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The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phillip Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2015
600 people are currently reading
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About the author
Phillip Hoose
22 books76 followersPhillip Hoose is the widely-acclaimed author of books, essays, stories, songs, and articles, including the National Book Award winning book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice.
He is also the author of the multi-award winning title, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, the National Book Award Finalist We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History, and the Christopher Award-winning manual for youth activism It's Our World Too!.
The picture book, Hey, Little Ant which began as a song by the same title was co-authored with his daughter Hannah. The book is beloved around the world with over one million copies in print in ten different languages. Teaching Tolerance Magazine called it, "A masterpiece for teaching values and character education."
Phillip's love of the game is reflected in his acclaimed books, Perfect Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me which was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2007 by Booklist and Hoosiers: the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana.
A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Hoose has been a staff member of The Nature Conservancy since 1977, dedicated to finding and protecting habitats of endangered species.
A songwriter and performing musician, Phillip Hoose is a founding member of the Children's Music Network and a member of the band Chipped Enamel. He lives in Portland, Maine.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/philli...
He is also the author of the multi-award winning title, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, the National Book Award Finalist We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History, and the Christopher Award-winning manual for youth activism It's Our World Too!.
The picture book, Hey, Little Ant which began as a song by the same title was co-authored with his daughter Hannah. The book is beloved around the world with over one million copies in print in ten different languages. Teaching Tolerance Magazine called it, "A masterpiece for teaching values and character education."
Phillip's love of the game is reflected in his acclaimed books, Perfect Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me which was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2007 by Booklist and Hoosiers: the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana.
A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Hoose has been a staff member of The Nature Conservancy since 1977, dedicated to finding and protecting habitats of endangered species.
A songwriter and performing musician, Phillip Hoose is a founding member of the Children's Music Network and a member of the band Chipped Enamel. He lives in Portland, Maine.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/philli...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,098 reviews
November 7, 2022
Being a grandparent has enriched my life in so many ways, including the books I read. Being on the lookout for children’s books to share with my grandsons, who have also become quite avid readers, I have discovered that children’s books can be very enjoyable for adults as well.
One of my favorite children’s nonfiction books is The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose.
This is a story of a group of boys living in Denmark during World War II, and the havoc they were able to cause for Hilter’s soldiers.
The boys were creative, resourceful, and clever in their efforts to sabotage the Nazis. I rate this book 5 stars!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
One of my favorite children’s nonfiction books is The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose.
This is a story of a group of boys living in Denmark during World War II, and the havoc they were able to cause for Hilter’s soldiers.
The boys were creative, resourceful, and clever in their efforts to sabotage the Nazis. I rate this book 5 stars!
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
October 7, 2025
O Clube de Churchill
Jovens, Rebeldes e Corajosos q.b. para importunarem os Nazis, o Clube de Churchill era um grupo de adolescentes dinamarqueses determinados a não se submeter à loucura bélica de Hitler.
Montados em bicicletas, investiam em “raids” velozes. Entre os seus atos de heróico vandalismo, contavam-se incêndios e roubos de armas e munições — tudo em plena luz do dia, pois tratando-se de menores de idade, tinham horas de regresso à “base” a cumprir...
Os Rapazes que Desafiaram Hitler é um livro dedicado a todos os jovens que encontram a coragem de decidir por si — uma história apaixonante e deveras inspiradora 😍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😍
Jovens, Rebeldes e Corajosos q.b. para importunarem os Nazis, o Clube de Churchill era um grupo de adolescentes dinamarqueses determinados a não se submeter à loucura bélica de Hitler.
Montados em bicicletas, investiam em “raids” velozes. Entre os seus atos de heróico vandalismo, contavam-se incêndios e roubos de armas e munições — tudo em plena luz do dia, pois tratando-se de menores de idade, tinham horas de regresso à “base” a cumprir...
Os Rapazes que Desafiaram Hitler é um livro dedicado a todos os jovens que encontram a coragem de decidir por si — uma história apaixonante e deveras inspiradora 😍🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟😍
September 23, 2022
The Churchill Club
They were young and brave enough to piss off the Nazis. They were a group of Danish teens — young warriors that History recalls as the Churchill Club
What an inspiration for the young generation 👍👍
❤️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟❤️
They were young and brave enough to piss off the Nazis. They were a group of Danish teens — young warriors that History recalls as the Churchill Club
What an inspiration for the young generation 👍👍
❤️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟❤️
January 18, 2023
In early 1940, Denmark’s King Christian X was given an ultimatum: become a “protectorate” of the Third Reich, which would allow for self governance and lucrative business contracts, or face a brutal attack. The King, in an effort to protect his subjects from war, agreed to let the Germans occupy his country.
At that time, Knud and Jen Pedersen were schoolboys living in Odense. They and their parents listened to the BBC in the evenings and learned about Hitler’s attack on Norway, and about the brave citizens there who resisted occupation. The boys were disappointed that King Christian agreed to Germany’s ultimatum.
Without their parents’ permission, they organized a resistance group of their own, calling themselves The Churchill Club after Britain’s admired leader. Their resistance efforts continued even after the family moved north to Aalborg. Carrying out successful clandestine acts like stealing weapons, disabling German vehicles, cutting communication lines, and setting fire to both vehicles and warehouses, The Churchill Club incurred the wrath of the occupying forces.
Author Phillip Hoose brings this little known part of World War II history to life. In interviews with Knud Pedersen, Hoose was able to piece together the story of Denmark’s first active resistance group. Although this book is written for young adults, it would appeal to adult readers as well.
At that time, Knud and Jen Pedersen were schoolboys living in Odense. They and their parents listened to the BBC in the evenings and learned about Hitler’s attack on Norway, and about the brave citizens there who resisted occupation. The boys were disappointed that King Christian agreed to Germany’s ultimatum.
Without their parents’ permission, they organized a resistance group of their own, calling themselves The Churchill Club after Britain’s admired leader. Their resistance efforts continued even after the family moved north to Aalborg. Carrying out successful clandestine acts like stealing weapons, disabling German vehicles, cutting communication lines, and setting fire to both vehicles and warehouses, The Churchill Club incurred the wrath of the occupying forces.
Author Phillip Hoose brings this little known part of World War II history to life. In interviews with Knud Pedersen, Hoose was able to piece together the story of Denmark’s first active resistance group. Although this book is written for young adults, it would appeal to adult readers as well.
February 13, 2023
4.25 I am so glad I read this book. So many books about World War II are focused on France or the Holocaust. While those are extremely important topics, and should be be written about, there were many events in other areas of the world whose stories do not get told. It was very interesting to read a young adult book about the conflict in Scandinavia and more specifically Denmark. It was amazing to hear the bravery that these Danes showed under German occupation, but it is even more impressive considering their young age.
October 11, 2024
This was a random grab at a library sale (for my Little Free Library). I checked Goodreads and saw the ratings were good. I figured I'd give it a quick read before letting it go. As I'm a digi-girl, I grabbed the audio and kindle copies, easily available from the library.
Phillip Hoose is the author, and he has 3rd person(past tense) portions giving background to the situation, then shifts to Knud Pedersen, not listed as an author, but written (and narrated) as straight from his mouth (1st person/past tense). In the audio, they had two narrators to differentiate (which I appreciated).
The physical/Kindle copies also have quite a few illustrations. Maps, photos, notes, etc. Also sections where the text is set apart. While the audio was good/fine, I wonder if a text copy is the way to go (or both, as I often do). There was a little song/lyrics ... just spoken in audio. Also, as often happens in Audible books (I didn't double check Libby/Hoopla) but this had an intro (part of the story, I fear people skip "intros") which is listed as Chapter1, which then throws everything off, (chapter 1 is then listed as chapter 2 in the audio TOC).
There was a "Notes" section which further clarified Knud's first person account (taken from interviews and emails and Knud's earlier published writings). I always find it interesting to have any and all information on the background/creation of the book, what is fact, etc. There was a full bibliography as well. Taking into consideration how an individual's memory may not be exact, I thought the documentation and presentation here was top notch.
There are SO MANY WW2 books, from different perspectives, countries, peoples. I feel like there's always a little more to learn. Here I think the main take-away for me was how Denmark and Norway handled the invasions (Denmark accepting it, much to the dismay of many, and Norway fighting), and how some people (kids) stepped up anyway. A lot of it was narrative/informative, but it was enough of a story to keep my attention. My boys are older now, but this is one I definitely would have recommended if they'd had to read a book for school (and could choose).
I don't know if I will put this in the little library after all ... I think I might add it to my personal collection.
Phillip Hoose is the author, and he has 3rd person(past tense) portions giving background to the situation, then shifts to Knud Pedersen, not listed as an author, but written (and narrated) as straight from his mouth (1st person/past tense). In the audio, they had two narrators to differentiate (which I appreciated).
The physical/Kindle copies also have quite a few illustrations. Maps, photos, notes, etc. Also sections where the text is set apart. While the audio was good/fine, I wonder if a text copy is the way to go (or both, as I often do). There was a little song/lyrics ... just spoken in audio. Also, as often happens in Audible books (I didn't double check Libby/Hoopla) but this had an intro (part of the story, I fear people skip "intros") which is listed as Chapter1, which then throws everything off, (chapter 1 is then listed as chapter 2 in the audio TOC).
There was a "Notes" section which further clarified Knud's first person account (taken from interviews and emails and Knud's earlier published writings). I always find it interesting to have any and all information on the background/creation of the book, what is fact, etc. There was a full bibliography as well. Taking into consideration how an individual's memory may not be exact, I thought the documentation and presentation here was top notch.
There are SO MANY WW2 books, from different perspectives, countries, peoples. I feel like there's always a little more to learn. Here I think the main take-away for me was how Denmark and Norway handled the invasions (Denmark accepting it, much to the dismay of many, and Norway fighting), and how some people (kids) stepped up anyway. A lot of it was narrative/informative, but it was enough of a story to keep my attention. My boys are older now, but this is one I definitely would have recommended if they'd had to read a book for school (and could choose).
I don't know if I will put this in the little library after all ... I think I might add it to my personal collection.
February 25, 2023
What a fascinating story! I was awed and impressed at these young men with their ingenuity and courage to be resisters to the German tyrants when many of their countrymen hadn't. They were a bright, intelligent lot who made remarkable trouble and caused hindrances for their occupiers. They did inspire more citizens to band together in revolting thankfully. My heart ached so many other times knowing what needless grief Hitler brought upon so so many innocent people. I hadn't realized that the Norwegians took such a brave position in fighting back regardless. It was so interesting knowing the boy's personalities and even what happened to them after the war and even meeting prime Minister Winston Churchill who they named their organization after:) Definitely recommend this to anyone!
May 13, 2025
oh woah
July 18, 2021
This is a YA book.
It focuses on the Nazi occupation of Denmark and tells the story of teenaged boys, who called themselves The Churchill Club, who acted as saboteurs against the Germans. The rest of the country had capitulated and many Danes became collaborators.
By 1943, there was an active adult resistance. After a German diplomat secretly informed Danish resistance leaders of Nazi plans to deport the Danish Jews to German concentration camps for mass execution, Danes quickly organized a nationwide effort to smuggle Jews by sea to neutral Sweden. Within a two-week period, fishermen helped ferry some 7,200 Danish Jews and 680 of their non-Jewish family members to safety in Sweden.
I read this book as background for a Danish show titled Seaside Hotel that I've been watching.
https://dramaquarterly.com/beside-the...
It focuses on the Nazi occupation of Denmark and tells the story of teenaged boys, who called themselves The Churchill Club, who acted as saboteurs against the Germans. The rest of the country had capitulated and many Danes became collaborators.
By 1943, there was an active adult resistance. After a German diplomat secretly informed Danish resistance leaders of Nazi plans to deport the Danish Jews to German concentration camps for mass execution, Danes quickly organized a nationwide effort to smuggle Jews by sea to neutral Sweden. Within a two-week period, fishermen helped ferry some 7,200 Danish Jews and 680 of their non-Jewish family members to safety in Sweden.
I read this book as background for a Danish show titled Seaside Hotel that I've been watching.
https://dramaquarterly.com/beside-the...
August 25, 2025
I can't say if it's mainly a keen eye for selecting stories that have powerful emotional potential, an ability to distill timeless wisdom from the basic facts of history, or his own transcendent talent for dynamically and sensitively recounting historical events so they feel relevant to young readers, but Phillip Hoose is one of the best nonfiction writers whose work I've encountered. When widespread recognition came his way in 2010 after being awarded a Newbery Honor for Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, I was eager to read this author I'd never heard of, and quickly discovered the hype was legitimate. Claudette Colvin was informative, highly suspenseful, and deeply emotional, an exemplary representative of youth nonfiction. We identify with Miss Colvin's plight and feel outraged at the systemic injustice facing her, as immersed in the experience as any good work of fiction. Phillip Hoose was at it again with Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 in 2012, skillfully investing us in the saga of internationally beloved rufa specimen B95, who had already lived several times longer than most rufa birds and was likely still alive and well in the world. The facts are plentiful and accurate, but Mr. Hoose goes beyond textbook talk to the heart of the story: the struggle of an endangered species to continue existing on an earth that isn't always friendly to strange birds, the miracle of biodiversity and the silent tragedy when a creature goes extinct with no possibility of ever gracing our world again. It's a lovely book that demonstrates Phillip Hoose's mastery of juvenile nonfiction. Three years later, we had The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club. Phillip Hoose turns our attention to the fight for freedom in 1940s Europe, as Hitler's dark army swept through Scandinavia and established strongholds in nations too small or pacifist to defend themselves. Norway took up arms against the conquering tide and Sweden managed to bargain a neutrality that Germany grudgingly accepted, but Denmark capitulated to the occupation, offering no resistance to Hitler's coup. What happens when a proud land is overrun by an aggressive foreign entity, and the government goes along to get along? How much abridgment of freedom will we agree to before it's too much? We learn in The Boys Who Challenged Hitler that if the adult generation won't stand up to a bully, the kids will...even if it costs their own freedom.
Knud Pedersen was in eighth grade when Hitler's soldiers entered Denmark and declared it a "protectorate" of Germany. Cooperate with their overlords, and the Danes were promised prominence in Hitler's new world order. Resist, and Denmark would be wiped off the map one stubborn citizen at a time. Knud Pedersen watched in disbelief as Denmark's leaders cheerfully handed power over to Hitler, allowing thousands of German troops to settle in and seize control. In nearby Norway, which was also under siege, the populace refused to be mollified, greeting the German invaders with stout resistance every step of the way. The Danes, on the other hand, seemed content—if slightly miffed—by Hitler's hostile takeover. If his elders weren't going to react from a place of national pride like the Norwegians, maybe Knud would have to do something himself. After Knud discussed the matter with his older brother Jens and a group of peers in their hometown of Odense, the young teens founded the Royal Air Force (RAF) Club, named for the courageous British pilots who thwarted Hitler's invasion of Great Britain. Knud's club was devoted to sabotaging the property of German soldiers in and around Odense. The mischief started out small, switching the direction of wooden signs meant to point incoming Nazi soldiers to their barracks, but escalated as Knud's resentment and temerity grew. The RAF Club was an intrepid gang of kids, from tall, lanky Knud Pedersen to the much shorter Knud Hedelund, affectionately called "Little Knud". Biking all over Odense to vandalize Nazi property, usually in the middle of the day when valuable equipment was left unguarded, the RAF Club would strike and then skedaddle before they could be caught. They soon captured the ire of German commanders, who issued rich rewards for their apprehension. Before detectives could close in on the rebel teens, Knud Pedersen's minister father was reassigned to lead a new church in Aalborg, Denmark, headquartered in a huge, drafty building that formerly served as a monastery. Knud's family would have to move. The RAF Club's work in Odense would proceed without the Pedersen brothers, but the two of them weren't finished flaunting Hitler.
Aalborg was much larger than Odense and held strategic importance for the Nazis. The Aalborg airport provided a shipping route for weapons materials, a boon for Germany's war effort worldwide. As a result, Aalborg was crawling with Nazi military who wouldn't regard sabotage casually, but Knud and Jens weren't about to follow the example of their servile Danish leaders and give up at the first sign of trouble. Many teens in Aalborg were as livid as the RAF Club members in Odense, and when Knud revealed to them the sabotage he had helped facilitate, his new friends wanted in. They dubbed themselves the Churchill Club in honor of British prime minister Winston Churchill, whose vigorous pushback in defiance of the Führer's daily bombing blitz inspired freedom fighters around the globe. Knud, Jens, and the rest of the Churchill Clubbers—including Mogens "the Professor" Fjellerup, who in ninth grade was already an innovative chemist with a lot to offer the club's weapons department, and Børge Ollendorff, a year younger than the others but a fearless heart who reminded Knud of his old friend in the RAF Club, Little Knud—began methodically striking Nazi properties in Aalborg, defying German or Danish constabulary to catch them. Minor vandalism progressed to stealing weaponry and torching classified papers, and again the attention of those in command swung toward Knud's boys. This time the sabotage took place in Aalborg, however, and the Nazis were prepared to invest serious resources in bringing down the perpetrators. As the Churchill Club shifted focus toward accumulating German weapons to distribute to the Allies if they broke through to liberate Denmark, investigators picked up on telltale patterns of the Churchill Club subversives. With the police drawing near, some Churchill Clubbers grew nervous, unsure about continuing their activities. Eigil Astrup-Frederiksen was foremost among the dissenters. His mother was Jewish, and if Eigil were implicated in the sabotage, his family might be deported to a concentration camp. The consequences for their civil disobedience were becoming dire, yet Knud and most of his friends remained unwilling to suspend the Churchill Club's itinerary. Denmark was no closer to regaining independence than ever. In Knud's opinion they were still cowards compared to Norway, and he was ready to sacrifice his personal freedom to fight for his country.
The Churchill Club wasn't reckless, but even soberly considered plans aren't foolproof, and Knud's operation was foiled for good when a waitress recognized him from his forays into her restaurant to riffle through the coats of German soldiers and swipe their sidearms. With Knud in custody, the rest of the Churchill Club was soon ferreted out, and their cache of stolen weapons confiscated. The club's reign was at an end, and horrific times were shortly to be the members' recompense. Try as the Danish government might to frame the teens' actions as youthful ignorance, the presence of German overseers in the courtroom meant the judge couldn't be lenient. The boys were all sentenced to federal prison, except Børge Ollendorff, who was too young. Børge was remanded to a youth correctional facility to serve his relatively light sentence, while Knud and Jens were hit hardest: three years each. The only ones punished more severely were three older peripheral Churchill Club associates, who each received a minimum of four and a half years behind bars. Knud and his friends were able to get away with some things at the Aalborg jail, including sawing out a bar over the window to their cell so they could slip in and out at night, but once they were transferred to Nyborg State Prison, any fantasy that their sentences would be anything but interminable suffering was squashed.
They had done what they knew was right, but the Churchill Clubbers had reason to doubt there was any good left for them in life. Yet were they truly less free than the citizens of Aalborg and Odense, oppressed by Naziism in their own country, ruled by a man who was having millions of innocents exterminated for perceived shortcomings of ethnicity, religion, and lifestyle? The Danes lived under a delusion of freedom that Knud and his friends never believed, so further restriction of their personal liberty didn't convince them they had erred. At least they'd fought for their homeland, rather than relinquishing control to Hitler as if they didn't care. But prison was far worse than they imagined. Sequestered by themselves in Nyborg's youth wing but rarely allowed to see one another, the convicted Clubbers were systematically stripped of humanity by the guards. Agonizing boredom and psychological torment vied for preeminence in their heads, and the prisoners coped in a variety of ways. Eigil teetered on the verge of despair, a state exacerbated by not being allowed to share the burden with his fellow convicted patriots. "I missed my mates...The loneliness was very great. In my thoughts I convinced myself that I had done the right thing by taking part in the fight against the Germans. But in the many lonely hours came the doubt anyway, often very insidious. There was no one to talk to besides myself. The light in the cell was turned off at 9 p.m. Many times I lay in my bed and struggled with the temptation to give up, to take a razor blade and slit my wrists to stop the beating of my heart. It would not be discovered until 4 a.m., I told myself." The grief and hopelessness of those words reverberates down through the years, a glimpse of the bleak void that yawned before the Churchill Club teens in every direction. That a kid would be subjected to such torture for defending his nation's honor is deeply disturbing, but the Clubbers endured it mostly without visible support from their fellow Danes, who had done nothing to show Hitler they would not be trampled. Unlike Eigil and some of the others, Knud's anger raged hotter than ever against the Nazis. He disobeyed his jailors every chance he had, hardly caring about his precious few privileges they gleefully revoked in an attempt to keep him in check. He hated the Germans and would not cooperate with them to the end.
Release came for every Churchill Club teen eventually, but they struggled to fit back into a society still under Nazi dominion. Denmark remained under the Führer's lead thumb, and Knud was no more tolerant of this than before his incarceration. While the Churchill Club stayed disbanded, Knud searched for ways to join the resistance, but found that rebels were hesitant to collaborate with a high-profile anti-Nazi personality. Knud did ultimately find his niche, helping stash and transfer weapons from one secret location to another, and though there were close calls that jeopardized his freedom, he was never arrested. On May 4, 1945, Knud Pedersen's readiness to sacrifice himself and everything he had for his homeland was validated by the news that Germany had surrendered to the Allies. The Nazi juggernaut that seemed invincible a couple years earlier had been demolished, and liberated Danes flooded the streets in emotional celebration. Just reading about it in this book brings tears to one's eyes, the fulfillment of years of hoping for a better fate for their homeland than being absorbed forever by Hitler's war machine, the permanent loss of a national history rich in artistic genius and world-class storytelling. It took a long time, but Danish patriotism had come alive even before Germany surrendered, and the bold actions of the Churchill Club were a big part of what inspired them. If a gaggle of teens could stand up to Hitler, why couldn't all of Denmark? It was no coincidence that acts of sabotage had been on the rise many times over while Knud and the boys languished at Nyborg State Prison. When the opportunity to meet Winston Churchill was offered Knud and his cohorts after the war, Knud's identity as an insurrectionist—which had once led law-abiding Danes to look at him askance—became his greatest source of pride: he was Knud Pedersen, Member of the Churchill Club, and that could never change. A boy who loved his country and refused to watch it die grew into a hero for all time.
It's hard to pinpoint what I love most about Phillip Hoose's nonfiction. It feels like fiction in some ways, with a compelling variety of likable and despicable characters who come to life on the page as if Mr. Hoose were a brilliant novelist with a flair for creating memorable characters. But they're all real people, and the effective characterization derives from the author's talent for framing the narrative using his own superb writing and vibrant quotes from his subjects, quotes that push the story forward with emotional power and immediacy. I love "Little Knud" Hedelund and Børge Ollendorff, was fascinated by the scientific genius of Mogens Fjellerup, and empathized with the suffocating sadness of Eigil Astrup-Frederiksen in prison. The disappearance of hope is a terrible thing, and every member of the Churchill upstarts had to wade through that mire. They bore scars from the years-long confinement, and at least one later committed suicide to escape his demons. But Knud Pedersen is the hero focused on in The Boys Who Challenged Hitler, as he was Phillip Hoose's primary interview source, and the image we get of him is indelible. At the time he first met with the author in 2012, he ran Denmark's Kunstbiblioteket, the first lending library for paintings ever created. Art was Knud's lifelong passion, and his reason for founding the library says a lot about him: "(A)rt is like bread, an essential ingredient for nourishing the soul." Whether it's painting, literature, or any number of other outlets, art is how we make sense of our lives, how we express who we are so others can appreciate it. Even in prison Knud created art, and years later became a noteworthy artist of his era. Knud was an extraordinary person who hung on into his late eighties so he could finish relating his story to Phillip Hoose, an author capable of doing justice to Knud's life and introducing the world to this hero who would not bow meekly to foot-soldiers of ignorance when all around him adults lacked even a quarter of Knud's spirit and courage. It often takes a kid to set foot where adults fear to tread. In 2014, his health in decline with The Boys Who Challenged Hitler finally complete, Knud scoffed at the idea of his own physical infirmity. "The doctors say that I am fragile," he wrote in one of the last of thousands of emails exchanged with Phillip Hoose. "But how fragile can one be who in eighty-nine years has lived in this most cruel century anybody could dream of?" Knud lived at exactly the time when a hero like him was needed. He never shied from his difficult role in history, and because he didn't, the Churchill Club remains a shining example to those who need encouragement when confronted with oppression. May we, like Knud, have the audacity to act on our convictions.
Nonfiction is rarely rewarded by the Newbery committee, but The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is at least as deserving as most Newbery Honor nonfiction, and I would have delighted in seeing it claim a 2016 Newbery. Phillip Hoose delivers again with a book that faithfully depicts a turbulent era in history while not neglecting the heart and soul of the story, what makes it relevant to readers today or in any age. That's the reason The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is great literature, and why I would strongly consider rating it three and a half stars. I'll think often of the lessons I learned from this story, and I'll never forget Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club.
Knud Pedersen was in eighth grade when Hitler's soldiers entered Denmark and declared it a "protectorate" of Germany. Cooperate with their overlords, and the Danes were promised prominence in Hitler's new world order. Resist, and Denmark would be wiped off the map one stubborn citizen at a time. Knud Pedersen watched in disbelief as Denmark's leaders cheerfully handed power over to Hitler, allowing thousands of German troops to settle in and seize control. In nearby Norway, which was also under siege, the populace refused to be mollified, greeting the German invaders with stout resistance every step of the way. The Danes, on the other hand, seemed content—if slightly miffed—by Hitler's hostile takeover. If his elders weren't going to react from a place of national pride like the Norwegians, maybe Knud would have to do something himself. After Knud discussed the matter with his older brother Jens and a group of peers in their hometown of Odense, the young teens founded the Royal Air Force (RAF) Club, named for the courageous British pilots who thwarted Hitler's invasion of Great Britain. Knud's club was devoted to sabotaging the property of German soldiers in and around Odense. The mischief started out small, switching the direction of wooden signs meant to point incoming Nazi soldiers to their barracks, but escalated as Knud's resentment and temerity grew. The RAF Club was an intrepid gang of kids, from tall, lanky Knud Pedersen to the much shorter Knud Hedelund, affectionately called "Little Knud". Biking all over Odense to vandalize Nazi property, usually in the middle of the day when valuable equipment was left unguarded, the RAF Club would strike and then skedaddle before they could be caught. They soon captured the ire of German commanders, who issued rich rewards for their apprehension. Before detectives could close in on the rebel teens, Knud Pedersen's minister father was reassigned to lead a new church in Aalborg, Denmark, headquartered in a huge, drafty building that formerly served as a monastery. Knud's family would have to move. The RAF Club's work in Odense would proceed without the Pedersen brothers, but the two of them weren't finished flaunting Hitler.
Aalborg was much larger than Odense and held strategic importance for the Nazis. The Aalborg airport provided a shipping route for weapons materials, a boon for Germany's war effort worldwide. As a result, Aalborg was crawling with Nazi military who wouldn't regard sabotage casually, but Knud and Jens weren't about to follow the example of their servile Danish leaders and give up at the first sign of trouble. Many teens in Aalborg were as livid as the RAF Club members in Odense, and when Knud revealed to them the sabotage he had helped facilitate, his new friends wanted in. They dubbed themselves the Churchill Club in honor of British prime minister Winston Churchill, whose vigorous pushback in defiance of the Führer's daily bombing blitz inspired freedom fighters around the globe. Knud, Jens, and the rest of the Churchill Clubbers—including Mogens "the Professor" Fjellerup, who in ninth grade was already an innovative chemist with a lot to offer the club's weapons department, and Børge Ollendorff, a year younger than the others but a fearless heart who reminded Knud of his old friend in the RAF Club, Little Knud—began methodically striking Nazi properties in Aalborg, defying German or Danish constabulary to catch them. Minor vandalism progressed to stealing weaponry and torching classified papers, and again the attention of those in command swung toward Knud's boys. This time the sabotage took place in Aalborg, however, and the Nazis were prepared to invest serious resources in bringing down the perpetrators. As the Churchill Club shifted focus toward accumulating German weapons to distribute to the Allies if they broke through to liberate Denmark, investigators picked up on telltale patterns of the Churchill Club subversives. With the police drawing near, some Churchill Clubbers grew nervous, unsure about continuing their activities. Eigil Astrup-Frederiksen was foremost among the dissenters. His mother was Jewish, and if Eigil were implicated in the sabotage, his family might be deported to a concentration camp. The consequences for their civil disobedience were becoming dire, yet Knud and most of his friends remained unwilling to suspend the Churchill Club's itinerary. Denmark was no closer to regaining independence than ever. In Knud's opinion they were still cowards compared to Norway, and he was ready to sacrifice his personal freedom to fight for his country.
The Churchill Club wasn't reckless, but even soberly considered plans aren't foolproof, and Knud's operation was foiled for good when a waitress recognized him from his forays into her restaurant to riffle through the coats of German soldiers and swipe their sidearms. With Knud in custody, the rest of the Churchill Club was soon ferreted out, and their cache of stolen weapons confiscated. The club's reign was at an end, and horrific times were shortly to be the members' recompense. Try as the Danish government might to frame the teens' actions as youthful ignorance, the presence of German overseers in the courtroom meant the judge couldn't be lenient. The boys were all sentenced to federal prison, except Børge Ollendorff, who was too young. Børge was remanded to a youth correctional facility to serve his relatively light sentence, while Knud and Jens were hit hardest: three years each. The only ones punished more severely were three older peripheral Churchill Club associates, who each received a minimum of four and a half years behind bars. Knud and his friends were able to get away with some things at the Aalborg jail, including sawing out a bar over the window to their cell so they could slip in and out at night, but once they were transferred to Nyborg State Prison, any fantasy that their sentences would be anything but interminable suffering was squashed.
They had done what they knew was right, but the Churchill Clubbers had reason to doubt there was any good left for them in life. Yet were they truly less free than the citizens of Aalborg and Odense, oppressed by Naziism in their own country, ruled by a man who was having millions of innocents exterminated for perceived shortcomings of ethnicity, religion, and lifestyle? The Danes lived under a delusion of freedom that Knud and his friends never believed, so further restriction of their personal liberty didn't convince them they had erred. At least they'd fought for their homeland, rather than relinquishing control to Hitler as if they didn't care. But prison was far worse than they imagined. Sequestered by themselves in Nyborg's youth wing but rarely allowed to see one another, the convicted Clubbers were systematically stripped of humanity by the guards. Agonizing boredom and psychological torment vied for preeminence in their heads, and the prisoners coped in a variety of ways. Eigil teetered on the verge of despair, a state exacerbated by not being allowed to share the burden with his fellow convicted patriots. "I missed my mates...The loneliness was very great. In my thoughts I convinced myself that I had done the right thing by taking part in the fight against the Germans. But in the many lonely hours came the doubt anyway, often very insidious. There was no one to talk to besides myself. The light in the cell was turned off at 9 p.m. Many times I lay in my bed and struggled with the temptation to give up, to take a razor blade and slit my wrists to stop the beating of my heart. It would not be discovered until 4 a.m., I told myself." The grief and hopelessness of those words reverberates down through the years, a glimpse of the bleak void that yawned before the Churchill Club teens in every direction. That a kid would be subjected to such torture for defending his nation's honor is deeply disturbing, but the Clubbers endured it mostly without visible support from their fellow Danes, who had done nothing to show Hitler they would not be trampled. Unlike Eigil and some of the others, Knud's anger raged hotter than ever against the Nazis. He disobeyed his jailors every chance he had, hardly caring about his precious few privileges they gleefully revoked in an attempt to keep him in check. He hated the Germans and would not cooperate with them to the end.
Release came for every Churchill Club teen eventually, but they struggled to fit back into a society still under Nazi dominion. Denmark remained under the Führer's lead thumb, and Knud was no more tolerant of this than before his incarceration. While the Churchill Club stayed disbanded, Knud searched for ways to join the resistance, but found that rebels were hesitant to collaborate with a high-profile anti-Nazi personality. Knud did ultimately find his niche, helping stash and transfer weapons from one secret location to another, and though there were close calls that jeopardized his freedom, he was never arrested. On May 4, 1945, Knud Pedersen's readiness to sacrifice himself and everything he had for his homeland was validated by the news that Germany had surrendered to the Allies. The Nazi juggernaut that seemed invincible a couple years earlier had been demolished, and liberated Danes flooded the streets in emotional celebration. Just reading about it in this book brings tears to one's eyes, the fulfillment of years of hoping for a better fate for their homeland than being absorbed forever by Hitler's war machine, the permanent loss of a national history rich in artistic genius and world-class storytelling. It took a long time, but Danish patriotism had come alive even before Germany surrendered, and the bold actions of the Churchill Club were a big part of what inspired them. If a gaggle of teens could stand up to Hitler, why couldn't all of Denmark? It was no coincidence that acts of sabotage had been on the rise many times over while Knud and the boys languished at Nyborg State Prison. When the opportunity to meet Winston Churchill was offered Knud and his cohorts after the war, Knud's identity as an insurrectionist—which had once led law-abiding Danes to look at him askance—became his greatest source of pride: he was Knud Pedersen, Member of the Churchill Club, and that could never change. A boy who loved his country and refused to watch it die grew into a hero for all time.
It's hard to pinpoint what I love most about Phillip Hoose's nonfiction. It feels like fiction in some ways, with a compelling variety of likable and despicable characters who come to life on the page as if Mr. Hoose were a brilliant novelist with a flair for creating memorable characters. But they're all real people, and the effective characterization derives from the author's talent for framing the narrative using his own superb writing and vibrant quotes from his subjects, quotes that push the story forward with emotional power and immediacy. I love "Little Knud" Hedelund and Børge Ollendorff, was fascinated by the scientific genius of Mogens Fjellerup, and empathized with the suffocating sadness of Eigil Astrup-Frederiksen in prison. The disappearance of hope is a terrible thing, and every member of the Churchill upstarts had to wade through that mire. They bore scars from the years-long confinement, and at least one later committed suicide to escape his demons. But Knud Pedersen is the hero focused on in The Boys Who Challenged Hitler, as he was Phillip Hoose's primary interview source, and the image we get of him is indelible. At the time he first met with the author in 2012, he ran Denmark's Kunstbiblioteket, the first lending library for paintings ever created. Art was Knud's lifelong passion, and his reason for founding the library says a lot about him: "(A)rt is like bread, an essential ingredient for nourishing the soul." Whether it's painting, literature, or any number of other outlets, art is how we make sense of our lives, how we express who we are so others can appreciate it. Even in prison Knud created art, and years later became a noteworthy artist of his era. Knud was an extraordinary person who hung on into his late eighties so he could finish relating his story to Phillip Hoose, an author capable of doing justice to Knud's life and introducing the world to this hero who would not bow meekly to foot-soldiers of ignorance when all around him adults lacked even a quarter of Knud's spirit and courage. It often takes a kid to set foot where adults fear to tread. In 2014, his health in decline with The Boys Who Challenged Hitler finally complete, Knud scoffed at the idea of his own physical infirmity. "The doctors say that I am fragile," he wrote in one of the last of thousands of emails exchanged with Phillip Hoose. "But how fragile can one be who in eighty-nine years has lived in this most cruel century anybody could dream of?" Knud lived at exactly the time when a hero like him was needed. He never shied from his difficult role in history, and because he didn't, the Churchill Club remains a shining example to those who need encouragement when confronted with oppression. May we, like Knud, have the audacity to act on our convictions.
Nonfiction is rarely rewarded by the Newbery committee, but The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is at least as deserving as most Newbery Honor nonfiction, and I would have delighted in seeing it claim a 2016 Newbery. Phillip Hoose delivers again with a book that faithfully depicts a turbulent era in history while not neglecting the heart and soul of the story, what makes it relevant to readers today or in any age. That's the reason The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is great literature, and why I would strongly consider rating it three and a half stars. I'll think often of the lessons I learned from this story, and I'll never forget Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club.
May 19, 2023
Tendo já lido muitos livros sobre a 2GM, nunca tinha lido nenhum em que a acção se centrasse nos países ocupados do norte da Europa, mais especificamente na Dinamarca.
Estas são as memórias e relatos reais de um grupo de jovens adolescentes que, confrontados com a passividade do governo do seu país, que em poucos dias se submete ao poderio do invasor alemão, e com a indiferença dos seu compatriotas, decidem criar um grupo de resistentes, para levar a cabo acções de sabotagem e roubos contra o exército alemão.
Levando a cabo as suas acções subversivas, primeiro numa cidade, depois noutra, estes jovens acabam por se tornar na faísca que mais tarde incendiará, e levará à criação do movimento da Resistência Dinamarquesa, mais organizada e com apoios de outras nações aliadas.
Mesmo sendo muito jovens, mesmo tendo sido presos e passados grandes privações, estes jovens nunca desistiram, e nunca deixaram de acreditar numa Dinamarca Livre e na derrota dos Nazis.
Um relato incrível de determinação e coragem que nos mostra que nunca somos pequenos, ou jovens de mais, para fazer a diferença.
Estas são as memórias e relatos reais de um grupo de jovens adolescentes que, confrontados com a passividade do governo do seu país, que em poucos dias se submete ao poderio do invasor alemão, e com a indiferença dos seu compatriotas, decidem criar um grupo de resistentes, para levar a cabo acções de sabotagem e roubos contra o exército alemão.
Levando a cabo as suas acções subversivas, primeiro numa cidade, depois noutra, estes jovens acabam por se tornar na faísca que mais tarde incendiará, e levará à criação do movimento da Resistência Dinamarquesa, mais organizada e com apoios de outras nações aliadas.
Mesmo sendo muito jovens, mesmo tendo sido presos e passados grandes privações, estes jovens nunca desistiram, e nunca deixaram de acreditar numa Dinamarca Livre e na derrota dos Nazis.
Um relato incrível de determinação e coragem que nos mostra que nunca somos pequenos, ou jovens de mais, para fazer a diferença.
June 5, 2017
Clean. I don't think I can give this a fair review. I had a difficult time with the boys' rebellion against the Nazis using acts of destruction. Why? It was the Nazis! Wouldn't I want them to fail abysmally? Yes! Wouldn't I have ruined their efforts if I had the chance? I would like to think I would have. Still, there was something in the attitude of Knud Petersen, the main historical figure interviewed for this book, that soured me. Was it that he and his friends seemed to be doing these things out of selfish pride? Was it because he seemed to be using patriotism as a front for his fascination with destruction? Does it matter? It was frustrating the Nazi war machine. Who cares what the motives were, right?
April 12, 2019
YA - This non-fiction read is my faculty book club pick for this quarter. Another piece of history I didn't know a thing about. Frustrated that their country basically agreed to let the Germans occupy it, a group of teenage boys formed a group that began sabotaging the German's war effort. Filled with primary source pictures and document snapshots, it read like fiction. Will certainly recommend to my students.
December 1, 2015
When Germany invaded Denmark in World War II, there was no resistance or fighting from the Danes. Knud Pedersen was fourteen and disgusted that his country did nothing in wake of the takeover. He and his brother met with other boys at their school and formed a resistance unit modeled after the Norwegian resistance and British Royal Air Force (RAF). They began fighting the Germans by switching up German signs confusing arriving soldiers with misdirections. With their bikes as their weapons, they added cutting the German communication wires next and vandalizing vehicles. Police offered a reward for the capture those responsible, but Knud and his brother moved to a different city starting a new club.
This club was named, "The Churchill Club," and the brothers along with eight boys targeted homes, offices, and stores of Nazi sympathizers vandalizing them. They left a calling card in blue paint whenever they struck. The club included about ten passive members that supported them with supplies and money, but who stayed out of the action. Their actions became bolder committing arson and stealing weapons from German solders before getting caught and sent to prison.
The story reads like a narrative from Knud's point of view. Text boxes containing facts, maps, primary photos, and Knud's sketches add to the depth and richness of the story. I read this on the Kindle and I would have probably preferred the book. The separation of text features is limited in space on the Kindle as it only shows one page at a time. I got the idea and saw the separation by a bold black line but I had to enlarge the photos to see some details and the maps were unreadable unless enlarged. You might want to consider what format you want to use when reading this book. A fascinating look at children making a difference in the world.
This club was named, "The Churchill Club," and the brothers along with eight boys targeted homes, offices, and stores of Nazi sympathizers vandalizing them. They left a calling card in blue paint whenever they struck. The club included about ten passive members that supported them with supplies and money, but who stayed out of the action. Their actions became bolder committing arson and stealing weapons from German solders before getting caught and sent to prison.
The story reads like a narrative from Knud's point of view. Text boxes containing facts, maps, primary photos, and Knud's sketches add to the depth and richness of the story. I read this on the Kindle and I would have probably preferred the book. The separation of text features is limited in space on the Kindle as it only shows one page at a time. I got the idea and saw the separation by a bold black line but I had to enlarge the photos to see some details and the maps were unreadable unless enlarged. You might want to consider what format you want to use when reading this book. A fascinating look at children making a difference in the world.
July 21, 2017
Very interesting book about Denmark during WWII. I had no idea that Hitler basically told the leaders, in Denmark, to do as he asked or he would bomb them until they did. This book is about a group of teenage boys who did not like that their country was not willing to fight Hitler, so they took matters into their own hands and staged their own sabotage missions.
April 16, 2024
an amazing autobiography by Knud Pedersen. It goes to show how a little group can make an impact. I had never seen this book before but it's intriguing and exiting.
I forgot to write a review before
I forgot to write a review before
December 28, 2015
Relying on 24 hours' worth of face-to-face interviews with Knud Pedersen as well as more than 1,000 emails and Pedersen's published writing, this nonfiction account of a group of Danish teens who dared to defy Adolph Hitler reads as smoothly as the most engaging novel. When Knud Pedersen was in the eighth grade, the Germans began to occupy Denmark, and his life changed completely. Suddenly, he became keenly aware of the difference in the reaction of the Norwegians and the Danes to the Germans, and he felt ashamed. When it became clear that the adults in charge of the country would do nothing against the interlopers, Knud and some of his classmates began talking--and acting. After forming the Churchill Club, named after the British Prime Minister, they began their small resistance movement, stealing weapons, removing signs, sabotaging equipment, and generally, becoming thorns in the sides of the Germans. All of these plots were carried out on foot or via their bicycles too, and the boys were sworn to secrecy. Although some readers might argue that the eight boys in the Churchill Club and the others who helped them in various ways were naïve, they were fully aware of the consequences of their actions. If no one else was going to act to restore the reputation of their country, then they would-and they did, keeping their small resistance movement a secret from their parents. When they are later arrested, tried, and imprisoned, they continue to try to keep up their spirits, and upon being released from prison, it's clear that the climate of the country has changed. There is little support in the country for the Germans, and resistance groups abound, inspired in no little way by the Churchill Club. Much of the story is told in the words of its protagonist, but the author also intersperses his own thoughts and observations without detracting from the narrative as a whole. The details of the teen resistance group's actions as well as the inclusion of differences of opinion among group members and Knud's unrequited crush on a neighbor girl as well as the reactions of classmates and teachers upon learning of the boys' arrest all add to the story's authenticity and appeal for its particular audience. For those seeking inspiration or examples of how one marginalized group stood up for their country and their beliefs and took action, this book serves as a ready example of courage and heroism. The inclusion of archival photos of the boys--looking so very young and innocent--and the description of the lives they went on to lead offer more food for thought. Fans of the books of Phillip M. Hoose will not be disappointed with this one, which needs to be required reading in several middle grade and high school history classes.
November 3, 2015
On April 9, 1940, German military forces invaded Denmark and informed the citizens that they had become a “protectorate” of Germany. Middle school student Knud Pedersen was ashamed and embarrassed that his fellow Danish citizens did not resist German occupation, unlike the brave Norwegians who fought back. After a few months of witnessing the Germans completely take over his city of Odense, Knud and his brother Jens decided to take action. Together, with their cousin and two friends, they called themselves the RAF Club after the heroic British Royal Air Force, and committed minor acts of vandalism against the Germans. Armed with their bicycles and not much else, the RAF Club started stealing signs, cutting telephone wires, and making enough of a nuisance of themselves that there was a substantial reward for their capture. In the spring of 1941, the Pedersens moved to Aalborg in northern Denmark, where Knud and Jens quickly formed a new resistance group: the Churchill Club. This group was more organized, and divided themselves into four departments: passive, propaganda, technical, and sabotage. The acts of resistance were much more intense, including arson, weapons theft, and railyard explosions. Ultimately, the group was caught and all of the boys spent time in jail and then prison. The group continued their resistance behind bars, however, always thinking about methods of escape and never giving up. The most exhilarating news that they received while in prison was that their fellow Danes had been inspired by the group’s actions and were beginning to fight back and resist the Germans all across the great nation of Denmark.
Who wouldn’t be inspired by this story of a group of boys who exhibited more courage than the rest of their country? The author weaves first-hand accounts, news articles, photographs, and letters into the narrative, giving readers a full picture of the events that took place in a way that makes them forget they are reading nonfiction. Highly recommended for gr. 7-12.
Who wouldn’t be inspired by this story of a group of boys who exhibited more courage than the rest of their country? The author weaves first-hand accounts, news articles, photographs, and letters into the narrative, giving readers a full picture of the events that took place in a way that makes them forget they are reading nonfiction. Highly recommended for gr. 7-12.
February 28, 2018
an amazing "backstory" or "behind the scenes" story so to speak about ww2. teenager Knud Pederson is a Danish living among the reign of the German, and he decides to take a stand for his country along with fellow classmates. they start off by vandalizing German property and move onto stealing weapons. one day they go too far and are caught and sentenced to 2 years in prison. this story, to me, was a story of taking a stand, even if it's not a big one. Knud and his club didn't directly threaten Hitler, or shoot down soldiers, but they did what they could, and their efforts inspired other resistance s around Denmark.
***the book isn't on goodreads for some reason, only the audio cd....***
***the book isn't on goodreads for some reason, only the audio cd....***
April 21, 2018
A group of teenage boys in Denmark created the Churchill Club. Their purpose was to sabatoge the Nazis through grafitti, destroying things, and stealing weapons. Most of the boys were eventually caught and sent to jail, but they inspired other Danes to create an underground network to undermine the Germans. The boys were brave and a bit crazy like only teenagers can be. The story is told with lots of quotes from Knud Pedersen, one of the Churchill Club leaders. It’s a pretty quick read. I highly recommend reading The Boys Who Challenged Hitler to anyone teenager and up who is interested in World War II.
January 6, 2026
When Nazi Germany occupied Denmark in World War II, a group of boys (teenagers) called themselves the "Churchill Club" and committed acts of sabotage. They were caught after several months, and sent to jail, but the story was immediately inspirational, awakening a rebellious spirit and — eventually — the tides of war changed, and the occupiers were expelled.
With photos and other documentary evidence, much of which supplied by the Museum of Danish Resistance.
The voices shifts around here, based on different people the author interviewed, but his main source was Knud Pedersen, the boy in the title, who lived to see this book completed and died in December, 2014.
With photos and other documentary evidence, much of which supplied by the Museum of Danish Resistance.
The voices shifts around here, based on different people the author interviewed, but his main source was Knud Pedersen, the boy in the title, who lived to see this book completed and died in December, 2014.
May 7, 2015
When the Germans invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, many Danes welcomed them, but many more were filled with anger as they watched these soldiers taking over their towns and cities. But what could they do? The Danish army was simply no match for the Germans. They may not have been willing to take on Hitler but Knud Pedersen, 14, a successful student living in Odense, Denmark, decided he might just be able to do something himself.
Very carefully, Knud, his older brother Jens, and a handful of fellow students decided to form a resistance group. Calling themselves the RAF Club, named for the pilots who were defending Britain against Luftwaffe attacks, and modeling themselves on what they knew of the Norwegian Resistance, their goal was to disrupt their occupiers anyway they could.
It didn't take long for the RAF Club to gain a reputation, irritating the Germans and eluding the Danish police. But in the spring of 1941, Knud's father, a Protestant minister, moved his family north to Aalborg and a new church. Knud and Jens were enrolled in the Cathedral School there, and again, it didn't take long for them to form a new resistance group with their new school chums. This time, they called themselves the Churchill Club, after their hero, Winston Churchill.
The boys of the Churchill Club, with bikes as their only means to transportation, began to commit acts of satotage all over Aalborg. Not satisfied with vandalizing Germany property, usually setting fire using a small can of petrol they carried in the book bags, the boys decided they needed weapons.
Cautiously waiting and watching, the boys slowly began to acquire guns from unattended German cars, creeping into rooms and taking guns right out of the holdsters of German solders, even sneaking into coat rooms in restarurants to help themselves to whatever weaponry they could find. Pretty soon, they had quite a cache of guns and ammunition, even snagging a machine gun at one point.
And the boys managed to frustrate the Germans to the point that their resistance activities were known about in Nazi headquarters in Berlin. Both the Danish police and the Nazis were trying to catch these resisters, at first never dreaming these acts of sabotage were being committed by a group of schoolboys. And there were plently of close calls that could have ended in their capture.
But in May 1942, the Chuchill Club's luck ran out and the boys were arrested. They were tried and imprisoned, most of the boys sent to an adult prison, where they were essentially in solitary until their release in 1944. Imagine their surprise when they returned home and discovered to what extent the Danish Resistance had grown. Because a handful of young boys, ashamed of their country's behavior in the face of occupation, decided to do something on their own? Certainly, that is what Philip Hoose implies and I am inclinded to agree. Once the boys were caught, and despite Nazi censorship attempts, the Churchill Club became an international story.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is a inspiring, rivating story about courage, conviction and action. Hoose interviewed Knud Pedersen for a week in 2012 and so a great deal of this book consists of his recollections, told verbatim. In between, Hoose gives the reader enough information about Denmark, including why it was important to the Germans, about life under the German occupation, the attitude of the Danish people - including Nazi collaborators.
There are numerous photographs throughout the book, including photos of the boys in the Churchill Club. I read the ARC, so I hope this photo is labelled in the published edition. And a word about the pipe - all of these boys, who were in their mid-teens, smoked a pipe.
Hoose does end the book by telling the reader what became of each of the members of the RAF and the Churchill Club after the war. These is also a Selected Bibliography, including books, articles and web sites, even YouTube recordings the reader can listen to, and extensive Notes.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club is a well-written, well-researched book by an author who specialized in nonfiction about young people making a difference and is one that I believe teen readers will find exciting, informative and even relatable.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley and will be available May 12, 2015.
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
Very carefully, Knud, his older brother Jens, and a handful of fellow students decided to form a resistance group. Calling themselves the RAF Club, named for the pilots who were defending Britain against Luftwaffe attacks, and modeling themselves on what they knew of the Norwegian Resistance, their goal was to disrupt their occupiers anyway they could.
It didn't take long for the RAF Club to gain a reputation, irritating the Germans and eluding the Danish police. But in the spring of 1941, Knud's father, a Protestant minister, moved his family north to Aalborg and a new church. Knud and Jens were enrolled in the Cathedral School there, and again, it didn't take long for them to form a new resistance group with their new school chums. This time, they called themselves the Churchill Club, after their hero, Winston Churchill.
The boys of the Churchill Club, with bikes as their only means to transportation, began to commit acts of satotage all over Aalborg. Not satisfied with vandalizing Germany property, usually setting fire using a small can of petrol they carried in the book bags, the boys decided they needed weapons.
Cautiously waiting and watching, the boys slowly began to acquire guns from unattended German cars, creeping into rooms and taking guns right out of the holdsters of German solders, even sneaking into coat rooms in restarurants to help themselves to whatever weaponry they could find. Pretty soon, they had quite a cache of guns and ammunition, even snagging a machine gun at one point.
And the boys managed to frustrate the Germans to the point that their resistance activities were known about in Nazi headquarters in Berlin. Both the Danish police and the Nazis were trying to catch these resisters, at first never dreaming these acts of sabotage were being committed by a group of schoolboys. And there were plently of close calls that could have ended in their capture.
But in May 1942, the Chuchill Club's luck ran out and the boys were arrested. They were tried and imprisoned, most of the boys sent to an adult prison, where they were essentially in solitary until their release in 1944. Imagine their surprise when they returned home and discovered to what extent the Danish Resistance had grown. Because a handful of young boys, ashamed of their country's behavior in the face of occupation, decided to do something on their own? Certainly, that is what Philip Hoose implies and I am inclinded to agree. Once the boys were caught, and despite Nazi censorship attempts, the Churchill Club became an international story.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is a inspiring, rivating story about courage, conviction and action. Hoose interviewed Knud Pedersen for a week in 2012 and so a great deal of this book consists of his recollections, told verbatim. In between, Hoose gives the reader enough information about Denmark, including why it was important to the Germans, about life under the German occupation, the attitude of the Danish people - including Nazi collaborators.
There are numerous photographs throughout the book, including photos of the boys in the Churchill Club. I read the ARC, so I hope this photo is labelled in the published edition. And a word about the pipe - all of these boys, who were in their mid-teens, smoked a pipe.
Hoose does end the book by telling the reader what became of each of the members of the RAF and the Churchill Club after the war. These is also a Selected Bibliography, including books, articles and web sites, even YouTube recordings the reader can listen to, and extensive Notes.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club is a well-written, well-researched book by an author who specialized in nonfiction about young people making a difference and is one that I believe teen readers will find exciting, informative and even relatable.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley and will be available May 12, 2015.
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
March 24, 2022
I am glad this story was brought out in a book. These were some brave kids .. such hard times. War is ugly.. and causes such trauma. My ancestors were from Denmark, and I have read SO many WWII books, that I was interested to know more about what was happening in Denmark.
November 8, 2016
As World War II began Denmark was quietly assimilated by Nazi Germany as a "protectorate." Trying to prevent bloodshed the Danish leaders did not fight. Ashamed that their leaders did not lead the people to fight, Knud Pedersen with other 14 year olds started a group of saboteurs called "The Churchill Club" who as children attacked Nazi supplies, stole weapons and spread anti Nazi slogans. Truly an interesting history that kept me mesmerized. I have a 14 year old son and I found myself imagining him blowing up Nazi vehicles and stockpiling stolen weapons.
July 17, 2015
Continuing on my nonfiction kick...I really, really enjoyed this one. These boys in Denmark started the first resistance group during WWII while they were occupied by the Nazis. They were just BOYS! It was amazing to read about their courage and determination. I am sure had I been in that same situation I would have just curled up into a ball in my room and tried to will the Nazis away with my mind. I think that is about as courageous as I would have been. These boys were amazing.
August 2, 2015
I had never heard of this story and knew little about the Danish involvement in WW2, so this was not only informative but great story telling as well. I appreciated the author's notes on how he got the story and the relationship he developed with the original Churchill Club member. It's story I hope to see told again in other forms, perhaps a film as well.
October 5, 2016
This book was AMAZING i could not put it down! Knud Peterson named the club after the fiery british army were so brave to actually challenge the man who could find you and kill you before you could even run. He was a maniac, plus this was very inspiring
March 24, 2019
This book was amazing!! I loved hearing about these boys lives during WW2.
August 28, 2019
BOB has really been amazing so far this year! It makes me a bit nervous that the next book I read will not be as copacetic. Thank you again, Battle of Books for introducing me to a book that I probably never would have heard of or would not have picked up on my own.
I didn't know anything about this story before reading this book; I knew that Norway had resisted during WWII, but I had never heard anything about Denmark or any resistance movement of any sort. As I was reading throughout, I kept wondering what our country would do? What would our teenagers do (in particular) if something happened and we were taken over by another country? Germany was right next door, and they were taught the language in their schools in Denmark so I was trying to put that in perspective. Would it be like if Mexico invaded us? (I'm laughing a bit in my head and frowning in light of the current political climate and Trump and the whole dreadful wall thing.) What would we, as a country, do?
Looking back now, with the whole picture to view, of what happened to Denmark and to Germany, this is such an amazing story. Events could have turned out very differently. We have the whole picture, but people didn't know that at the time and took courageous and amazing chances. Dumb risks, even.
This is a quick read, and it wraps up the whole story well. There are additional resources in the back if you want to dive deeper.
I didn't know anything about this story before reading this book; I knew that Norway had resisted during WWII, but I had never heard anything about Denmark or any resistance movement of any sort. As I was reading throughout, I kept wondering what our country would do? What would our teenagers do (in particular) if something happened and we were taken over by another country? Germany was right next door, and they were taught the language in their schools in Denmark so I was trying to put that in perspective. Would it be like if Mexico invaded us? (I'm laughing a bit in my head and frowning in light of the current political climate and Trump and the whole dreadful wall thing.) What would we, as a country, do?
Looking back now, with the whole picture to view, of what happened to Denmark and to Germany, this is such an amazing story. Events could have turned out very differently. We have the whole picture, but people didn't know that at the time and took courageous and amazing chances. Dumb risks, even.
This is a quick read, and it wraps up the whole story well. There are additional resources in the back if you want to dive deeper.
April 1, 2022
pretty good book, the writing was a bit repetitive esp in the beginning but the story was soso inspiring
told the story of Danish students who started the resistance in Denmark, eventually leading to liberation. they are all incredibly determined and brave :0 and were really cool people even aside from resistance- all passionate and smart.
even at the end of Knud Pedersen's life, while working on the book with the author, he still had a strong spirit
“The doctors say that I am fragile,” Knud observed in one of the last notes I received from him. “But how fragile can one be who in eighty-nine years has lived in this most cruel century anybody could dream of? I will keep you updated.”
told the story of Danish students who started the resistance in Denmark, eventually leading to liberation. they are all incredibly determined and brave :0 and were really cool people even aside from resistance- all passionate and smart.
even at the end of Knud Pedersen's life, while working on the book with the author, he still had a strong spirit
“The doctors say that I am fragile,” Knud observed in one of the last notes I received from him. “But how fragile can one be who in eighty-nine years has lived in this most cruel century anybody could dream of? I will keep you updated.”
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