Finally, characters we care about, do die. The Verhagens then lie to Dutch informants who have sided with the Germans about the birth and baptism of the Jewish baby. At one point, early in the story, a Jewish woman leaves her baby with the family without a word. Additionally, the Verhagen family farm serves as an underground safe house of sorts. In this way, these bitter pills are easier for young readers to swallow.Ī few notes about content: this story involves necessary deceit (good men lying to evil ones), a little bit of unnecessary deceit (as defiance against evil occupiers) and not graphic but chilling scenes of children starving in the cold. Because the target audience is young readers (approximately 2nd or 3rd grade and up), Van Stockum gives us a collection of wartime abuse vignettes rather than sustained situations. Like The Hiding Place, Van Stockum leaves the reader with hope and clear examples of how everyone can choose rightly even when the world seems to be on fire. Unlike The Hiding Place, however, our main characters are able to combat the evil that presses in on them. There are scenes in this book that will stay with me and my nine-year-old for life. Written like a high adventure novel, the main story centers on 2 brothers (10 and 14) and allows us to view the sacrifices and suffering of occupation through the eyes of children. The Winged Watchman is full of hope, joy, fortitude, a celebration of life, trust in the Almighty, and a good helping of resistance and sabotage.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |