I loved this novel in verse! Ms. Vanderlugt flawlessly integrates history -both world and familial- with a compelling story. The plot and the characters were well-developed, the history was intriguing, and the writing was beautiful.
Thirteen-year-old Claire resents that she must stay home from school to help her parents in the family's apple orchard. Her brother Danny is overseas fighting the Nazis. Because of the worker shortage, the US requires German POW (and some Italian) to work in the states. As Claire interacts with one of the German POW on her farm, Karl, her opinion about the Germans shifts a bit.
Told from alternating perspectives-Claire and Karl When Karl shares, his poem title is in German, a creative and fun touch. I really cared about and liked both Claire and Karl.
A sad ending but hope shimmers through the devastating events.
*Highly recommend for 5th grade and older because of the heavier topic.
To discuss: The publisher is ZonderKidz, which is a Christian publisher. God is not mentioned as a source of help, hope, or salvation. God is included when the characters attend a funeral or are angry at God about the traumatic situation. He is not the One any of the characters turn to for hope or for rescue. A German POW hits Claire in the face.
-Borrowed from the library.
No comments:
Post a Comment