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Ausländer (Baumhaus Verlag)
Berlin 1941. Mit dem Zug trifft der 14-jährige Peter in der Hauptstadt des deutschen Reiches ein. Der Waisenjunge ist in Polen aufgewachsen, doch er ist "Volksdeutscher". Mit seinen blonden Haaren und den blauen Augen ist er der Inbegriff des propagierten arischen Ideals und kann daher problemlos an eine deutsche Nazifamilie vermittelt werden. Zunächst lebt er sich gut bei den Kaltenbachs ein und fühlt sich auch bei der Hitlerjugend sehr wohl. Doch als er sich in das mutige Mädchen Anna verliebt, hat er längst entschieden, dass er kein Nazi sein will. Gemeinsam helfen die beiden Juden, die sich in Berlin versteckt halten - und riskieren damit ihr Leben ...
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
69 people are currently reading
1517 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dowswell
145 books66 followersPaul Dowswell is a British writer of nonfiction and young adult novels who has written over 70 books for British publishers. He was a senior editor at Usborne Publishing, then went freelance in 1999.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
October 9, 2022
Increíble historia sobre un polaco que intenta sobrevivir a la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
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Incredible story about a Pole trying to survive World War II.
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Incredible story about a Pole trying to survive World War II.
April 7, 2017
YA historical novel set in Nazi Germany. Very well-written and absolutely riveting. The story follows Peter - an orphan in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who has German blood. The Nazis decide he is racially valuable, and take him to Germany to be raised as a Hitler Youth by a German foster family.
At first, Peter is grateful for his improved life - better food, better clothes, better education. But he soon sees how totally the Nazi government controls not only the foreigners (auslanders) and Jews, but also the German people. Everyone lives in a constant state of paranoia, for fear their words or actions will be deemed unpatriotic and they'll be punished by the Nazis.
Wanting to help the persecuted Jews, Peter and his girlfriend Anna - along with her family - secretly provide food and shelter for them. But anyone can betray them to the Nazis at any time - even close friends and relatives. And one day the inevitable happens.
This book was absolutely chilling to read, because it's based on well-researched facts. The excellent writing makes you feel like you're living in Nazi Germany along with Peter. The tension in this novel, especially towards the end, is almost too intense. A brutal, but excellent book. Highly recommended.
At first, Peter is grateful for his improved life - better food, better clothes, better education. But he soon sees how totally the Nazi government controls not only the foreigners (auslanders) and Jews, but also the German people. Everyone lives in a constant state of paranoia, for fear their words or actions will be deemed unpatriotic and they'll be punished by the Nazis.
Wanting to help the persecuted Jews, Peter and his girlfriend Anna - along with her family - secretly provide food and shelter for them. But anyone can betray them to the Nazis at any time - even close friends and relatives. And one day the inevitable happens.
This book was absolutely chilling to read, because it's based on well-researched facts. The excellent writing makes you feel like you're living in Nazi Germany along with Peter. The tension in this novel, especially towards the end, is almost too intense. A brutal, but excellent book. Highly recommended.
September 2, 2014
My teacher recommended I read this book for a teenage reviewing challenge, and I'm really glad she did because I really ended up enjoying this book.
This book is incredibly underrated, and I feel this book is a lot better than some other books I've read that have been set in Nazi Germany. This was also one of the first young adult books I ever read and I think the fact it was a young adult book made it even better, because this book was able to explore how impressionable teenagers in Nazi Germany were, and how vulnerable they were to influences such as the government, the Hitler Youth, and people's attitudes towards anti-Semitism in general.
The story features Peter, a lovely Aryan boy, who looks like he could be the poster child for the Hitler Youth. After his parents die, he is sent to live with an awful, prominent German family. The reason why I found them awful was because they were incredibly miserable and stuck up.
I don't want to say too much more, because I may end up giving the plot away, but read this book for yourselves, it's a good read I promise. It's got quite a good plot twist at the end, which I personally didn't see coming, but I guess it's all down to interpretation so check this book out for yourselves.
4 stars, an incredible, underrated book.
This book is incredibly underrated, and I feel this book is a lot better than some other books I've read that have been set in Nazi Germany. This was also one of the first young adult books I ever read and I think the fact it was a young adult book made it even better, because this book was able to explore how impressionable teenagers in Nazi Germany were, and how vulnerable they were to influences such as the government, the Hitler Youth, and people's attitudes towards anti-Semitism in general.
The story features Peter, a lovely Aryan boy, who looks like he could be the poster child for the Hitler Youth. After his parents die, he is sent to live with an awful, prominent German family. The reason why I found them awful was because they were incredibly miserable and stuck up.
I don't want to say too much more, because I may end up giving the plot away, but read this book for yourselves, it's a good read I promise. It's got quite a good plot twist at the end, which I personally didn't see coming, but I guess it's all down to interpretation so check this book out for yourselves.
4 stars, an incredible, underrated book.
August 13, 2013
I really loved this book! It was extremely touching and well written. There a lot of books flying around under the topic of World War 2 and this book, though on the same topic, gives us a different outlook/insight on it. Reading this book I felt as if I was there with Peter (main character) Though he is in fact Polish he looks like the perfect German (Volkdeutscher - of German blood)
I also loved this book because it's a very believable if not likely story and is something I plan on reading again and again. It's a highly praised book and with good reason too. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the book, 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas', or in fact anyone who enjoys reading in general..
I also loved this book because it's a very believable if not likely story and is something I plan on reading again and again. It's a highly praised book and with good reason too. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the book, 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas', or in fact anyone who enjoys reading in general..
March 25, 2018
recensie volgt op mijn blog
October 30, 2017
Trigger warnings: Antisemitism, racism, death of a parent (in the past), car accident.
Based on the blurb, this sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, it proved to be more meh than anything for me. While the concept of a Polish boy sent to live in Germany following the death of his parents was definitely unique, the characters lacked emotional depth for me. The writing was pretty choppy and it didn't always feel finished.
That said, it's a pretty unique viewpoint - a teenager in Nazi Germany who's living with the perfect high ranking Nazi family but who's secretly rebelling against everything he's learnt in the Hitler Youth.
But ultimately, it took a little too long to actually get to the rebelling part for me, and then when it DID get to the rebelling part? It was over too quickly.
Based on the blurb, this sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, it proved to be more meh than anything for me. While the concept of a Polish boy sent to live in Germany following the death of his parents was definitely unique, the characters lacked emotional depth for me. The writing was pretty choppy and it didn't always feel finished.
That said, it's a pretty unique viewpoint - a teenager in Nazi Germany who's living with the perfect high ranking Nazi family but who's secretly rebelling against everything he's learnt in the Hitler Youth.
But ultimately, it took a little too long to actually get to the rebelling part for me, and then when it DID get to the rebelling part? It was over too quickly.
January 2, 2018
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? I really like the cover; there's no second-guessing where - and when - this book takes place, and its general subject-matter. It's intriguing, attention-grabbing, ominous, and exciting at the same time. Or maybe that's just because I absolutely love WWII stories.
Characters: Unfortunately, this isn't the book's strong point. To call the characters cardboard is harsh and untrue, but to say that I became attached to them is also a falsehood. Peter Bruck, the protagonist, starts out as a young thirteen-year-old Polish boy who has just lost his parents after the fall of Warsaw. He's eager to become a German citizen, because it means an improvement in his circumstances - and leaving the horrible orphanage. So when we first meet our protagonist, it's hard to really accept him because he seems to be well on his way to becoming an ideal Nazi youth. Pretty difficult to sympathize with a person like that, right? Well, naturally Peter does have a change of heart as he learns more and more about Nazi brutality and the blatantly untrue things they teach about races. Peter never did understand their hatred for Jews - not even in the beginning, - and his view on that never changes. So while he's learning to be a perfect Brown Shirt, we Readers can cling onto the obvious nigglies that persist in the back of Peter's mind, which keep him free from complete Nazi brainwashing, and he slowly begins to form his own opinions which strongly contradict the National Socialist teachings. But did I ever really connect with him? Well, sadly no, and I think it's largely because Peter never has an iconic moment of where he really puts his foot down and denounces the Nazi party; his conversion is gradual. The rest of the characters - Gerhart Segur, Anna Reiter, Herr Kaltenbach, and Elsbeth Kaltenbach - were fascinating in the fact that they all embodied the different opinions and attitudes that were floating about Berlin at the time. Gerhart Segur isn't all that serious about his duties as a member of the Hitler Youth, but he ends up causing the most trouble for Peter when he's forced to cooperate with the Gestapo. He doesn't want to, but he turns a blind eye and tells himself that he did all he could - which is something a lot of Germans did. Meanwhile, Anna Reiter and her parents put on a facade of loyalty to the National Socialist party, while they are secretly hiding Jews. Herr Kaltenbach is the very persona of a loyal "one-hundred percenter" - a true Nazi, while Elsbeth Kaltenbach - his daughter, started out believing in the Nazi cause, but began to doubt some of the their ideals when she has a very personal encounter with their "cleansing of undesirables" from society. As characters, though, I didn't really become attached to any of them, or really hate them. They were figures standing in as representations of the personal struggles German citizens faced, and that was it.
The Romance: Peter and Anna have a bit of an adolescent crush going on between them, but it takes backseat to everything else, and I was all right with that.
Plot: When the Nazis invade Poland, Peter's parents are killed and his family farm seized by the occupying army. With no relatives, Peter is sent to a Warsaw orphanage, where living conditions are far from ideal. But when German officials come looking for "racially pure" boys to send to Berlin and be rehoused with German families, Peter is excited. With his blond hair, blue eyes, tall and athletic build, and wonderfully well proportioned skull, he's the very essence of the Aryan ideal. Peter sees this as an opportunity to leave the orphanage and someday regain his family farm back, and he eagerly steps into his new life as the adopted son of Professor Franz Kaltenbach - a devoted Nazi doing extensive research into purifying the world of sullied races. As with all German boys his age, Peter joins the Hitler Youth, attends school and excels at athletics, and does everything a perfect German boy ought. Swept away in the thrill of being a part of something big - like restoring Germany's national pride, - Peter isn't bothered by what is truly going on in the world. But he is never able to accept how the Jews and Poles are treated, though he tries desperately to push it to the back of his mind, and as the war drags on and on, and Peter learns the full extent of what the Nazis stand for, he begins to realize that he doesn't agree. With Anna's help, he decides to do something about it. The majority of the plot is spent with Peter's gradual realization - notice the emphasis on gradual. Because that is exactly what it is; he never has a sudden moment of epiphany that changes everything. It's a slow accumulation of knowledge, which slowly leads to him listening to forbidden music, listening to forbidden radio stations (the BBC), which then leads to helping the Reiders hide Jews, which leads to a ton of other revelations. This is, I will relent, realistic, but it also makes for a plot that isn't necessarily exciting or even fast-paced. This is an illustration of what life would be like for a Polish boy deemed German in Berlin - a Polish boy who wasn't willing to accept what he was told to accept. As Peter grows up in WWII-era Berlin, he encounters lots of side characters that tell him of the further horrors of the Nazi party - and how some people feel about it. A real plot doesn't really surface until the last 90 pages, when things start to go horribly wrong for Peter and the Reiders. That isn't to say that The Auslander was boring - I found all of this exploration of Nazi Germany to be utterly fascinating. But some Readers might not.
Believability: The Author has done impeccable research, and it is because of this that I am able to give this book a high rating while complaining about the characters and writing style at the same time. I have absolutely no complaints in this quarter.
Writing Style: Third person, past tense. Occasionally, the chapters switch perspectives between characters, but not very often. The style isn't anything poetic or even descriptive - the Author doesn't do much to color in Peter's world. At times, it feels rather textbookish, which is hard to avoid when addressing so many historical facts. But the information the Author explores is so fascinating that I didn't mind all that much, and I did love how he threw in lots of German words - I love German! It's so much fun to try and pronounce. But he also offers in-text translations, so we Readers aren't left in the dark about what that extremely long word means.
Content: 1 f-word, 2 s-words. Things like sterilization are addressed, though not in detail, and of course there are a few scenes of Gestapo interrogation, but nothing gory.
Conclusion: Once Peter decides that he doesn't agree with the Nazi party, things come crumbling down pretty fast for him - and the Reiders. Where the plot lagged in the beginning, we have a heart-pounding climax that genuinely had me wondering for a moment if Peter really was going to get away - or if the book would end with his death. The Auslander is not a character-driven or even plot-driven book; it's a fact-driven one. The story begins with a information-dump on the Reader and doesn't really let up all that much, as the story spans events from 1941 to 1943. But I found the historical facts so fascinating - and at times downright chilling, like the school curriculum, the "Christmas" decorations, and of course the termination of so-called "undesirables" of society - that I didn't mind the slow plot at all. I like fact-driven books, especially when they are about WWII and the Nazi regime - a time in history that we can never afford to forget.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, fifteen-and-up, as well as a great book for adults, perfect for historical fiction fans that prefer a more factual-driven story than drama-driven.
Characters: Unfortunately, this isn't the book's strong point. To call the characters cardboard is harsh and untrue, but to say that I became attached to them is also a falsehood. Peter Bruck, the protagonist, starts out as a young thirteen-year-old Polish boy who has just lost his parents after the fall of Warsaw. He's eager to become a German citizen, because it means an improvement in his circumstances - and leaving the horrible orphanage. So when we first meet our protagonist, it's hard to really accept him because he seems to be well on his way to becoming an ideal Nazi youth. Pretty difficult to sympathize with a person like that, right? Well, naturally Peter does have a change of heart as he learns more and more about Nazi brutality and the blatantly untrue things they teach about races. Peter never did understand their hatred for Jews - not even in the beginning, - and his view on that never changes. So while he's learning to be a perfect Brown Shirt, we Readers can cling onto the obvious nigglies that persist in the back of Peter's mind, which keep him free from complete Nazi brainwashing, and he slowly begins to form his own opinions which strongly contradict the National Socialist teachings. But did I ever really connect with him? Well, sadly no, and I think it's largely because Peter never has an iconic moment of where he really puts his foot down and denounces the Nazi party; his conversion is gradual. The rest of the characters - Gerhart Segur, Anna Reiter, Herr Kaltenbach, and Elsbeth Kaltenbach - were fascinating in the fact that they all embodied the different opinions and attitudes that were floating about Berlin at the time. Gerhart Segur isn't all that serious about his duties as a member of the Hitler Youth, but he ends up causing the most trouble for Peter when he's forced to cooperate with the Gestapo. He doesn't want to, but he turns a blind eye and tells himself that he did all he could - which is something a lot of Germans did. Meanwhile, Anna Reiter and her parents put on a facade of loyalty to the National Socialist party, while they are secretly hiding Jews. Herr Kaltenbach is the very persona of a loyal "one-hundred percenter" - a true Nazi, while Elsbeth Kaltenbach - his daughter, started out believing in the Nazi cause, but began to doubt some of the their ideals when she has a very personal encounter with their "cleansing of undesirables" from society. As characters, though, I didn't really become attached to any of them, or really hate them. They were figures standing in as representations of the personal struggles German citizens faced, and that was it.
The Romance: Peter and Anna have a bit of an adolescent crush going on between them, but it takes backseat to everything else, and I was all right with that.
Plot: When the Nazis invade Poland, Peter's parents are killed and his family farm seized by the occupying army. With no relatives, Peter is sent to a Warsaw orphanage, where living conditions are far from ideal. But when German officials come looking for "racially pure" boys to send to Berlin and be rehoused with German families, Peter is excited. With his blond hair, blue eyes, tall and athletic build, and wonderfully well proportioned skull, he's the very essence of the Aryan ideal. Peter sees this as an opportunity to leave the orphanage and someday regain his family farm back, and he eagerly steps into his new life as the adopted son of Professor Franz Kaltenbach - a devoted Nazi doing extensive research into purifying the world of sullied races. As with all German boys his age, Peter joins the Hitler Youth, attends school and excels at athletics, and does everything a perfect German boy ought. Swept away in the thrill of being a part of something big - like restoring Germany's national pride, - Peter isn't bothered by what is truly going on in the world. But he is never able to accept how the Jews and Poles are treated, though he tries desperately to push it to the back of his mind, and as the war drags on and on, and Peter learns the full extent of what the Nazis stand for, he begins to realize that he doesn't agree. With Anna's help, he decides to do something about it. The majority of the plot is spent with Peter's gradual realization - notice the emphasis on gradual. Because that is exactly what it is; he never has a sudden moment of epiphany that changes everything. It's a slow accumulation of knowledge, which slowly leads to him listening to forbidden music, listening to forbidden radio stations (the BBC), which then leads to helping the Reiders hide Jews, which leads to a ton of other revelations. This is, I will relent, realistic, but it also makes for a plot that isn't necessarily exciting or even fast-paced. This is an illustration of what life would be like for a Polish boy deemed German in Berlin - a Polish boy who wasn't willing to accept what he was told to accept. As Peter grows up in WWII-era Berlin, he encounters lots of side characters that tell him of the further horrors of the Nazi party - and how some people feel about it. A real plot doesn't really surface until the last 90 pages, when things start to go horribly wrong for Peter and the Reiders. That isn't to say that The Auslander was boring - I found all of this exploration of Nazi Germany to be utterly fascinating. But some Readers might not.
Believability: The Author has done impeccable research, and it is because of this that I am able to give this book a high rating while complaining about the characters and writing style at the same time. I have absolutely no complaints in this quarter.
Writing Style: Third person, past tense. Occasionally, the chapters switch perspectives between characters, but not very often. The style isn't anything poetic or even descriptive - the Author doesn't do much to color in Peter's world. At times, it feels rather textbookish, which is hard to avoid when addressing so many historical facts. But the information the Author explores is so fascinating that I didn't mind all that much, and I did love how he threw in lots of German words - I love German! It's so much fun to try and pronounce. But he also offers in-text translations, so we Readers aren't left in the dark about what that extremely long word means.
Content: 1 f-word, 2 s-words. Things like sterilization are addressed, though not in detail, and of course there are a few scenes of Gestapo interrogation, but nothing gory.
Conclusion: Once Peter decides that he doesn't agree with the Nazi party, things come crumbling down pretty fast for him - and the Reiders. Where the plot lagged in the beginning, we have a heart-pounding climax that genuinely had me wondering for a moment if Peter really was going to get away - or if the book would end with his death. The Auslander is not a character-driven or even plot-driven book; it's a fact-driven one. The story begins with a information-dump on the Reader and doesn't really let up all that much, as the story spans events from 1941 to 1943. But I found the historical facts so fascinating - and at times downright chilling, like the school curriculum, the "Christmas" decorations, and of course the termination of so-called "undesirables" of society - that I didn't mind the slow plot at all. I like fact-driven books, especially when they are about WWII and the Nazi regime - a time in history that we can never afford to forget.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, fifteen-and-up, as well as a great book for adults, perfect for historical fiction fans that prefer a more factual-driven story than drama-driven.
May 22, 2020
The story follows a young Polish boy named Piotr (later, Peter) Bruck who is considered Volksdeutscher--with all Germanic physical features. From my perspective, Paul Dowswell does so well in Piotr/Peter's character development; from a humble farm boy in Polish countryside, a German enthusiast living with a hundred-percenter foster family, until a runaway looking for a safe haven from Nazi.
There are several things that make this book recommended for those of you with Historical Fiction and Young Adult shelves:
1. Most Nazi- and Holocaust-themed novels feature main characters who are Jewish or sympathetic to Jewish. But, Ausländer (in the early story) features Peter who is really proud to be considered Volksdeutscher and expects a better life in Berlin. His experience makes the readers understand more about Hitlerjugend and Bund Deutscher Mädel -- and racial science.
2. Ausländer is a well-researched novel which I notice from two things. One, the place and date on the beginning of every chapter that are mostly coherent with the real events. Two, a section called 'Fact, Fiction and Sources' with the resources Dowswell founds helpful during his research.
3. The character development is unexpectedly beautiful. I've explained a bit about Peter in the beginning of the review. But, there's one character I am particularly interested in: Elsbeth Kaltenbach. I initially found her annoying, but her secret revealed after her conversation with Peter in Herr Kaltenbach's study.
If you've read The Book Thief, The Diary of a Young Girl, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; Ausländer would be a perfect addition to your shelves!
There are several things that make this book recommended for those of you with Historical Fiction and Young Adult shelves:
1. Most Nazi- and Holocaust-themed novels feature main characters who are Jewish or sympathetic to Jewish. But, Ausländer (in the early story) features Peter who is really proud to be considered Volksdeutscher and expects a better life in Berlin. His experience makes the readers understand more about Hitlerjugend and Bund Deutscher Mädel -- and racial science.
2. Ausländer is a well-researched novel which I notice from two things. One, the place and date on the beginning of every chapter that are mostly coherent with the real events. Two, a section called 'Fact, Fiction and Sources' with the resources Dowswell founds helpful during his research.
3. The character development is unexpectedly beautiful. I've explained a bit about Peter in the beginning of the review. But, there's one character I am particularly interested in: Elsbeth Kaltenbach. I initially found her annoying, but her secret revealed after her conversation with Peter in Herr Kaltenbach's study.
If you've read The Book Thief, The Diary of a Young Girl, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; Ausländer would be a perfect addition to your shelves!
September 29, 2011
I would love to give this one a solid 3.5 stars. The only reason it would not be higher in my ratings scale is the fact that I felt the writing to be inconsistent.
The story on the other hand is one rarely found when dealing with youth WWII literature. While I have read numerous stories of jewish holocaust victims in hiding or on the run, valuable in their own way because to ignore that what happened in literature is criminal for numerous reasons, it is always equally as important to get a sense of what was going on in other facets of this dark point in history which is really not that far in the past.
Like "The Devil in Vienna" and "T4" we get to see other sides of the atrocities which lurked within the dark corners of Nazi Germany. In "Devil" , Inge, a young jewish girl finds that her best friend Leiselotte remains faithful to her in spite of Leiselotte's father's rise in the Reich and the brainwashing she receives in her Hitler Youth chapter. In "T4" we learn about the Nazi vendetta against the handicapped and the Roma. Auslander brings us right to the doorstep of the Hitler Youth agenda and the people within.
Now I will state here that I am generally not a fan of WWII fiction. It is not because I do not find it important to exist. As I mentioned above it is quite the opposite, but of late I feel that it has become an easy out for an author who wishes to write a juvenile Historical Fiction novel. There are just so many of them. They begin to blend together. Surely there are plenty of other points in history which could be explored and are valuable in spite of this one being so recent and for many so raw. What I do always find fascinating is the ones that depart from the formula. I could mention Markus Zuzak's "The Book Thief" here, but somehow the "death as narrator" gimmick makes it vaguely something else to me.
So Auslander is the story of Piotr/Peter a young Polish boy who's parents were killed in a car crash involving a German tank after the invasion of Poland. He is plucked from his orphanage by the Reich because he is blond haired and blue eyed, therefore of use to the "racial purity" of Germany under the Reich. At first Peter is very eager to become a part of this. He showboats his ability to speak perfect German in front of his Polish mates who brand him a traitor. He repeatedly tells those who take him to Germany that this is what he wants when they accuse him of trying to run off.
Yet, Peter fails to find funny the jokes about "Lazy Pollacks" or "Dirty Jews" that are made by the people he is so grateful to for finding him to be "special". He goes along with them not commenting and following directions even so. Eventually Peter is adopted by a "respectable" German family who's Patriarch is a "Genetic Scientist". Ummm, yeah. You can use your imagination as to what THAT means but it involves lots about detecting "undesirable" strains in people's genetic make up. Peter tries hard to please his new family and joins the Hitler Youth as expected. At first he is glad to be part of something even though he feels increasing discomfort in what he is aspiring to. He is relieved to meet Segar, another boy in his chapter who seems to make light of the seriousness placed in front of him. Then he meets Anna.
Anna is the perfect example of what a young German girl should be, even if she DOES have dark hair. She is head of her chapter for the Jungmadel. She repeats the ideals of Nazi Germany so fluidly it is as if her life depends on it... which it does because she is actually aiding the resistance. From here Peter and Anna find romance while secretly listening to BBC broadcasts, exploring the underground Swing movement and learning to do what is right even if it scares the hell out of them.
While the perspectives in this book are fairly unique (an anti Nazi story told from the perspective of two HJ members) as mentioned before it is far from perfect. The writing is choppy. At points it feels as if parts of the unfinished draft notes are left in the final copy. Peter sometimes comes across as fleshed out, relatable and likable and other times he just seems to be a cardboard cutout. Wonderful are all the descriptions of his changing feelings and confusion as to if he should join the resistance. Not so great are the points when it seems the author is just listing things that happened and changing perspective just because. Some really poor "show don't tell" violations cushioned between action and suspense.
Peter and Anna's complicated friendship with Segar comes across as genuine as does Peter's confrontation with his foster sister who has become an "empty shell" since her time as a T4 nurse, yet is still full of Nazi poison.
I was also annoyed that the F word was uttered early on in the book when Peter secretly began bringing food to Polish captives being used as slave labor. I'm not a prude and enjoy using the word myself but it makes the book inaccessible to younger grades for recommendation. I think this would be a great book for advanced 4th graders and up in spite of some references to kissing, forced sterilization and cross dressing. All of those things are what they are. Boys and girls kiss. We have plenty of books with that and not much else in the Children's Department. The other two things are facts of life. Nazi's sought to sterilize those who had any "bad blood" in their opinions and we have some books that touch lightly on cross dressing as something some people do (one is even a picture book). However, I cannot give this book to a child if it has such "adult" language in it because I don't think I would be able to aptly defend it not being in the YA department for that reason. This is a great disappointment to me as a children's librarian. It was completely unnecessary in a book that could have otherwise been given to a younger reluctant reader.
So I give this one a thumbs up in general. It has its faults but is a solid entry to the pool of Historical Fiction. It would be well paired with both fiction and non fiction books dealing with the White Rose group who's resistance efforts ended tragically in the execution of several German youths who distributed anti-Nazi leaflets during the war.
A sad point in history and yet great perspective on standing up when your own life could be at stake.
The story on the other hand is one rarely found when dealing with youth WWII literature. While I have read numerous stories of jewish holocaust victims in hiding or on the run, valuable in their own way because to ignore that what happened in literature is criminal for numerous reasons, it is always equally as important to get a sense of what was going on in other facets of this dark point in history which is really not that far in the past.
Like "The Devil in Vienna" and "T4" we get to see other sides of the atrocities which lurked within the dark corners of Nazi Germany. In "Devil" , Inge, a young jewish girl finds that her best friend Leiselotte remains faithful to her in spite of Leiselotte's father's rise in the Reich and the brainwashing she receives in her Hitler Youth chapter. In "T4" we learn about the Nazi vendetta against the handicapped and the Roma. Auslander brings us right to the doorstep of the Hitler Youth agenda and the people within.
Now I will state here that I am generally not a fan of WWII fiction. It is not because I do not find it important to exist. As I mentioned above it is quite the opposite, but of late I feel that it has become an easy out for an author who wishes to write a juvenile Historical Fiction novel. There are just so many of them. They begin to blend together. Surely there are plenty of other points in history which could be explored and are valuable in spite of this one being so recent and for many so raw. What I do always find fascinating is the ones that depart from the formula. I could mention Markus Zuzak's "The Book Thief" here, but somehow the "death as narrator" gimmick makes it vaguely something else to me.
So Auslander is the story of Piotr/Peter a young Polish boy who's parents were killed in a car crash involving a German tank after the invasion of Poland. He is plucked from his orphanage by the Reich because he is blond haired and blue eyed, therefore of use to the "racial purity" of Germany under the Reich. At first Peter is very eager to become a part of this. He showboats his ability to speak perfect German in front of his Polish mates who brand him a traitor. He repeatedly tells those who take him to Germany that this is what he wants when they accuse him of trying to run off.
Yet, Peter fails to find funny the jokes about "Lazy Pollacks" or "Dirty Jews" that are made by the people he is so grateful to for finding him to be "special". He goes along with them not commenting and following directions even so. Eventually Peter is adopted by a "respectable" German family who's Patriarch is a "Genetic Scientist". Ummm, yeah. You can use your imagination as to what THAT means but it involves lots about detecting "undesirable" strains in people's genetic make up. Peter tries hard to please his new family and joins the Hitler Youth as expected. At first he is glad to be part of something even though he feels increasing discomfort in what he is aspiring to. He is relieved to meet Segar, another boy in his chapter who seems to make light of the seriousness placed in front of him. Then he meets Anna.
Anna is the perfect example of what a young German girl should be, even if she DOES have dark hair. She is head of her chapter for the Jungmadel. She repeats the ideals of Nazi Germany so fluidly it is as if her life depends on it... which it does because she is actually aiding the resistance. From here Peter and Anna find romance while secretly listening to BBC broadcasts, exploring the underground Swing movement and learning to do what is right even if it scares the hell out of them.
While the perspectives in this book are fairly unique (an anti Nazi story told from the perspective of two HJ members) as mentioned before it is far from perfect. The writing is choppy. At points it feels as if parts of the unfinished draft notes are left in the final copy. Peter sometimes comes across as fleshed out, relatable and likable and other times he just seems to be a cardboard cutout. Wonderful are all the descriptions of his changing feelings and confusion as to if he should join the resistance. Not so great are the points when it seems the author is just listing things that happened and changing perspective just because. Some really poor "show don't tell" violations cushioned between action and suspense.
Peter and Anna's complicated friendship with Segar comes across as genuine as does Peter's confrontation with his foster sister who has become an "empty shell" since her time as a T4 nurse, yet is still full of Nazi poison.
I was also annoyed that the F word was uttered early on in the book when Peter secretly began bringing food to Polish captives being used as slave labor. I'm not a prude and enjoy using the word myself but it makes the book inaccessible to younger grades for recommendation. I think this would be a great book for advanced 4th graders and up in spite of some references to kissing, forced sterilization and cross dressing. All of those things are what they are. Boys and girls kiss. We have plenty of books with that and not much else in the Children's Department. The other two things are facts of life. Nazi's sought to sterilize those who had any "bad blood" in their opinions and we have some books that touch lightly on cross dressing as something some people do (one is even a picture book). However, I cannot give this book to a child if it has such "adult" language in it because I don't think I would be able to aptly defend it not being in the YA department for that reason. This is a great disappointment to me as a children's librarian. It was completely unnecessary in a book that could have otherwise been given to a younger reluctant reader.
So I give this one a thumbs up in general. It has its faults but is a solid entry to the pool of Historical Fiction. It would be well paired with both fiction and non fiction books dealing with the White Rose group who's resistance efforts ended tragically in the execution of several German youths who distributed anti-Nazi leaflets during the war.
A sad point in history and yet great perspective on standing up when your own life could be at stake.
January 31, 2025
quite nice! wouldn't read it again, but it was a v enjoyable read with a realistic setting of characters and narrative. made me learn about how people actually talked and acted back then, which i really appreciate and i was specifically looking out for. peter was lovely but i rlly wish there was more character exploration of him and his feelings that were mostly rushed at least to me. segur was really good and i felt really bad for him turning out that way after a beating, which, realistic, but sad. anna was sweet and very smart, i loved her a lot. my fav character was prob her ngl. a solid 3 of 5 stars! the last line was really impactful and i love to know more of wwii <333
January 10, 2021
I picked up Auslander because Goodreads recommended it to me, and then I found it in my library. The minute I read the blurb, I knew I had to read this book. I am a huge fan of historical fiction, especially novels set in World War I or World War II. So, I especially enjoyed this because it was set in a period of history I enjoy reading about – World War II and I couldn’t put it down! It did what books set in the war tend to do: shock, fascinate and be totally absorbing. I also really enjoyed the occasional bits of German throughout the novel. It helped me picture the setting of the book so much better (and I read Auslander the night before a German exam, so it was helpful for revision!)
The category this book completes is “a historical novel.” While I have read many war books this one gave me a different perspective – from families living inside Nazi Germany. I learned many new things about this time period and what went on inside German cities, as well as inside the homes of both Nazi supporters and people who did not support the Nazis. The contrast between the Kaltenbachs and Anna’s family was huge: from the display of Nazi propaganda to anti-Jewish presents exchanged at Christmas in the home of the Kaltenbachs, to the way Anna’s family listened to a BBC broadcast to get a bigger perspective on what was really going on in the war and
At first the main character, Peter, seems to accept what the Nazis are doing in Germany. Peter is outwardly symbolic of the ideal of the Nazi party – he is blonde, blue eyed and looks exactly like the boys on the Hitler Youth posters. But he starts to question the propaganda and false information he is told at school and in the Hitler Youth. He soon is sees that the Nazi party is rotten to the core, and he realises everything is not what it seems and also discovers his girlfriend’s life isn’t quite what it seems either. It turns out
The plot was tense and had interesting twists (which I probably just revealed to you in the spoilers above… whoops) and the writing was interesting. It was different from your usual battlefield war fiction, it made me think and contemplate the time, the awful things taking place, and the difficult choices everyday people had to make.
My favourite character was Anna, who seemed like someone totally indoctrinated by the Nazis’ at first glance, but from the minute the reader is introduced to her we suspect this is an act and that Anna doesn’t actually agree with the government. Anna’s family is doing very brave things that she needs to be courageous to do, and I admire her for that. She is a compassionate character who is very brave and passionate, and has unexpected twists to her personality the match the story.
A quote from this book I liked was
I learnt so much from this book in terms of many awful things about Nazi Germany, such as the way in which the Nazis influenced children. From dollhouses with swastika wall paper, to learning songs about Hitler in school and Nazi flags on Christmas trees, children were totally sucked into the Nazi regime. There was even a prayer about Hitler they would say. Children would spy on their friends at school, and report them to their parents who would alert the police to any anti-Nazi activity (even a bad joke about Hitler could get you arrested!) This whole idea shocked me and was a disturbing insight into one of the ways the Nazis took over the country- beginning with the children. It was very interesting to learn about the war from a new perspective. I felt like I was submerged in the setting and was experiencing emotions along with the main character, and got a very good idea of the tensions and dangers faced by Germans that did not support the Nazi regime.
Auslander was a very good book that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in war history.
The category this book completes is “a historical novel.” While I have read many war books this one gave me a different perspective – from families living inside Nazi Germany. I learned many new things about this time period and what went on inside German cities, as well as inside the homes of both Nazi supporters and people who did not support the Nazis. The contrast between the Kaltenbachs and Anna’s family was huge: from the display of Nazi propaganda to anti-Jewish presents exchanged at Christmas in the home of the Kaltenbachs, to the way Anna’s family listened to a BBC broadcast to get a bigger perspective on what was really going on in the war and
At first the main character, Peter, seems to accept what the Nazis are doing in Germany. Peter is outwardly symbolic of the ideal of the Nazi party – he is blonde, blue eyed and looks exactly like the boys on the Hitler Youth posters. But he starts to question the propaganda and false information he is told at school and in the Hitler Youth. He soon is sees that the Nazi party is rotten to the core, and he realises everything is not what it seems and also discovers his girlfriend’s life isn’t quite what it seems either. It turns out
The plot was tense and had interesting twists (which I probably just revealed to you in the spoilers above… whoops) and the writing was interesting. It was different from your usual battlefield war fiction, it made me think and contemplate the time, the awful things taking place, and the difficult choices everyday people had to make.
My favourite character was Anna, who seemed like someone totally indoctrinated by the Nazis’ at first glance, but from the minute the reader is introduced to her we suspect this is an act and that Anna doesn’t actually agree with the government. Anna’s family is doing very brave things that she needs to be courageous to do, and I admire her for that. She is a compassionate character who is very brave and passionate, and has unexpected twists to her personality the match the story.
A quote from this book I liked was
“Every one of them, he reflected with mounting anger, if they knew what I’d just been doing, they’d betray me to the Gestapo without a second thought.”This quote proves how much of a lying, backstabbing place Nazi Germany was and how the main character could not trust anyone, not even his ‘family’.
I learnt so much from this book in terms of many awful things about Nazi Germany, such as the way in which the Nazis influenced children. From dollhouses with swastika wall paper, to learning songs about Hitler in school and Nazi flags on Christmas trees, children were totally sucked into the Nazi regime. There was even a prayer about Hitler they would say. Children would spy on their friends at school, and report them to their parents who would alert the police to any anti-Nazi activity (even a bad joke about Hitler could get you arrested!) This whole idea shocked me and was a disturbing insight into one of the ways the Nazis took over the country- beginning with the children. It was very interesting to learn about the war from a new perspective. I felt like I was submerged in the setting and was experiencing emotions along with the main character, and got a very good idea of the tensions and dangers faced by Germans that did not support the Nazi regime.
Auslander was a very good book that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in war history.
October 30, 2012
Thoughts on the Overall Book: This was a very well-written historical fiction story, well researched and exciting. While it might have had some slow parts, I liked the fact that it seemed like a real story, more than actual fiction. The author did a wonderful job portraying what life was like back in the Nazi occupation and this book even went to extremes that I hadn't really heard about before, but, as explained in the author's note, were completely accurate. For me this book was actually very eye opening as to how truly fanatic Nazi supporters were.
Cover--Yae or Nay: I do like the cover for this book, that and the title is what made me pull it off the shelf. Though it makes it look more like an action thriller which it really wasn't. Only the last part of the book really had that kind of feeling to it whereas the rest of it, while not boring, didn't really have a lot of action in it. But it definitely looks like a WWII novel.
Characters: Peter's a good protagonist, as well as Anna. At some points you wanted to smack them over the head for their stupidity, but that was another thing that led to this book being like a real story. They were real, flawed characters. I loved the idea of a character (Peter) who was a privileged Aryan even though he was Polish instead of fully German, being idolized by the Nazi's because of his 'perfect' complexion. I also liked how, at first, Peter seems flattered though a little overwhelmed by his position, but then when he sees what the Nazis are really capable of, he decides he doesn't want to be part of that anymore. I also really loved how the plot went into the underground as well, helping the Jews to escape occupied Germany.
Writing Style: I haven't read any of Paul Dowswell's books yet besides this one, but I know I'll like them now because his writing style truly is very very good. You can definitely tell all the research that went into this story down to every little detail. In fact it's so detailed that the reader automatically knows he is not making anything up. He is a truly amazing Historical writer.
Problems/What bothered me: Nothing truly bothered me. I think "Auslander" is a good look into life in Nazi Germany. I can't complain about the book because it was presented in a historical way.
Conclusion: 4 stars. This was a really good book, and I'm only rating it four because it's not one of my favorite books I have read, though I'm not marking it down for anything but personal preference. If I was going on historical accuracy alone, I would give it five stars.
Recommended Audience: Probably older teens and adults. It's not as brutal as it could have been, but, as can be expected, there are themes that young readers might find disturbing (it goes into torture/execution methods, medical experimentation and the horrors of the camps--though that's only mentioned somewhat in passing. It also talks about what they would do to the mentally ill people, which is rather hard to swallow.) Any fans of good historical fiction would enjoy this book though.
Cover--Yae or Nay: I do like the cover for this book, that and the title is what made me pull it off the shelf. Though it makes it look more like an action thriller which it really wasn't. Only the last part of the book really had that kind of feeling to it whereas the rest of it, while not boring, didn't really have a lot of action in it. But it definitely looks like a WWII novel.
Characters: Peter's a good protagonist, as well as Anna. At some points you wanted to smack them over the head for their stupidity, but that was another thing that led to this book being like a real story. They were real, flawed characters. I loved the idea of a character (Peter) who was a privileged Aryan even though he was Polish instead of fully German, being idolized by the Nazi's because of his 'perfect' complexion. I also liked how, at first, Peter seems flattered though a little overwhelmed by his position, but then when he sees what the Nazis are really capable of, he decides he doesn't want to be part of that anymore. I also really loved how the plot went into the underground as well, helping the Jews to escape occupied Germany.
Writing Style: I haven't read any of Paul Dowswell's books yet besides this one, but I know I'll like them now because his writing style truly is very very good. You can definitely tell all the research that went into this story down to every little detail. In fact it's so detailed that the reader automatically knows he is not making anything up. He is a truly amazing Historical writer.
Problems/What bothered me: Nothing truly bothered me. I think "Auslander" is a good look into life in Nazi Germany. I can't complain about the book because it was presented in a historical way.
Conclusion: 4 stars. This was a really good book, and I'm only rating it four because it's not one of my favorite books I have read, though I'm not marking it down for anything but personal preference. If I was going on historical accuracy alone, I would give it five stars.
Recommended Audience: Probably older teens and adults. It's not as brutal as it could have been, but, as can be expected, there are themes that young readers might find disturbing (it goes into torture/execution methods, medical experimentation and the horrors of the camps--though that's only mentioned somewhat in passing. It also talks about what they would do to the mentally ill people, which is rather hard to swallow.) Any fans of good historical fiction would enjoy this book though.
June 26, 2010
I really loved this one! The historical detail, plot, characters, and background are all done exceedingly well! This will definately rank among my favorite WWII books for youth. My only bone to pick, however, is where I found this book: in the children's section of Chapters. This is not a book for young children, it is a book for teenagers. Granted large parts of it would not be unacceptable to younger ones, but the extreme course language in certain parts, the detailed explanation that one of the characters gives regarding their participation in killing mentally challenged ones, and the some of the talk regarding sterilization (far too graphic for those under 12) are definately drawbacks to reading this to children. Having said that, this is definately one any teen fan of WWII literature should not miss.
Piotr Bruck is an orphan. After the Nazis invaded Poland, his parents died in an unfortuneate accident, and his dog is shot by the SS, Piotr is packed off to the Warsaw Orphanage. Soon nazis begin to examine the boys for racial purity and weed the "good German" stock from the "impure". Piotr is fortunate, his family is of German background and he looks like the poster boy for the HJ, with his blonde hair and blue eyes. He is soon adopted into a high-ranking nazi's home. they change his name to Peter and enrol him in the HJ (Hitler Jugend - Hitler Youth). As the years pass, he surpasses many of the boys around him in academics, sports, military excercises, etc. He soon notices Anna, who is a senior member of the BDM (Bund Deutscher Madel - League of German Girls) and they start to talk. Anna is disatisfied with the direction Germany is heading, Peter, who has been thinking the same thoughts, agrees. Soon the two are dating and Anna pulls Peter into the undergound world of Berlin in the 1940s. Swing dancing, jazz records, helping "U-Boats" (escaping Jews), and pretending to be a solid HJ member, soon become a way of life for Peter, until one day he is told that is a quarter -Jew...
For those who will enjoy / have enjoyed this book, I highly recommend the movie "Swing Kids" which gives a great look at how the "Swing Heil" movement progressed in Berlin and how the Swing Kids were treated. "The Book Thief" is also a great read for older teens. "Daniel Half-Human" is another interesting look at the HJ culture during the Third Reich. It follows Daniel as he tries to "hide in plain site" because of his Jewish ancestry.
Piotr Bruck is an orphan. After the Nazis invaded Poland, his parents died in an unfortuneate accident, and his dog is shot by the SS, Piotr is packed off to the Warsaw Orphanage. Soon nazis begin to examine the boys for racial purity and weed the "good German" stock from the "impure". Piotr is fortunate, his family is of German background and he looks like the poster boy for the HJ, with his blonde hair and blue eyes. He is soon adopted into a high-ranking nazi's home. they change his name to Peter and enrol him in the HJ (Hitler Jugend - Hitler Youth). As the years pass, he surpasses many of the boys around him in academics, sports, military excercises, etc. He soon notices Anna, who is a senior member of the BDM (Bund Deutscher Madel - League of German Girls) and they start to talk. Anna is disatisfied with the direction Germany is heading, Peter, who has been thinking the same thoughts, agrees. Soon the two are dating and Anna pulls Peter into the undergound world of Berlin in the 1940s. Swing dancing, jazz records, helping "U-Boats" (escaping Jews), and pretending to be a solid HJ member, soon become a way of life for Peter, until one day he is told that is a quarter -Jew...
For those who will enjoy / have enjoyed this book, I highly recommend the movie "Swing Kids" which gives a great look at how the "Swing Heil" movement progressed in Berlin and how the Swing Kids were treated. "The Book Thief" is also a great read for older teens. "Daniel Half-Human" is another interesting look at the HJ culture during the Third Reich. It follows Daniel as he tries to "hide in plain site" because of his Jewish ancestry.
October 7, 2011
*SPOILERS ALERT*
When I found this book in the library and read the blurb, it drew me in straight away. Auslander is a German word which translates to mean ‘foreigner’. This book is a story about a young boy Piotr and what it was like to grow up in Poland as a Nordic looking ‘perfect Aryan specimen’ when the Nazi’s began their occupation. This story follows Piotr from his parent’s death and being taken for ‘racial identification’ to his adoption by a respectable German family and his eventual escape from Nazi Germany.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was gripped from the outset. The story is interesting because it provides an alternate perspective to the war from that which is usually told (that is from our perspective). It highlights how before Hitler, Germany was not a nice place, it was rundown and people were hungry, but Hitler changed that, which many but not all thought was for the better. Piotr views the German people as friendly and kind at first, and he gets actively involved in the Hitler Youth army. He makes friends along the way and even falls in love with a girl from the Female Hitler Youth army.
However Piotr soon finds out by listening to the BBC that the war is not going as well as the German people say it is. He finds out that his adoptive father is conducting experiments on Jews in his laboratory at the Institute of Racial Studies. Piotr’s girlfriend’s family are harbouring Jews and he helps to deliver food parcels to them.
The story covers many themes including friendship, death, cruelty, discrimination, adventure, bravery and rebellion to name but a few. Whilst I found this story to be an insightful read and a book that I would highly recommend, I do not think it is a book for primary school aged children. Possibly advanced KS2 readers with a particular interest in the war and history would benefit from it, but there are lots of references to racial execution (including children). I think that a more appropriate story would be something like the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne or Spies by Michael Frayn which I think tells the story of the war in a more child appropriate way. However it is well worth a read to provide the view from ‘behind enemy lines’ so to speak.
When I found this book in the library and read the blurb, it drew me in straight away. Auslander is a German word which translates to mean ‘foreigner’. This book is a story about a young boy Piotr and what it was like to grow up in Poland as a Nordic looking ‘perfect Aryan specimen’ when the Nazi’s began their occupation. This story follows Piotr from his parent’s death and being taken for ‘racial identification’ to his adoption by a respectable German family and his eventual escape from Nazi Germany.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was gripped from the outset. The story is interesting because it provides an alternate perspective to the war from that which is usually told (that is from our perspective). It highlights how before Hitler, Germany was not a nice place, it was rundown and people were hungry, but Hitler changed that, which many but not all thought was for the better. Piotr views the German people as friendly and kind at first, and he gets actively involved in the Hitler Youth army. He makes friends along the way and even falls in love with a girl from the Female Hitler Youth army.
However Piotr soon finds out by listening to the BBC that the war is not going as well as the German people say it is. He finds out that his adoptive father is conducting experiments on Jews in his laboratory at the Institute of Racial Studies. Piotr’s girlfriend’s family are harbouring Jews and he helps to deliver food parcels to them.
The story covers many themes including friendship, death, cruelty, discrimination, adventure, bravery and rebellion to name but a few. Whilst I found this story to be an insightful read and a book that I would highly recommend, I do not think it is a book for primary school aged children. Possibly advanced KS2 readers with a particular interest in the war and history would benefit from it, but there are lots of references to racial execution (including children). I think that a more appropriate story would be something like the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne or Spies by Michael Frayn which I think tells the story of the war in a more child appropriate way. However it is well worth a read to provide the view from ‘behind enemy lines’ so to speak.
January 9, 2015
In Auslander, Paul Doswell reveals the story of a young 13 year old boy with blue eyes and blond hair who had just recently lost his parents to a Nazi tank during the German Invasion of Poland. This boy's name was Peter. Peter grew up on a farm just south of Warsaw, but just after his parents were killed, Peter was sent to an orpanage in Warsaw. Since he had a German complexion, Peter was adopted by a Herr and Frau Klatenbach, who had three daughters. As Peter is forced to move to Berlin with his new family, he makes friends quickly and is perceived to be a fine young Nazi, but the reality of Peters situation is that Peter can't quite graspe the idea of the Nazi Propaganda. Peter must decide his faith, To be a normal Nazi or something far worse in the eyes of those
around him.
As soon as the story started, I was enticed by Paul Doswell's quick and exciting hook right of the bat. I was intrigued with the exposition and I could not stop reading. Another quality of Paul Doswell's book was the realistic approach to World War II. The real world depiction of this World War II book must truly perceives the war in a way that is both factual and exciting at the same time. This allowed for readers of all types to enjoy this book. One thing that I didn't Fancy much about Paul Doswell's interpretation was that, in my eyes, the story seemed to slow down after such an exciting beginning. The author could have done a better job making the transitions of rising action to climax more exciting for the readers. A little more suspense was needed in this area for a more exasperating Climax. The authors purpose of this story was show the reality of World War II in the view of German people. The theme of this story was one of morals and the difference between the easy yet bad way out and the hard yet good way through.
I gave this book a 4/5 on GoodReads. The reality and exiting manor of this story is sure to engage all readers. I would recommend this book for 13 and up due to some harsh parts of the story. I thinks this book would attract more attention to guys, but I feel girls would enjoy it aswell. Does contain some minor romantic parts. This book really is a joy to read.
around him.
As soon as the story started, I was enticed by Paul Doswell's quick and exciting hook right of the bat. I was intrigued with the exposition and I could not stop reading. Another quality of Paul Doswell's book was the realistic approach to World War II. The real world depiction of this World War II book must truly perceives the war in a way that is both factual and exciting at the same time. This allowed for readers of all types to enjoy this book. One thing that I didn't Fancy much about Paul Doswell's interpretation was that, in my eyes, the story seemed to slow down after such an exciting beginning. The author could have done a better job making the transitions of rising action to climax more exciting for the readers. A little more suspense was needed in this area for a more exasperating Climax. The authors purpose of this story was show the reality of World War II in the view of German people. The theme of this story was one of morals and the difference between the easy yet bad way out and the hard yet good way through.
I gave this book a 4/5 on GoodReads. The reality and exiting manor of this story is sure to engage all readers. I would recommend this book for 13 and up due to some harsh parts of the story. I thinks this book would attract more attention to guys, but I feel girls would enjoy it aswell. Does contain some minor romantic parts. This book really is a joy to read.
September 15, 2010
I would say THE most amazing book I have read in a long time. I know I say that about every book mostly but I really loved this one.
Okay. I've said it before. If you saw me on the bus reading this and you knew me pretty well, you would think 'Rebecca wouldn't read that kind of thing!' And it's true, I probably wouldn't but it's history. Which I L.O.V.E. Yes, it needed the dots. When I loved about this book, is that it is like your perfect guide to History GCSE. Everything I've covered in the Rise of the Nazis was in this book. The book is great to show you the Rise of the Nazis. The Depression before Hitler is mentioned, Hitler Youth, the SS, the Gestapo and the terror of being caught by them; some opposers of Hitler, Swing Jazz, the treatment of the Jews...it's all in there if you like it or not.
It's a fast paced novel that will have you on the edge of your seat at times and smiling at others. I loved Anna, Peter's girlfriend. She is just such a nice character, I guess she makes it appeal more to girl AND boys too. She is a great free-willed character who, with all her innocence, made me gasp at what you eventually find out.
What I found SO clever, like Sarah Dessen clever (Whoa guys. Big compliment), was that at first Peter was spelt Polish: Piotr. And there was me sitting there thinking 'What? Who on earth is he? It's spelt Peter, isn't it?' but then when he goes to Berlin and Kaltenbach changes his name so it's more German, it changes to Peter. It was so subtle that I didn't realise until a few chapters afterwards.
I would recommend this book to anyone that's interested in Nazi Germany or studing it or just history really. And that loves an action packed, surprised full book that has something different on every page. Seriously. Read it. Now. Just go....out the room, put on your jacket and go and buy it....Good. :)
Okay. I've said it before. If you saw me on the bus reading this and you knew me pretty well, you would think 'Rebecca wouldn't read that kind of thing!' And it's true, I probably wouldn't but it's history. Which I L.O.V.E. Yes, it needed the dots. When I loved about this book, is that it is like your perfect guide to History GCSE. Everything I've covered in the Rise of the Nazis was in this book. The book is great to show you the Rise of the Nazis. The Depression before Hitler is mentioned, Hitler Youth, the SS, the Gestapo and the terror of being caught by them; some opposers of Hitler, Swing Jazz, the treatment of the Jews...it's all in there if you like it or not.
It's a fast paced novel that will have you on the edge of your seat at times and smiling at others. I loved Anna, Peter's girlfriend. She is just such a nice character, I guess she makes it appeal more to girl AND boys too. She is a great free-willed character who, with all her innocence, made me gasp at what you eventually find out.
What I found SO clever, like Sarah Dessen clever (Whoa guys. Big compliment), was that at first Peter was spelt Polish: Piotr. And there was me sitting there thinking 'What? Who on earth is he? It's spelt Peter, isn't it?' but then when he goes to Berlin and Kaltenbach changes his name so it's more German, it changes to Peter. It was so subtle that I didn't realise until a few chapters afterwards.
I would recommend this book to anyone that's interested in Nazi Germany or studing it or just history really. And that loves an action packed, surprised full book that has something different on every page. Seriously. Read it. Now. Just go....out the room, put on your jacket and go and buy it....Good. :)
December 1, 2014
Young Piotr Bruck shivers as he waits naked in a draughty corridor to be examined by two men in white coats with curious instruments. The year is 1941, the place Warsaw and Piotr is an orphan and outcast, not Polack but Volksdeutscher: a Pole of German ancestry. The queue of boys is split into two and Piotr prays not to be sent to the right, to the covered army truck visible through the open doorway. He does not know the meaning of the truck but senses it cannot be good. Instead his blond hair and Nordic looks mean that the Race and Settlement programme choose him to be returned to the heart of Nazi Germany and placed with a good Nazi family in Berlin. Kaltenbach is a doctor conducting experiments for the Reich, with a wife and three children. Piotr is renamed Peter and tries to adapt, but is still treated as an Auslander: a foreigner.
Peter finds a friend in neighbour Anna Reiter and her family, German but not Nazi. The evidence of his eyes and his friendship with the Reiters opens Peter's eyes to the true nature of the Third Reich and the Nazis. As the net of a brutal regime that brooks no resistance closes in around him Dowswell's book quickly becomes a thriller and Peter and Anna are in a race against time.
Excellently written, compelling and as enlightening about the Nazi regime as Anne Frank. A fantastic book for older children about a period of history that must not be forgotten.
Peter finds a friend in neighbour Anna Reiter and her family, German but not Nazi. The evidence of his eyes and his friendship with the Reiters opens Peter's eyes to the true nature of the Third Reich and the Nazis. As the net of a brutal regime that brooks no resistance closes in around him Dowswell's book quickly becomes a thriller and Peter and Anna are in a race against time.
Excellently written, compelling and as enlightening about the Nazi regime as Anne Frank. A fantastic book for older children about a period of history that must not be forgotten.
September 20, 2011
I did not love this book, but it was a good read. The beginning was interesting, with the main character describing his feelings toward the Nazis and Germany, being adopted into an important family, making new friends. Historical information was disseminated subtly throughout the text. The depiction of stress and tension growing was good. But I did not like the ending. It was one of those endings where the suspense builds and builds and then there is a kind of letdown, an "Oh, that's it?" The epilogue was also too short and tidy coming off the disappointing ending.
Overall, this was a solid read, though. Lots of interesting facts and a pretty well-developed main character (though I felt the character of Anna was a bit under-drawn).
Product Description
When Peter's parents are killed, he is sent to an orphanage in Warsaw, Poland. But Peter is Volksdeutscher-of German blood. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looks just like the boy on the Hitler Youth poster. The Nazis decide he is racially valuable. Indeed, a prominent German family is pleased to adopt such a fine Aryan specimen into their household. But despite his new "family," Peter feels like a foreigner-an ausländer-and he is forming his own ideas about what he sees and what he's told. He doesn't want to be a Nazi. So he takes a risk-the most dangerous one he could possibly choose in 1942 Berlin. . . .
Overall, this was a solid read, though. Lots of interesting facts and a pretty well-developed main character (though I felt the character of Anna was a bit under-drawn).
Product Description
When Peter's parents are killed, he is sent to an orphanage in Warsaw, Poland. But Peter is Volksdeutscher-of German blood. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looks just like the boy on the Hitler Youth poster. The Nazis decide he is racially valuable. Indeed, a prominent German family is pleased to adopt such a fine Aryan specimen into their household. But despite his new "family," Peter feels like a foreigner-an ausländer-and he is forming his own ideas about what he sees and what he's told. He doesn't want to be a Nazi. So he takes a risk-the most dangerous one he could possibly choose in 1942 Berlin. . . .
February 12, 2013
I love historical fictions so I had high expectations for The Auslander. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the characters. Peter, out protagonist, was flat most of the time. I felt like I didn’t really know him at all. He sometimes lacks emotions when talking about his parents and his past. His interactions with other characters seemed a bit forced. Peter’s opinion about the Germans changed so quickly that it wasn’t very convincing to me. There needed to be more on why Peter started to help the Jews and the Poles. The supporting characters were also very dull. No one really stood out to me.
Another thing that bugged me about this book was the author’s writing style. Technically there was nothing wrong with it but I had a hard time getting used to it. I don’t exactly know why but it didn’t flow very well for me.
The plot of the book was good. I liked that we got to see how the Germans acted through someone who actually support them. (Well, supported them during at the beginning anyway) Like I said, I love historical fiction so it was nice to learn new things about Germany during WW2. The ending was kind of rushed and confusing though.
The biggest problem I had with the book was the characters. Peter, out protagonist, was flat most of the time. I felt like I didn’t really know him at all. He sometimes lacks emotions when talking about his parents and his past. His interactions with other characters seemed a bit forced. Peter’s opinion about the Germans changed so quickly that it wasn’t very convincing to me. There needed to be more on why Peter started to help the Jews and the Poles. The supporting characters were also very dull. No one really stood out to me.
Another thing that bugged me about this book was the author’s writing style. Technically there was nothing wrong with it but I had a hard time getting used to it. I don’t exactly know why but it didn’t flow very well for me.
The plot of the book was good. I liked that we got to see how the Germans acted through someone who actually support them. (Well, supported them during at the beginning anyway) Like I said, I love historical fiction so it was nice to learn new things about Germany during WW2. The ending was kind of rushed and confusing though.
May 21, 2012
I really enjoyed the view point of this book. The author really explores the characters thoughts, emotions and changing beliefs. I found this a realistic approach to a sensitive and horrific time in our recent history. Many holocaust books take the views of the jewish people and other victims. This would be a great book for teachers to read in school because it focuses on those who are letting, or helping it happen. The main characters evolution from blond Nazi poster child was very believable, it didn't feel forced or too "heroic" just an average boy who looked around, realized the wrong, and most importantly did something about it.
July 21, 2015
This book is between 2.5 and 3 stars... The story is good and helpful to understand more of WW2 Germany, but slow in some places and very little suspense... Surprising ending which helped the book's story appeal
September 18, 2011
Very well written.
Esplored a side of WW II I have not read or thought much about.
Esplored a side of WW II I have not read or thought much about.
July 21, 2015
Una historia interesante basada en hechos reales, el inicio y el final tienen un ritmo frenético, y un tanto lento hacia la mitad del libro, me gustó mucho.
September 8, 2016
I have no words to describe this book!!!
July 2, 2025
A YA book that doesn’t spare the horrors of what the Nazis did not just to Polish people but Germans too especially those of Jewish ancestry . Peter is an orphan, his German/Polish parents having been killed by a German tank on their way home to their farm. He is a tall, blond, classic Nordic looking boy & he is taken to live with a z German family in Berlin. At first he is honoured to be chosen but little by little he realises the truth about the experiments undertaken by his German professor & he sees the brutality of the Gestapo as they round up dissidents and Jews. The book then goes into some detail about how Peter joins in underground help to bring Jews to safety. The ending had me unable to put the book down. Any young person twelve or above would find this book informative as well as an engrossing yet tragic read. It reads well even as an adult book and it is a warning to us that the horrors of Fascism are still with us as the USA builds concentration camps in the Florida Everglades.
July 25, 2017
Ongelofelijk, zoveel nieuwe en schokkende dingen gelezen over de nazi praktijken.
Dat je al zoveel weet en toch zoveel nog niet.
Dat je al zoveel weet en toch zoveel nog niet.
February 14, 2023
This started slow but got really interesting in the middle. Written from a different perspective than any other ww2 book I’ve read. Definitely YA not primary school.
October 4, 2011
Paul Dowswell proffers an intriguing young adult novel of a Polish boy’s experiences in the Hitler Youth program, his gradual recognition of the inherent evil in Nazi philosophy and his brave actions to deter it. Dowswell is a talented writer. His protagonist is well developed, although secondary characters lack clear definition. Dowswell’s descriptions of wartime Germany are vivid and evocative. This novel has exceptional pace and timing.
We are drawn into the mind of Piotr Bruck, a young Polish boy whose German father and Polish mother provide an excellent, warm home for their only child just before Germany invades Poland in 1939. As the story begins, Piotr’s parents are killed in their car when it was destroyed by a German tank. Piotr was sent to an orphanage in Warsaw. Suddenly removed from his parent’s love and their warm, comfortable family farm, Piotr is a destitute orphan, left to fend for himself as his adolescent years begin. Dowswell offers a wealth of colorful images and allegory, as the reader begins to experience Piotr’s desperation and sadness.
Feeling abandoned and forlorn, Piotr grows deeply frightened and morose. Upon examination by Nazis, it is determined that Piotr’s blond hair and blue eyes make him emblematic of the pure Aryan boy envisioned by Nazi propagandists. With this in mind, a prominent German family decides to adopt the young Pole. His “new” father is a high level operative in the Nazi Race & Resettlement Bureau. The entire family is enveloped within the strict culture of Nazi Germany and Aryan superiority. They despise Jews and other “lesser species of humanity.” They merrily hang swastikas on their Christmas tree, while millions of innocent people face brutality, starvation, forced labor and murder in Nazi concentration camps.
Piotr has fallen into a family of rabid Nazis. They change his name from Piotr to “Peter.” He has no choice about it. Peter obeys their austere commands and he joins the iconic Hitler Youth, the Hitler Jugend. There, he is taught to detest Jews, Poles, Russians, Communists and all manner of people proclaimed lower forms of humanity than superior Aryans. At first, the propaganda works. But over time, Peter begins to wonder why Nazis must hate and incarcerate Jews and other innocent people.
Peter gradually begins to question the strict Nazi culture. He was an “Auslander,” a foreigner. Dowswell explores the escalating feelings of a young boy on the verge of being accepted into the bold, new society of Nazi Germany. Here is a story of deep penetrating desire to be accepted by his new family, against the constant feeling that something was not right about Nazi edicts and its frightening punishment of innocent people.
In a turning point, Peter falls in love with Anna, a lovely girl whose father is a high ranking Wehrmacht officer. At first it seems impossible that Peter, whose attitude towards Nazi culture has eroded, could find common ground with such a staunchly Nazi family. But beneath the veneer of Anna’s family presence, was an amazing truth. Anna and her parents despised the Nazi regime. They were helping Jewish families in hiding; doing whatever they could to stop Nazis from murdering more innocent people. Peter was stunned and happy that he and Anna’s family shared a hatred of Nazis. Together, they engage in helping to conceal and feed Jews in hiding. But, eventually, they were discovered. Anna’s father was captured and tortured by the Gestapo. Anna’s mother, Anna and Peter had once chance to escape, or to be captured and killed by the Gestapo. Missing in this portion of the story is any clear definition of the burgeoning physical attraction between Peter and Anna. The reader is left to guess whether their relationship is platonic, sexual or both.
The Auslander is a powerful piece of young adult fiction that appeals just as comfortably to adult readers, as well. Dowswell provides a wonderful character study of an average Polish boy who is forced to be immersed within Nazi social doctrine. He can accept the lies that he is told daily about Jews and other victims of Nazi oppression. Or, he can find the resolve to fight Nazi propaganda and help the victims of this horrid persecution. The Auslander will be long remembered by the reader.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage
We are drawn into the mind of Piotr Bruck, a young Polish boy whose German father and Polish mother provide an excellent, warm home for their only child just before Germany invades Poland in 1939. As the story begins, Piotr’s parents are killed in their car when it was destroyed by a German tank. Piotr was sent to an orphanage in Warsaw. Suddenly removed from his parent’s love and their warm, comfortable family farm, Piotr is a destitute orphan, left to fend for himself as his adolescent years begin. Dowswell offers a wealth of colorful images and allegory, as the reader begins to experience Piotr’s desperation and sadness.
Feeling abandoned and forlorn, Piotr grows deeply frightened and morose. Upon examination by Nazis, it is determined that Piotr’s blond hair and blue eyes make him emblematic of the pure Aryan boy envisioned by Nazi propagandists. With this in mind, a prominent German family decides to adopt the young Pole. His “new” father is a high level operative in the Nazi Race & Resettlement Bureau. The entire family is enveloped within the strict culture of Nazi Germany and Aryan superiority. They despise Jews and other “lesser species of humanity.” They merrily hang swastikas on their Christmas tree, while millions of innocent people face brutality, starvation, forced labor and murder in Nazi concentration camps.
Piotr has fallen into a family of rabid Nazis. They change his name from Piotr to “Peter.” He has no choice about it. Peter obeys their austere commands and he joins the iconic Hitler Youth, the Hitler Jugend. There, he is taught to detest Jews, Poles, Russians, Communists and all manner of people proclaimed lower forms of humanity than superior Aryans. At first, the propaganda works. But over time, Peter begins to wonder why Nazis must hate and incarcerate Jews and other innocent people.
Peter gradually begins to question the strict Nazi culture. He was an “Auslander,” a foreigner. Dowswell explores the escalating feelings of a young boy on the verge of being accepted into the bold, new society of Nazi Germany. Here is a story of deep penetrating desire to be accepted by his new family, against the constant feeling that something was not right about Nazi edicts and its frightening punishment of innocent people.
In a turning point, Peter falls in love with Anna, a lovely girl whose father is a high ranking Wehrmacht officer. At first it seems impossible that Peter, whose attitude towards Nazi culture has eroded, could find common ground with such a staunchly Nazi family. But beneath the veneer of Anna’s family presence, was an amazing truth. Anna and her parents despised the Nazi regime. They were helping Jewish families in hiding; doing whatever they could to stop Nazis from murdering more innocent people. Peter was stunned and happy that he and Anna’s family shared a hatred of Nazis. Together, they engage in helping to conceal and feed Jews in hiding. But, eventually, they were discovered. Anna’s father was captured and tortured by the Gestapo. Anna’s mother, Anna and Peter had once chance to escape, or to be captured and killed by the Gestapo. Missing in this portion of the story is any clear definition of the burgeoning physical attraction between Peter and Anna. The reader is left to guess whether their relationship is platonic, sexual or both.
The Auslander is a powerful piece of young adult fiction that appeals just as comfortably to adult readers, as well. Dowswell provides a wonderful character study of an average Polish boy who is forced to be immersed within Nazi social doctrine. He can accept the lies that he is told daily about Jews and other victims of Nazi oppression. Or, he can find the resolve to fight Nazi propaganda and help the victims of this horrid persecution. The Auslander will be long remembered by the reader.
Charles S. Weinblatt
Author, Jacob’s Courage
January 5, 2019
I’m a sucker for historical fiction of any kind, but I especially love the stuff concerning the 20th century.
I bought this book eons ago, in my first year of Sixth Form, and have only just now read it. I remember a classmate had bought the same one and seemed to be enjoying it, so I had decided to do the same.
Dowswell’s novel, aimed at young adults, is about a young boy named Piotr (Peter later) whose family is killed during the occupation of Warsaw in World War Two. Left alone, he is sent to an orphange, and eventually chosen to be adopted by a good German family, Nazi sympathizers who look at him and think he is the poster boy for the Hitler Youth. Peter looks exactly like the boy on the poster, in fact – he has incredibly Nordic features, with blonde hair, strong jaw, and toned build. For all intents and purposes, he should be the perfect fit for a Hitler Youth. His new family actually enroll him in one of the Hitler Youth groups, as they do to all their other children, and at first he’s excited. His lifelong dream has been to become a Luftwaffe pilot, and this could very well be his ticket into all this. His adopted father is a professor at a university in Germany, studying genetics – more specifically, he’s studying ways in which genetics can tell apart Jews from non-Jews. And Peter, in the beginning, is 100% OK with this.
But Peter, thank God, suddenly realizes that maybe all this isn’t too good an idea.
You see, Peter isn’t German. He may look German (or like the Aryan ideal that Germany loved to talk about back then), but everybody knows that he isn’t. He’s an outsider in the new community, no matter how hard he tries to fit in. And he develops strong friendships with young teenagers who aren’t exactly sympathizers with the Nazi ideal. He listens to swing music and BBC radio, broadcast from England. He feels sorry for the Jews being forced to do manual labour around the city, and tries to help them. He fights back with his thoughts when people talk about how great Hitler is. He isn’t convinced. And that is important enough to save him from Germany in the end.
Peter’s story feels like it could be real – the story of a boy who wants to leave a country that he realizes is not as great as it seems. He becomes part of an underground network – a very illegal one – that helps Jews, and he eventually tries to skip town. The whole thing is a very real and very raw telling of what could possibly have happened during World War Two. If you think about it, really, it can’t have been that all Germans were as ecstatic about Hitler rising to power as we think they were. While there were fanatics, it can’t have been the same for everyone. And this novel’s last section – its Act Four, if you will – brings it all to a head when a family and Peter try to run away from the hellhole they’ve been living in to a safer place, a neutral place.
(Switzerland, d’uh.)
This book is well researched (and even credited!), and Dowswell put a lot of thought into the writing of it. While it is written for children, it’s incredibly good as a light summer read, and puts World War Two into a different perspective. For a long time, we’ve heard stories about what it was like to be on the Allies’s side, or the Jews’ side. But sometimes we never stop to think what it could have been like for the people living in Germany who just didn’t want it to happen in the first place.
(Please don’t take this as me invalidating the experience of the actual victims of World War Two. It’s just a nice change of pace to have a different perspective to the whole thing, is all.)
Overall, my final rating is a 4/5. Props, Dowswell!
I bought this book eons ago, in my first year of Sixth Form, and have only just now read it. I remember a classmate had bought the same one and seemed to be enjoying it, so I had decided to do the same.
Dowswell’s novel, aimed at young adults, is about a young boy named Piotr (Peter later) whose family is killed during the occupation of Warsaw in World War Two. Left alone, he is sent to an orphange, and eventually chosen to be adopted by a good German family, Nazi sympathizers who look at him and think he is the poster boy for the Hitler Youth. Peter looks exactly like the boy on the poster, in fact – he has incredibly Nordic features, with blonde hair, strong jaw, and toned build. For all intents and purposes, he should be the perfect fit for a Hitler Youth. His new family actually enroll him in one of the Hitler Youth groups, as they do to all their other children, and at first he’s excited. His lifelong dream has been to become a Luftwaffe pilot, and this could very well be his ticket into all this. His adopted father is a professor at a university in Germany, studying genetics – more specifically, he’s studying ways in which genetics can tell apart Jews from non-Jews. And Peter, in the beginning, is 100% OK with this.
But Peter, thank God, suddenly realizes that maybe all this isn’t too good an idea.
You see, Peter isn’t German. He may look German (or like the Aryan ideal that Germany loved to talk about back then), but everybody knows that he isn’t. He’s an outsider in the new community, no matter how hard he tries to fit in. And he develops strong friendships with young teenagers who aren’t exactly sympathizers with the Nazi ideal. He listens to swing music and BBC radio, broadcast from England. He feels sorry for the Jews being forced to do manual labour around the city, and tries to help them. He fights back with his thoughts when people talk about how great Hitler is. He isn’t convinced. And that is important enough to save him from Germany in the end.
Peter’s story feels like it could be real – the story of a boy who wants to leave a country that he realizes is not as great as it seems. He becomes part of an underground network – a very illegal one – that helps Jews, and he eventually tries to skip town. The whole thing is a very real and very raw telling of what could possibly have happened during World War Two. If you think about it, really, it can’t have been that all Germans were as ecstatic about Hitler rising to power as we think they were. While there were fanatics, it can’t have been the same for everyone. And this novel’s last section – its Act Four, if you will – brings it all to a head when a family and Peter try to run away from the hellhole they’ve been living in to a safer place, a neutral place.
(Switzerland, d’uh.)
This book is well researched (and even credited!), and Dowswell put a lot of thought into the writing of it. While it is written for children, it’s incredibly good as a light summer read, and puts World War Two into a different perspective. For a long time, we’ve heard stories about what it was like to be on the Allies’s side, or the Jews’ side. But sometimes we never stop to think what it could have been like for the people living in Germany who just didn’t want it to happen in the first place.
(Please don’t take this as me invalidating the experience of the actual victims of World War Two. It’s just a nice change of pace to have a different perspective to the whole thing, is all.)
Overall, my final rating is a 4/5. Props, Dowswell!
July 25, 2011
Auslander is the German word for “foreigner,” and British novelist Paul Dowswell’s 2009 novel (to be released in the U.S. by Bloomsbury in August 2011) spins a compelling tale of one foreign youth’s experiences in Nazi Germany. When Peter’s parents are killed in the German invasion of Poland, he is sent to a Warsaw orphanage along with other war orphans. But 13-year-old Peter is one of the “lucky” ones; he’s Volksdeutscher--of German blood, with blond hair and blue eyes. He’s therefore selected to be adopted by a prominent German family, and soon is living comfortably in Berlin. His new father, Herr Kaltenbach, has an important job deciding who is “racially valuable” or “racially worthless.” He has three new sisters, and although Frau Kaltenbach is cold to him, he is kept busy with his new school and Hitler Youth meetings, barely leaving him time to be homesick for Poland. In his fantasies, he wants to be a Luftwaffe pilot, much to the delight of Herr Kaltenbach.
Although Peter may seem on the surface like the perfect young Nazi, he is unable to accept without question the Nazi propaganda he is fed at home and at school. When he becomes romantically involved with Anna, whose family works for the resistance, Peter soon is helping Jews go into hiding. When the Gestapo begins to suspect Peter and his friends, they must leave Berlin; will they be able to escape?
I was very impressed with the complexity of this story, which could be read by adults as well as young people. Dowswell’s carefully researched novel reminds young readers that not everyone in Nazi Germany was pro-Hitler or even a Nazi. Anna and Peter listen secretly to the BBC, and attend parties where they dance to “degenerate” American jazz. Peter is a well-rounded character, who although at first wanting to fit in with his new family and follow the party line, maintains his compassion and humanity throughout. For example, Peter not only puts himself in great danger to deliver messages for the resistance, he also wants to help fellow Poles who are working as slave labor in Berlin, and tries to bring them food. There is plenty of exciting action as well, especially at the end as Peter and Anna try to make their escape.
The author paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up in Nazi Germany, complete with fascinating details such as the family Christmas tree decorated with illuminated plastic swastikas. The children receive Christmas presents laced with Nazi propoganda, such as a book on the perils of fraternizing with Jews or a doorknocker decorated with a caricature of the head of a Jew. They hide in bomb shelters as the Allies bomb Berlin, killing thousands. Peter struggles with his beliefs, realizing that both the Allies and the Nazis are murdering innocent civilians.
Although Peter may seem on the surface like the perfect young Nazi, he is unable to accept without question the Nazi propaganda he is fed at home and at school. When he becomes romantically involved with Anna, whose family works for the resistance, Peter soon is helping Jews go into hiding. When the Gestapo begins to suspect Peter and his friends, they must leave Berlin; will they be able to escape?
I was very impressed with the complexity of this story, which could be read by adults as well as young people. Dowswell’s carefully researched novel reminds young readers that not everyone in Nazi Germany was pro-Hitler or even a Nazi. Anna and Peter listen secretly to the BBC, and attend parties where they dance to “degenerate” American jazz. Peter is a well-rounded character, who although at first wanting to fit in with his new family and follow the party line, maintains his compassion and humanity throughout. For example, Peter not only puts himself in great danger to deliver messages for the resistance, he also wants to help fellow Poles who are working as slave labor in Berlin, and tries to bring them food. There is plenty of exciting action as well, especially at the end as Peter and Anna try to make their escape.
The author paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up in Nazi Germany, complete with fascinating details such as the family Christmas tree decorated with illuminated plastic swastikas. The children receive Christmas presents laced with Nazi propoganda, such as a book on the perils of fraternizing with Jews or a doorknocker decorated with a caricature of the head of a Jew. They hide in bomb shelters as the Allies bomb Berlin, killing thousands. Peter struggles with his beliefs, realizing that both the Allies and the Nazis are murdering innocent civilians.
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