The Boy Who Dared

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dennis
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The Boy Who Dared

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The Boy Who Dared
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
This historical fiction book is best read by the male and female middle school audience; however, the story is so compelling it is enjoyable far beyond the middle school years!
The courage and strength displayed by the main character, Helmuth Hubener, during his adolescent years in Nazi Germany is inspiring. Although faced with death, a young man chooses to do right by humanity and goes against the iron fist that ruled his country. Bartoletti bases her writing on the information provided to her by the friends and family of Helmuth, as well as numerous books on the Third Reich, Hitler’s speeches, and documents that surrounded Helmuth’s arrest and death. The author also offers pictures of Helmuth, his friends and family, as well as a map of the boarder of Europe in 1936 and a Third Reich time line to authenticate her writing. ( )
kdangleis | Nov 13, 2010 |
“Silence is how people get on sometimes. I don’t expect you to understand.” These are the words that Helmuth Hubener’s mother spoke to his brother, Gerhard, when he asked her how she could court a Nazi soldier. Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s novel, The Boy Who Dared, is based on the true story of Helmuth, his family, and friends. It is the story of the German population that disagreed with Hitler’s actions, but was silent. More importantly, it is the story of why those people were silent. The book opens when Helmuth is a small boy, before Hitler came to power. As Helmuth grows, so does Hitler’s influence, and we watch as Helmuth joins the Hitler Youth and feels a strong patriotism for his country.
As Helmuth gets older, he begins to question Hitler’s motives. His family can no longer buy pastries from their favorite Jewish baker, school papers must be pro-Nazi or you get marked down, and only German books and radio stations are allowed. Indeed, many things become “verboten” (forbidden). When he and his friend Rudi make up a fake detective agency and the ID cards to go along with it, the Gestapo interrogates Rudi, because the fake agency has an English name, therefore Rudi must be an English spy and traitor. When Helmuth is sixteen, his brother Gerhard smuggles a radio in from France that can pick up stations outside of Germany. Through BBC broadcasts, Helmuth learns that the German government is not telling its people the truth about what is really happening in the war, so he begins to type pamphlets that contain the correct information. Together with his friends Karl and Rudi, Helmuth distributes the pamphlets throughout Hamburg. But the Nazis have eyes and ears everywhere, and soon Helmuth’s luck runs out.
This gripping novel opens when Helmuth is on death row at just seventeen years old. It describes the situation of non-Jewish Germans, and the fear and oppression that ruled their lives during Hitler’s reign. It is the story of the silence they kept out of fear, and the self-loathing that often accompanied it. The Boy Who Dared is about a young man who chose to speak his mind at a time when doing so could get you killed. Compelling and unnerving, this book could easily become a staple of World War II children’s literature and should be stocked in all libraries. Recommended for grades 6 and up. ( )
1 karafrib | Sep 24,
Plot Summary: Helmuth is just a boy when Hitlers and the Nazis take over Germany, then most of Europe, but right from the start Helmuth disagrees with many of the things they are doing, such as promising peace but bringing war. When Helmuth is older (around 16), he finds the radio his brother locked in a closet and starts tuning in to the BBC report of the war, even though it is against the law. Eventually, he asks his friends, one at a time, to join him. Finally, he realizes he can't take it any longer and must do something to spread the truth to other Germans. He starts writing what he hears in the news report on pamphlets, and he and his friends Karl and Rudi pass them around, promising each other if they get caught they won't share names. When Helmuth trusts the wrong person to help them on their quest, Helmuth gets arrested. After days of torture, he regretfully shares the names of his friends, but ends up taking full responsibility during their trial by admitting that Hitler and the Nazis are wrong. His friends get sentenced to 5 to 10 years of prison, but Helmuth is sentenced to execution.

Setting: Germany, 1940's

Characters:
Helmuth Guddat - 16 y/o, Mormon, didn't agree with Hitler
Mutti - AKA Emma, Helmuth's mom, never married any of kids' fathers, marries Hugo
Gerhard - Helmuth's older half-brother, in German military but doesn't agree with Nazis
Hans - Helmuth's older half-brother
Oma and Opa - Helmuth's grandparents, live nearby to Mutti
Hugo Hubener - Mutti's new husband, Nazi official
Brother Worbs - older man at church, outspoken against Nazism, arrested and tortured
Karl - Helmuth's friend from church and school. helps deliver pamphlets
Rudi - Helmuth's friend from church and school, helps deliver pamphlets

Recurring Themes: rebel, stand for what you believe, Holocaust, Nazi, family, friends

Controversial Issues: While not too graphic, torture Brother Worbs sustained while in a concentration camp is described. The story ends as Helmuth is taken to be executed, but earlier in the book another execution by guillotine is briefly described.

Personal Thoughts: I believe it is quite obvious that Bartoletti previously wrote a non-fiction book about Hitler Youth. While this story is important to tell and she did a wonderful job fictionalizing as little as possible, I also find it to read like non-fiction, especially for the first 30 pages. Most character development in the beginning would have made me more invested in some of the characters besides Helmuth. Most of the story is told in flashbacks. The current time is in italics, and the normal font is where Helmuth thinks back to the beginning of the story at the start of the Nazi regime. I enjoyed the italics sections more because they added the suspense.

Genre: Historical fiction
The Boy Who Dared is a devastating story about a 17 year old boy who is executed for telling the truth. Although he had always deamed of being a soldier and fighting for Hitler, he now understands the truth of what is going on and sticks to his words. He is not one of the many cowards that hide behind Hitler. This book shares the anticipated death of the 17 year old boy.

This book is not one of my favorites, only because of the story it tells.
A Mormon boy in Germany during Hitler's rise must decide between following Hitler's plans or following what he knows to be right. Based on a true story. ( )
dbanna | Sep
COURAGE LIKE THIS IS INDEED RARE!!!!!!!!!DENNIS

http://www.librarything.com/work/4502544/reviews/
Last edited by dennis on December 10th, 2010, 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

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ChelC
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Location: Utah

Re: The Boy Who Dared

Post by ChelC »

I'll have to check it out. My favorite stories are of courage. There are several of this kind centered around the theme of Naziism. Mila 18 is a good one. The Book Thief is another good one.

If you're in need of something light after that, a good, peaceful read is Little Britches.

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