Storm Warning

by Mara Kay

"But there's nothing wrong with the Nazi regime," argued Ann. It was true that somehow the atmosphere was changing around them in Germany that summer of 1938. Foreigners seemed less welcome, and an inordinate amount of war material was on the move, scarcely camouflaged now. Still, people seemed clean and tidy and prosperous. "You should know what's wrong after typing all my articles," Uncle Dick had replied. "Don't imagine Hitler a benefactor to the German people." Neither of them could know that within a few weeks Ann would be living with total strangers, in a house with a secret which was to involve her in a dangerous and desperate venture. Events were to teach her in no uncertain terms just what the Nazi regime meant to ordinary decent people, and that things could be wrong beyond all imagination. This is the story of what it was like before the storm broke.

Genres: World War II, Historical Fiction, Holocaust

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

The author of a number of children's novels, many of them works of historical fiction set in Russia or Yugoslavia, Mara Kay was (according to the dust-jacket blurb of The Burning Candle) "of Russian extraction, was brought up in Yugoslavia, but has lived in America since 1950."

Reviews

[Pamela Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this powerful historical novel. The scene is Germany in 1938. Hitler is the leader and hugely popular - all the boys seem to be in Hitler Youth and most people seem eager to denounce Jews and anyone disloyal to the Nazi regime.

Ann Lindsay is a 14-year-old English orphan whose Uncle Dick, a journalist and her guardian, has brought her along as he tours Germany and writes about it for a newspaper. Ann has learned to understand German well. She wakes up in bed in a strange house with a kind German woman caring for her and learns that she and Uncle Dick were both badly hurt in a car accident. He's in the hospital, but she "only" had a concussion and was fine recovering in a home with good care.

I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that as Ann recovers she encounters two Jewish girls who are in hiding. At that time, the government was happy for Jews to "self-deport", but these particular girls are in danger, since the Gestapo would like to use them to get at a wanted person. Ann also befriends a bitter, lonely rich girl, and struggles to hide the secret of her new Jewish friends from this loyal young Nazi.

Another important character is her hostess' young son, who doesn't believe the Nazi ideology but enjoys and is influenced by the Hitler Youth he's required to belong to. When Krystalnacht happens, he is torn between normal boyish delight in the bombs his comrades are setting off and concern for the Jewish shopkeepers whose property is being destroyed.

The Catholic church plays a noble part, in the persons of some indomitable nuns.

This YA book has a lot of suspense and some violence so would probably not be ideal for sensitive children under 10 or so, but there are no other content considerations. It ends pretty well. It's certainly interesting and deep enough for an adult. The situation in Germany at that time is a cautionary tale I wish more Americans would pay heed to.

We've had this book for decades but I couldn't remember if I'd read it before. It took me till more than halfway through to realize that I had - there was one memorable (and ironic) conversation which continues to be the only thing I remember from my previous reading.

[Alta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A piece of WWII historical fiction that helps understand the dangers of being Jewish in Nazi Germany. A very good read, but the final escape seems very unlikely.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story of escaping from Germany right before WW2. The characters are believable and the issues of Jews, foreigners and Hitler's Youth in Germany right before the war allow you to imagine what you would do.

[Aidan Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid read, kept me intrigued. I imagine it is a great way to introduce children to the horror of the holocaust without the grotesque explicitness of the reality. Reminds me of the book thief but a bit tamer, ending feels rushed but honestly a decent quick read.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that takes place just before and at the start of World War II in Europe. Ann Lindsay and her father have been on a trip, and they end up in an accident, forcing a stay in the hospital for her father. Ann is taken in by an older woman who has a secret.

Ann eventually finds out that the woman is hiding two Jewish girls in her house. A lot of the book shows how the attitude of Germans at the time was changing, and we see various acts of anti-Jewish prejudice, along with outright violence. Other complications arise, and, before long, Ann realizes that she is in great danger by trying to help the two girls, yet she believes it is the right thing to do.

It's a really well-told story, and helps one to appreciate the sheer insanity of the times and the incredible hatred that Hitler had stirred up against the Jewish people, and how they were treated. These are lessons that must never, ever, be forgotten.

[Amy Sjoquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok.