse the Nazi's dogs in the book was also true. Nazis used police dogs to sniff out hidden passengers on boats going to Sweden, but Swedish scientists created a powder of dried rabbit's blood and cocaine. The powder attracted the dogs and then numbed their noses to temporarily destroy their sense of smell. I was amazed by this fact and found it extremely interesting because this simple discovery actually saved many lives, just like in the book. I would recommend this to all upper elementary students to read because they will be able to relate to the age of the main characters and really connect to and understand this story in history.
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