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90th out of 108 books
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Dark Hours
"Entombed following a bombing raid at the close of World War II, three children struggle to survive."
On Gisel's 16th birthday, her world, like the war effort, begins to crumble. Her father is away, serving in the German army, when the advancing Allies force the rest of the family to flee their home. Gisel, her younger brothers, and their pregnant mother board a c
...moreHardcover, 208 pages
Published
September 12th 2006
by Annick Press
(first published 2005)
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The story is told in Gisel's point of view and it's an interesting one. She tells you how her life was when the war was going good for Germany and then how it started turning against them, you can feel her bitterness towards the war. Actually, you can feel it towards everybody in this book as now since the tide has turned, frequent visits to the air raid shelters are all over Germany, and talk against Hitler and the German government is also starting to rise. The idea of leaving all that she lov...more
I have read much about the war from the allied side. This book, without trying to justify the war, shows the effect on a German family who first believed in their leader, then began to doubt Hitler, then had to flee the invasion of the allies. It showed the fear and destruction that war brings to children and adults. The author shows how war destroys the innocent along with the guilty on both sides. No matter whose fault, war is disastrous. Told from the view of a young girl, the reader is allow...more
I think this book is good in the views it brings up. It definitely shows that German children suffered through WWII, at the same time that their elders were causing the Jews to suffer. A controversial point, to be sure, but an important one: war doesn't help anyone, and often hurts your loved ones the same as your "enemies". The book dragged at points, but it was very compelling during the active parts; the main character was strong and interesting. Again, I would advise a 6-8 grad...more
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
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I'd have given this book 5 stars except for one thing. The story is told from the point of view of a German girl living with her family in Silesia (Poland) during World War II. When the Russians begin to invade and drive out the Germans, Gisel and her family must flee back to Germany. On their way to Dresden she and her brothers are separated from their mother and grandmother, and end up trapped in a bombed out air raid shelter. Now, in the story she tells of being in the Nazi Youth and of h...more
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A nice easy read, contempltaing the hardships of war. I found it quite depressing at time. But it is still a real good book to read
Exceptional historical fiction.
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Gudrun Pausewang is a German writer for children and teens. She is also noted in science fiction for Young-Adult novels like The Last Children of Schewenborn.
Gudrun Pausewang was born in Eastern Bohemia of German ancestry and after World War II her family settled in the former West Germany. She later became a teacher and taught in Germany's foreign school services in South America. She...more
More about Gudrun Pausewang...
Gudrun Pausewang was born in Eastern Bohemia of German ancestry and after World War II her family settled in the former West Germany. She later became a teacher and taught in Germany's foreign school services in South America. She...more
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