Chase Me, Catch Nobody! by Erik Christian Haugaard (1982-01-01) Hardcover

by Erik Christian Haugaard

On a school trip to Germany in 1937 a 14-year-old Danish schoolboy becomes involved in the activities of the anti-Nazi underground.

Genres: World War II, Historical Fiction, Germany

Unknown Binding

First published March 17, 1980

About the author

Erik Haugaard was born in Denmark and has traveled extensively in the United States, Italy, Spain, and Japan. Called "a writer gifted in the art of the storyteller" by the BOSTON GLOBE, he is internationally known for his accomplishments as a playwright, poet, and translator.

Haugaard has written a number of acclaimed works for young adults that transport readers back to a time and place in history that placed upon children burdens nearly unimaginable to the contemporary North American adolescent. Religious strife, World War II, and feudal Japan are just some of the settings Haugaard has explored in his books, which usually feature a child whose hardships are made all the worse due to the loss of parents or other guardians.

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chase me Catch nobody by Erik Christian Haugaard is a novel set in 1930’s Germany. It is centered around Erik Hansen, a rich boy from Denmark.

The Plot:

The book starts out with Erik talking to his parents. His school was planning a multi-school trip across Germany, and he needed his parents permission to go. His father takes him to the train station the next day, and he boards it with his class. the train takes the class to a ferry, where they meet with the other school.

On the ferry to Germany, Erik meets Nikolai, a poor boy from a deeply communist family. Nikolai and Erik become fast friends. while still on the ferry, Erik meets a strange man in a grey raincoat. The man tells Erik that the Gestapo is after him, and hands Erik a suitcase with instructions to bring it to a tavern in Hamburg. As he leaves the ferry with the suitcase, Erik sees the man brought out by German police.

The two schools land in Lubeck, and they immediately notice many differences. All of the children that they meet are wearing Hitler Youth uniforms. they stay at a youth hostel, along with many of the Hitler youth members. Erik looks inside the bag, and discovers that it is filled with German passports. The Hitler Youth members stage a small parade, which Nikolai sabotages with firecrackers. One of the teachers, a hardcore Nazi, warns them that they will be sent home if they do something like that again. The next day they leave for Hamburg.

They stay at another hostel in Hamburg, and Erik delivers the passports to the tavern. He is almost caught by Gestapo officers when he leaves the building, and goes to the zoo with his group. He helps release a donkey with Nikolai, and when a SS officer appears Erik runs out. He is shown to a small cellar tavern by another boy, and is told to wait. After a few minutes a man comes in, and talks to Erik. The man offers to let Erik stay in the tavern, and says that he will be back the next day. The innkeeper informs him that the man was a Gestapo officer, and that it would be in his best interest to leave early the next day.

Erik sleeps in the inn, but wakes up in the middle of the night. He discovers that the innkeeper was keeping a small girl in a room to the side. The innkeeper walk in, and reveals that the girl was her Jewish niece, whose mother had abandoned her. The girl refuses to be called anything other than Nobody. The innkeeper goes out, and brings back two Hitler youth uniforms, and train tickets to the Danish border. Erik promises to help get Nobody to Denmark, and they leave in the morning.

At the train station they meet Nikolai, and he agrees to help them. They take a train to the border, but get off a few stops away when the man from the tavern arrives with a few Gestapo officers. They manage to outrun them, and hide in the woods by the river that marks the border. With many more officer approaching, Erik steals a rowboat and takes them across the river, almost getting captured by a German patrol boat before reaching the shore.
The book ends, stating that Nobody was sent off to America to be with one of her uncles.

The book is pretty good, and i would recommend that you read it if you have an interest in World War Two. It tells the story very well, and manages to get a mixture of humor, tension, and political passion perfectly right.

[Lori Clark-Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexile: 690
Historical Event/Time Period: 1937, WWII, and the Holocaust
Liked: I liked the actions and how he is secretive about things.
Disliked: There is not very much action or adventure.
Summary: A Danish school boy named Erik Christian Haugaard, travels to Germany on a school trip. Erik and some of his classmates shared a hostel with members of the Hitler 1CJugend 1D Hitler youth.

[Haley Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 20p thrift store find!!
I do love a WW2 story and this was a lot different than what I have previously read.

This book shows the innocence of children, the corruption and brutality of Nazi Germany and how the war affected those who weren't taken to concentration camps. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, the lives that were lost against the lives that where balancing on the edge of survival at such a young age!!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book overall. The title was sort of confusing, even after I read the book, mainly because it could be interpreted 2 different ways.

[~*bailey*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was okay

[Adele]

Year read is approximate. I read a lot of Haugaard's books in Junior High.