The Boys Who Challenged Hitler

Starred review from March 16, 2015
Hoose (Moonbird) vividly recounts the true story of the courageous and brazen teens who inspired the Danish resistance movement in WWII. Angered and embarrassed by his nation’s lack of opposition to the German invasion, 15-year-old Knud Pedersen, his older brother, and a few classmates formed the secret Churchill Club (named for the British prime minister they admired). For five months in 1942, club members committed daring acts of sabotage, often from their bikes and mostly in broad daylight (“Arson became our game. We took to carrying a small quantity of petrol with us... stuffing the canister in a school bag ”). Hoose’s narrative alternates with Pedersen’s verbatim recollections (taken from a weeklong interview with him in 2012). Though readers initially may have trouble knowing when Pedersen’s quotations end and the author’s segues begin, this gripping story quickly gathers momentum, and the shifts between narrators flow smoothly. Archival photos break up the text, while an epilogue details what happened to each young resister after his imprisonment and the war’s end. A bibliography and source notes conclude this inspiring account. Ages 12–18.

Starred review from April 1, 2015
A handful of Danish teens takes on the occupying Nazis is this inspiring true story of courageous resistance. Unlike Norway, which was also invaded on April 9, 1940, the Danish government did little to resist German occupation. Some teenagers, like 15-year-old Knud Pedersen, were ashamed of their nation's leaders and the adult citizens who passively accepted and even collaborated with the occupiers. With his older brother and a handful of schoolmates, Knud resolved to take action. Naming themselves the Churchill Club in honor of the fiery British prime minister, the young patriots began their resistance efforts with vandalism and quickly graduated to countless acts of sabotage. Despite the lack of formal organization and planning, this small band of teenagers managed to collect an impressive cache of weapons and execute raids that would impress professionally trained commandos. The Churchill Club was eventually captured and imprisoned by the Germans, but their heroic exploits helped spark a nationwide resistance movement. As he did in Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (2009), Hoose tells this largely unknown story with passion and clarity, providing exactly the right background information to contextualize events for readers. He makes excellent use of his extensive interviews with Pedersen, quoting him at length and expertly interweaving his words into the narrative to bring it alive. A superbly told, remarkable true story and an excellent addition to stories of civilian resistance in World War II. (photos, bibliography, chapter notes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Starred review from May 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-In April 1940, occupying German forces made Denmark a "protectorate" of the Third Reich. The Danish government accepted the occupation, but a small group of teen boys, angry at their nation's cowardice, formed the secret Churchill Club to resist the Germans and conducted a six-month spree of sabotage and destruction. Incorporating lengthy first-person reminiscences of one of the group's leaders, Knud Pedersen, Hoose describes how the club recruited members, exploited their youth and innocent looks to deceive their parents and the Germans, appropriated weapons, and carried out guerilla-style attacks from their bicycles. Although the boys were eventually arrested and imprisoned, their exploits made them national heroes, shamed many adults, and fueled Danish resistance. After the war, Winston Churchill honored their efforts. The book is well organized, effectively integrating Pedersen's vivid descriptions of his group's motives, determination, and sometimes foolhardy bravery within the larger narrative, which includes information about Denmark, the war, and the boys' families and lives. Sidebars, detailed maps, and period photos supplement the text. Often reading like a thriller, this title puts a human face on the often-overlooked Danish Resistance and complements titles such as Michael Burgan's Refusing to Crumble: The Danish Resistance in World War II (Compass Pt., 2010) and Ellen Levine's Darkness over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews (Holiday House, 2000). VERDICT A captivating work that will appeal to many readers.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2015
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* When the Germans threatened to invade Denmark, the Danes capitulated with only token resistance on April 9, 1940, becoming an occupied country. This infuriated 15- and 16-year-old brothers Knud and Jens Pedersen, who formed a group of saboteurs and began cutting German telephone wires and defacing and reorienting directional signs. Just as they were making their presence felt, their family was relocated from Odense to Aalborg, where the two teens started a new group, called The Churchill Club in honor of the legendary British prime minister. Their story is one of bravery in the face of constant danger and of increasingly meaningful acts of sabotage, including stealing weapons and destroying important German assets. How long, the reader wonders, will they be able to elude capture? That question and others are answered in this tale of remarkable bravery and determination. Told in both the author's voice and that of Knud Pedersen himself (the latter culled from 25 hours of interviews and almost 1,000 e-mail exchanges), this has a compelling immediacy that is enhanced by a generous collection of black-and-white period photographs. An important and unforgettable book that adds a significant chapter to the history of WWII.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

Starred review from July 1, 2015
This account of a little-known resistance movement in which Danish adolescents stood up to their Nazi occupiers is an outstanding addition to the WWII canon. In 1940, Germany invaded Denmark under the guise of friendship. While nearby Norway fought back against the Nazis, the Danish government let Hitler set up shop. Enter teenaged Knud Pedersen, who -- along with his brother Jens -- decided that if the adults would not act, we would. Knud and Jens joined up with some mates to form the Churchill Club (so named for the British prime minister). The group used civil disobedience to pester the Nazis, creating disturbances ranging from relatively restrained (switching German signs around, cutting enemy telephone lines) to positively dangerous (arson, stealing German firearms). These actions fired up Hitler's tame canary -- as Winston Churchill himself described Denmark -- leading to a larger-scale Danish revolt against the Germans, but Knud and his friends missed much of the excitement due to imprisonment (many for just a few months, Knud for over two years). To research the project, Hoose visited Pedersen in Copenhagen, conducting nearly twenty-five hours of interviews; the two men then exchanged some one thousand email messages. Hoose brilliantly weaves Pedersen's own words into the larger narrative of Denmark's stormy social and political wartime climate, showing how the astonishing bravery of otherwise ordinary Danish teens started something extraordinary. A bibliography, notes, illustration credits, and index round out this essential title. sam bloom

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2015
Gr 7 Up-A group of Danish middle school boys, led by 15-year-old Knud Pedersen, decided to resist German occupation in Denmark despite the government's acceptance. Like soldiers, they were determined and disciplined, being careful not to blow their cover. Naming themselves the Churchill Club, they began by changing directional signs and cutting communication wires. Eventually they got their hands on grenades and started blowing up German cars. Organized but untrained, they stole rifles left unattended by German soldiers and began to kill Germans with their own weapons. The Churchill Club was eventually caught, tried, and imprisoned. Listeners will have to decide if what the boys did was justified or mischievous. Michael Braun's narration is well done. VERDICT Many students will be interested in this work of nonfiction that shows a different perspective of life during World War II.-"Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI"

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.