| Title | : | The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club : Hoose, Phillip |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0374300224 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 978-0374300227 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | 208 pages |
| Publication | : | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) |
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen year old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is National Book Award winner Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.
This thoroughly researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club : Hoose, Phillip Reviews
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Anyone with an interest in the occupation of Denmark, The Danish Resistance and/or the Danish branch of the Special Operations Executive, this is essential reading for you!
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A somewhat simplistic overview of subject matter.
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How I found this book: My English teacher assigned a book club project on a nonfiction book. Funnily enough, I looked up nonfiction books on and this was the first result. Wanting to get a headstart on reading, begged my friends to choose this book because it looked interesting and was recommended. When they agreed, I swiftly pressed order.Overall outlook on the book: The book was about an interesting group of boys who challenged Hitler during his occupation of Denmark, their home. The actions they did were interesting and humorous, like switching Nazi signs so they would get lost traveling. The content of the book was fascinating, but the presentation of it was not. I enjoyed the pictures that gave context and the quotes from Knud about his experience, but the other parts of the book read like a textbook. They lacked the surprise of a fiction book.Recommendation on the book:This book is in the Young Adult genre which is appropriate because of the age of the Churchill Club members, but the book can seem dull for this age group. I would recommend this book to someone who is very interested in World War II or likes nonfiction books. I prefer fiction, perhaps that is why this book just did not hit the mark for me.AH
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My 12 year old son, who REFUSES to read like you'd refuse cyanide, actually read this book! I can't comment on the content specifically as I haven't read it yet, but he was actually interested. That's 10 stars in my book.
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I bought this book to add to the Little Free Library we have nearby. Intent was to offer something to read for middle school students that would be educational and inspirational. Not personally being in the target reading group, I can only try to remember what I found interesting and inspiring at that age. Yes, I think it meets both those objectives. With lots of photos and diagrams and a brisk pace, it provides sufficient detail to be understandable and engaging without becoming bogged down with details that a younger reader might find superfluous. There are many boys mentioned in the book and it is a bit difficult to remember who is who as the story progresses. In part this is because of the unfamiliar Danish names.The shift from narration to first person accounts of the events throughout the book adds to the authenticity, but may also make it a bit confusing for younger readers not familiar with this style of historical accounts. Bottom line: a worthwhile read, but might take a bit of extra concentration to fully understand the entire story.
