Today’s World Book Day in Britain and Ireland. Since one of the aims of the day is to encourage children to read, children in fiction will be the focus of this post. I’ll tell you a bit about some books that feature a child as the main character. The ones I’ve chosen are all set during World War II. Some of them are adult books, others are children’s and there’s also some that cross the age barrier.

Don’t forget to answer the question at the end of this post for a chance to win a copy of Hitler and Mars Bars!

Is childhood always a happy time? Not necessarily, especially if you grew up in Europe during the 1940s…Let’s look at some novels featuring children in World War II Europe:

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Set in Germany, Death narrates the story of Liesel Meminger whose mother sends her to a small town to escape the impending war. But she does not escape; the war’s destruction follows her. She and the other residents of the town encounter all its horrors. When she learns to read her love of the written word has a profound effect on her life, helping her to cope with her circumstances and be a compassionate human being. Death finds her humanity disturbing.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Set in Poland, this novel tells the story of nine year old Bruno. His father’s appointment as Commandant at Auschwitz Concentration Camp brings the German boy to live at this isolated place. Lonely and bored, he secretly befriends a Jewish camp detainee, Shmuel. His loyalty to his friend has an unexpected and devastating effect on his entire family’s lives.

Hitler and Mars Bars by Dianne Ascroft

Set against the backdrop of Operation Shamrock, a little known Irish Red Cross project which aided German children after World War II, the novel explores a previously hidden slice of Irish and German history. It is the moving story of Erich, a German boy growing up in war-torn Germany and post-war rural Ireland. He dreams of finding his mother. He yearns for a family who will love and keep him forever. He learns his brother is his ally not his rival. Plucky and resilient, Erich courageously faces the challenges his ever changing world presents.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Set in Poland, during the early years of the war, this novel follows a street child who adopts the false identity, Misha Pilsudski, a Gypsy from Russia. He escapes Nazi attention as he struggles to survive but ends up living in a Jewish ghetto. His attempts to help Jewish friends escape the German resettlement plan result in him being shot by the Germans and left for dead. A farmer rescues him and he spends the rest of the war working him. Unable to settle anywhere, he wanders restlessly for many years before finally settling with his long lost daughter and her family.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Set in Paris in 1942 and the present day, this novel follows the stories of ten year old Sarah, who is caught in the round up of Jews in Paris’ Vel d’Hiv area, and Julia Jarmond, a modern day journalist, who is researching the events of the Paris roundup that sent Jews to Auschwitz. 

True story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

Set in Poland, this novel tells the story of an eleven year old Jewish girl and her younger brother who are sent into hiding by their father and step mother to avoid capture by the Nazis. Helped by courageous villagers, they struggle to hide and survive in a forest. Parallels are drawn to the classic fairy tale. 

WIN A COPY OF HITLER AND MARS BARS!!!

QUESTION:

Name the two books mentioned in this post that have a German boy as the main character.

The first person to correctly answer the above question will win a copy of Hitler and Mars Bars by Dianne Ascroft. Post your answers in the Comments section after this post. The winning entry will be contacted.